how do I turn a CO2 bottle into an argon bottle?

[mrb]

so I ended up with a full size CO2 tank. can i exchange it for an argon tank? or can it be converted to argon?

 

[Steve from Socal]

You should be able to exchange it for argon, they are the same type of bottle

Steve

 

[Zebu Fellenz]

Usually you can exchange it for the same size argon (or any other shield gas) bottle.

 

[american lockpicker]

You can't AFAIK.

 

[GRX]

Very likely that would be illegal. Get an exchange.

 

[Outlawmws]

Argon tanks can be use with pure argon or an argon/CO2 mix IIR; CO2 not.

Exchange will vary depending on the company. You might have to add some cash to do it.

 

[KenC]

I have a couple of 20 lb CO2 bottles (same as a 20 lb co2 Kidde fire ext bottle, even have that label under the company label). They were converted to argon/co2 mix by my local welding supply years ago. Just changed the valve and tested.

Been using them for years with my little mig.

 

[Steve from Socal]

An industrial gas supplier like Airgas or Praxair will just exchange the bottle, you guys are reading way too deep into this. Yes a CO2 bottle is different than an argon bottle but, the bottle is nothing rare or unique. The original poster should take the bottle to a location of the company that filled it, don't take a Praxair bottle to an Airgas location. Most of the mom and pop companies have been bought by one of these two companies in the last decade so chances are these are your two choices.

Steve

 

[rlitman]

Some CO2 cylinders carry a lower pressure rating than Argon cylinders. Some have the same ratings. Either way, the valve is different.

If you own the cylinder, just take it to a "nice" welding gas supplier, and see what they'll do. They may want to just exchange cylinders, they may offer to swap the valve (if your cylinder has the right ratings).

 

[marslawn]

I did this very thing. Here is what I found. I brought in two co2 tanks that were given to me. Airgas would exchange them to me in this way. They would buy the bottle back from me at a cut rate minus a hydro test and then sell a argon bottle to me at retail value. I did the math and deiced it was a better deal for me to sell my c02 tanks on craigslist and then use that money to buy a tank. In the process of selling my tanks. I ended up buying an oxygen tank. When I took this tank in to airgas they did a strait across exchange minus a hydro test because the oxygen tank was old.

Hope this helps.

 

[mrb]

a gas place exchanged the CO2 tank for an argon tank and only charged the cost of the argon gas (although they gave nothing for the CO2 in the bottle which was full) all in all a very good deal.

 

[Steve from Socal]

As I expected; they would have done the same thing with an empty bottle.

Steve