Welding Gas

[jvhodges]

Heres a question for all of you welders out there. I bought a Lincoln SP135t last year and have been using the flux core wire that came with it to replace all of my floor pans, things are going pretty good so far, but what I'v been told is that flux burns alot hotter than if you use gas, I want to get away from the burn thur. So my question is, when I go to gas should I rent/lease a bottle from the gas company or go to harbor freight and buy a bottle for $60.00 and just have it filled as I need it? I havn't called and priced rental/lease yet, any ballpark prices at what I'm looking at? Thanks for the input guys.
Jeff

[mmccarty]

Just lease it.  It's only $30 per bottle/ per year for the oxy acetlyne bottles I lease.  You'll
never have to worry about pressure testing and you can exchange it for a full bottle in ten minutes
instead of waiting on them to fill yours or even sending yours off site for several days to get it filled.

[Killer_Mopar]

I got my bottle through my local "gas selling business" for a one time 60 dollar fee and it even came filled. When it needs a refill all I have to do is take it in, pay for the gas, and exchange it for one that is filled....total time = 5 minutes. I do recommend that you dont buy the little bottle because it runs out rather fast and cost about the same to refill as the large bottle.

[MyMopar]

I got my bottle through my local "gas selling business" for a one time 60 dollar fee and it even came filled. When it needs a refill all I have to do is take it in, pay for the gas, and exchange it for one that is filled....total time = 5 minutes. I do recommend that you dont buy the little bottle because it runs out rather fast and cost about the same to refill as the large bottle.

 

[mmccarty]

How does that work?  Unless you have a bill of sale showing proof of ownership for a gas cylinder
you'd be hard pressed to get anybody but the company you "bought" it from to fill it.  Who owns
the exchange cylinders? 

[Killer_Mopar]

I believe in my case that I actually own the cylinder because I can hold on to it forever and not owe them anything. When I need a refill I just have to pay for the gas and then exchange it for a cylinder of the same size that is already filled. I imagine that I could have them refill the cylinder I have, but that would take a long time and worthless because the cylinders are pretty much created equally. The place I go through is O.E. Meyer and they have a couple stores throughout northern Ohio, including a station that is less then 5 minutes from me.

[Krazed]

I got my bottle through my local "gas selling business" for a one time 60 dollar fee and it even came filled. When it needs a refill all I have to do is take it in, pay for the gas, and exchange it for one that is filled....total time = 5 minutes. I do recommend that you dont buy the little bottle because it runs out rather fast and cost about the same to refill as the large bottle.

I did the same thing. That, to me, is the easiest, most worthwhile method. Most Welding shops will do that for you as well. Just ask around!

[jvhodges]

Thanks guys, leasing is the way to go than, theres 2 places here in town I'll call.
Jeff

[heminut]

I did the same thing as Killer Mopar, bought the bottle from the local welding supply and just exchange it for a full one when it's empty. That seems to be standard operating proceedure around here. I agree with getting the bigger bottle, I don't think the small one lasts very long if you do much welding.

[dougs bs23]

If you "buy" yor bottle from your local welding gas supplier youll be on file in there system and exchanges are rather simple. Now , if you know of a friend, other business or company that already has an account there you can save even more using their discounts. For shop and around the house welding I would think all you need is an 80 cu. ft bottle of AR,CO2 mix and the exchange for that should be around $50.00 or so, unless you want a 120 cu.ft bottle. then itll cost ya more. When it runs out go to the supplier exchange it for a full one,, and away you go. One good thing about an 80 cu.ft. bottle is you can throw it in the trunk of your car and its easy to handle.  One thing to always remember  when transporting cylinders of gas put the cap on. If by chance you have a DOT inspection, and your bottles arent properly capped,  well lets just say it can get a little costly

[moparnut]

Buy the bottle and swap when empty,it will be cheaper in the long run.I would go with argon/co2 mix,I just switched from co2 and my welds look much cleaner and require less grinding.The gas doesnt make the weld hotter just eliminates a lot of spatter which is a MUCH cleaner weld.Thats why it called a shielding gas not a heating gas,it shields the welding arc but doesn't make it hotter,it already as hot as it going to get,you adjust the heat with the settings on your mig.

[tactransman]

When I got my tank, the salesman signed the back of one of their business cards and wrote the price down that he quoted me for a refill. That price is locked for life , no price increase!!!!! (C-K Supply)