Hobart Handler 140 wire curling

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I just bought a Hobart 140 mig welder to use around the house.  My welding experience level is probably a 5 on the scale with 10 being pro.  I am using flux cored with no gas and I set the unit up and tried to weld on a 3/16 piece of steel for practice.  I put the settings as recommended by Hobart.  The first thing I noticed is the wire comes out the tio curled enough it contacts the nozzle instead of coming out straight.  So when I try to weld it seems like the wire is trying to weld to the nozzle.  Sometimes when this happens the wire is stuck to the nozzle and it will break the wire as it feeds into the cable.  I just had a real cheap mig and the wire came out centered in the nozzle.  I even took the nozzle off for a try, still sticking to tip now.The wire is .035 I believe.  Any suggestion, I suspect I have something wrong.
Reply:There is just no way I can picture the wire being able to curl enough to come in contact with the nozzle. That would be an extreme curl for sure. What size tip and wire are you using. How about a quick pic of this curl?"The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Is the machine brand new? If used I would suspect the drive rolls aren't set to the right wire diameter (.023 instead of .035). If used maybe the liner of the gun is beat. I assume you changed the contact tip to another new one to diagnose the problem. check your wire diameter again make sure it's not larger then what should be feed through your liner/gun.Someone here will help you out I'm sure
Reply:Yes this machine is brand new from tractor supply.  I have to correct myself I am using .030 Hobart flux cored wire and the manual says that it ships with a .030 tip.  The manual also says when the nozzle is properly in place that it should be flush with the contact tip.  However there is no way the nozzle will go on that far.  Let me run to the garage and see if I can get some pics!
Reply:Where in Alaska are you?I'm in Palmer.
Reply:Okay here are the pics.
Reply:Akweld I'm not up there anymore, was there 11 yrs, now in Memphis.  I miss it though!
Reply:The drive roller is set according to the manual, it shows .030 / .035 VK facing me, and the wire is running thru the slot inline with the feed.
Reply:Bingo, that pic shows you don't have your tip installed yet. Little copper piece about an inch and 1/2 long about 1/4 inch diameter with a tiny hole down the center.  You need that tip, and it should be a tip that matches the wire size.Last edited by Sandy; 10-12-2014 at 11:59 PM."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:What you show there in the last pic is the wire coming out of what is called a diffuser. The tips screw down into that diffuser. Without the tip = no-go. "The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Roflmao, I see it one in the manual, trying to weld with the tip adapter doesn't weld too pretty not to mention what it does to the gun.  I haven't welded with gas in over 30 yrs but always seem to have gas.  And them darn folks didn't include a tip then!  I was smart enough to know something was wrong, yet dum enough to not realize what it was.  Thank you very much.Last edited by Alaska_av8r; 10-13-2014 at 12:05 AM.
Reply:Those tips for the small Hobarts and Millers are pretty common. Pick them up just about anywhere. Get a few, they're cheap, have fun. "The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Here is a picture of the parts at the gunA - NozzleB - Contact TipC - Tip Adapter D - LinerLast edited by GlenC; 10-13-2014 at 12:44 AM.GlenMiller Dynasty 200DX - Millermatic 350P - Hypertherm Powermax 45Want to sell!! - Hobart Handler 150
Reply:Oh wow!!Get on eBay and buy a 25pack of tips.Their like $12.99 from "welding partner"
Reply:It makes sense now.. get a tip have some fun and good luck.
Reply:Using 0.030 flux core wire you can use the next larger size tip(0.035) for smoother operation. The F/C wire tends to be a little more dirty right off the spool than the solid core wire. So while your getting new tips, pick up a few of the next larger size to try. I run the same set up on my MM 140 with fewer hang ups than I was getting when I used the 0.030 tip size.
Reply:Thanks for the help folks.  It's amazing how good that thing welds with a tip on it!