I just got my Hobart 140 a couple days ago and today was my first time trying Mig welding. I used some exhaust pipe I bought and tried doing lines and butt welding 2 pieces together. They weren't great looking but the butt weld I did held together :D , so that was pleasing.

A couple ?'s........after welding, is it normal for the contact tip and that area to be covered in ash? And, is there an extension cord that can take the high amps to use?

I'm pretty good at everything with an OxyAx set-up, but my arc welding experiences have been humbling redface.gif ...........but so far Mig welding is pretty fun and easy.

Thanks for all the advice I've found on this board.

You will have alot of fun with that new welder, given your experience with oxy/acetelyne welding your puddle control/coordination must be good. The soot deposits are normal, and will be more when welding coated metals-especially those coated with wax or petroleum products for extended shelf lives. Some exhaust pipes are alluminum coated also.

Originally posted by baddbob71:
You will have alot of fun with that new welder, given your experience with oxy/acetelyne welding your puddle control/coordination must be good. The soot deposits are normal, and will be more when welding coated metals-especially those coated with wax or petroleum products for extended shelf lives. Some exhaust pipes are alluminum coated also. Ok....good. Didn't want to find out I'm overheating something or doing something wrong. Thanks.

I have a Hobart Handler 135, and although the flux core is pretty easy, I get a lot of flux splatter. I'd say 1/2 my welds turn out ok, but I get too fash and it turns to Sheite!

I do like MIG way better than my Lincoln arc.

I have gas but have not tried it yet.

Do yourself a favor, and read the top post in this section "Just your Friggin health"!

Don't practice on galvanized stock! Zinc Oxide poisoning is nothing to mess with. Your local body shop has a dumpster full of mangled light guage sheetmetal to practice on - just ask!

A little advice on your voltage setting, Take some scrape stock equal to the thickness of the metal you will be using and test weld,adjust the voltage until you get burn through then back it of 1 notch.
A welder gave me that tip,penetration is more important then beauty.

When doing Mig you need to learn when to pull the weld and when to push it. Also, I like to keep the continous arc to a max of about 1 - 1-1/2" on light metal. With mig, you can stop and start with indefinitely. I usually finish my welds with a flap disc, even on exhaust systems. This gives you a nice finished look. You don't really even see the welds.