Getting started with a used Hobart Handler 140

[sj416]

Hi everyone,
I picked up a new-to-me Hobart Handler 140 to do some jobs around the house and bodywork on my truck. I won't touch the truck until I get used to the machine, I have never mig welded before. I started stick welding about 6 months ago learning on a old Lincoln tombstone with 6010, 6013, and a little 7018. We also did a bit of oxy at the shop. The guy teaching me has recently emigrated to England and I doubt I'll find another person here to work with me as friendly and helpful as he was.

The seller of the machine didn't have the original regulator or gas hose, and the nut hub is missing. He only used it for flux but I want to use it with gas. It also looks like the gun might need some love but I will ask about that later. Due to cost and local availability (I live in Honduras), I figured I would go with c100 for the time being if not for good. Mig isn't terribly popular here but I don't want to be stick welding the thin sheet metal on my truck. Everything I need to buy other than the gas cylinder and maybe contact tips will need to be ordered and shipped to a freight forwarder in Miami, so it becomes rather time-consuming and expensive if I don't order the right things the first time.

So my current pressing questions are:

1. Instead of ordering a replacement Ar/CO2 regulator that Hobart doesn't recommend using with c100, what are my options for a decent and relatively inexpensive flowmeter? The online manual says Hobart flowmeter part #212492 with gas hose part #144108 for CO2 but I can't seem to find anything about those online. I see a bunch of 30-40 dollar CO2 flowmeters on Amazon, but have no idea how to judge what I'm looking at, honestly.

2. Or considering the 140's duty cycle and the fact that I would never be welding below, say, 25°C / 77°F, am I best to get the replacement Hobart Ar/CO2 regulator and hose and then get a CGA-320 to CGA-580 adapter (which would allow me to use c25 in the future if I want)? If I do this, is there anything else I would need or would something like this be sufficient? [Amazon link]

3. If I want to use 0.024 wire, is it best to swap a 0.024 liner from what I assume is the liner it came with new? I know I will need 0.024 contact tips. Or could I use a 0.030 liner for 0.024 and 0.030 and only change tips when changing wire size?

4. Do I need to care about the missing nut hub? The seller had an 8" flux spool on with just a random nut. No idea if it matters or if it's just a convenience thing to have the knob.

Thanks for reading this all if you have, and I appreciate any advice and info given, even if unrelated to the above. Also, if there's a better forum to ask this stuff in, please let me know.

[Broccoli1]

You can use the regulator that came with the 140. I've been using mine with CO2 for quite awhile.

You just need the adapter and a plastic washer. CGA-320 to CGA-580 Adapter # 806 CO2 Carbon Dioxide Bottle to Argon Flowmeter

[sj416]

You can use the regulator that came with the 140. I've been using mine with CO2 for quite awhile.

You just need the adapter and a plastic washer. CGA-320 to CGA-580 Adapter # 806 CO2 Carbon Dioxide Bottle to Argon Flowmeter

The guy I bought the machine from didn't have the original reg and hose so I currently have nothing, but this confirms question #2 that I had in the original post. Thank you for taking the time to respond!