A few parts that make my Hobart Auto Arc 130 Welder work better...

I have had my welder for a while now and have bought a few items that seem to make it run a little better, or at least make using it easier. Amazon sells the Auto Arc 130 both in a ‘kit’ or by itself.

Some of the items are performance related while others are simply nice to have.  If you plan on running a 10 pound spool of wire, you will need the Handler Hub Kit. Also if you plan on doing much welding with flux cored wire, you should use the correct nozzle.  From what I understand, it will keep the splatter that is associated with flux cored welding from clogging the gas ports on the gun.  The MIG welding gel makes it easier to keep the tip/nozzle clean as well.


It gets very dusty where I live so I thought that a cover would help out and it does.  Since the Auto Arc is made by Hobart, they have a cover that fits it well.  My kit also came with a fixed shade helmet, but it got tiring flipping the mask up and down when beginning to start a weld, so I got an auto-darkening helmet and I love it! it has adjustable shades via a knob on the side as well as a setting for grinding or welding.  That way if you plan on grinding, it doesn’t automatically darken the lens.


My Auto Arc 130 Kit came with a fixed flow regulator and from every thing I had read, it seemed to have a flow rate that was too high for some work and could unnecessarily empty your shielding gas tank too quickly. So I found the Fourney regulator. I included several Victor regulators as well.


Hope this info helps out other Auto Arc owners.  I will try and see if I can find some other items and add them here when possible.

Got a new book today!

I have decided that it is time that I learn some body work skills.  It is damn certain that my truck needs body work, so it is a bonus for me that I get to try and learn how to do it.  I understand that I am no where near competent in this area.

I set about going to different forums and wading through the crap to get the actual nuggets of wisdom that a lot of craftsmen were taking the time to pass on.  The one thing that kept coming up was a specific book that most of them stated would lay a good foundation to build off of.

So I went to my default source for buying stuff, Amazon, and got me a copy.  I have been leafing through it, trying to gain an understanding of the material presented and it makes sense.  The trick now is to actually apply some hands on and try my hands at this.  While I do not plan on making it my profession, I do want to be able to say that I did all my own body and metal work on the truck.

There are  a few dents that have body structure under them, so I may end up having to get some sort of stud gun to get those taken care of.

I have had my eye on this one, again I found it at Amazon, and it is rated well by the reviewers.


(A quick note about using online reviews to make a purchase decision.  Here is my technique. For me, if I am on the fence about a particular product, I will read as many reviews as I can find about that specific product, paying special attention to model/version numbers.   You have to realize that some people are not happy with anything and weed those reviews out, also there will be others that I call padding the ballot box.  I know you have all seen those, the 'greatest thing since fire' reviews and I get the feeling that perhaps they are perhaps not honest.  I generally try and filter out all 'hated it' and 'loved it' reviews and go from there.)

I have also heard about a stud welding adapter for MIG welders and have been trying to find more info on those as well.  It would be nice to not have to buy another limited use tool.  My concern with the adapter is that most of the stud welders use an incredibly high current (advertised 1000+ amps)  for a very short duration to weld the stud on. Where as the MIG guns are designed to have more of sustained output.  So I am a little nervous that it may put too much heat into an area.  Again more research needed. Also if anyone has any experience with the adapters, please feel free to comment and let me know.