welding gas

[strobes]

Hi, I wanted to learn TIG for long time and have some $ to spend on this hobby now. I did not expect much problems in finding Argon but after reading posts here looks like some home work required.
With that I need some help from local members (my zip is 75075) to point me to good supplier of welding gas, Argon.
Considering that I'm just getting in to this a 80cu cf tank should be OK.
One option is to rent, but I'd rather own a tank and exchange as I go.
Any suggestion what welding gas supplier is good in my area and what option is better for me rent or own? I see some reasonable prices on web for new tested bottles. Would be nice to exchange one for a full one locally.
Thank you.

 

[Wamsutta]

I bought a 125cu tank off Amazon and take it to Airgas for refills. I didn't want to rent tanks because I wanted one with nice paint.

 

[dogdog]

This is my experience....
Go to you Local welding supply that have gas, ask them how they work. Here they don't refill, just exchange at least the ones (two of them driving distance) in my area. So, would be wasteful to get a shinny new cylinder and end up exchanging.

They might lie also that they don't refill just to take your shinny cylinder..... wtf, yea they did that *** holes in every field.

I get mixed stories, saying 80CF the one that is about 40" height ones are customer owned. anything above is a rental... wtf.
Then I was told, I need to rent the cylinder with them... They will only exchange their cylinder, you can return the cylinder when done, there are no late fees.?!#@$!$%%

anyways keep your paperwork carefully is the lesson learned.

if you go with the own your cylinder route, you might want a biggest cylinder you can transport. up right or safely. Some how these gas goes fast and always runs out in the middle of welding....

 

[jar944]

I get mixed stories, saying 80CF the one that is about 40" height ones are customer owned. anything above is a rental... wtf.
Then I was told, I need to rent the cylinder with them... They will only exchange their cylinder, you can return the cylinder when done, there are no late fees.?!#@$!$%%

anyways keep your paperwork carefully is the lesson learned.

Mixed stories are because of different corporate/store policies. I own my "T" (300cf) and "M" (150cf) tanks.

 

[Firebrick43]

Have you been to the Linde welding gas & equipment center in Garland?

Previous dealings both in California and and Indiana make me despise AirGas and Linde bought out my local shop and they haven't ruined it yet.

 

[liliysdad]

I use Airgas and lease the tank. Yeah, I probably ought to buy my own…but at $75 a year it’s not that big of a deal, and I don’t have to worry about it.

I typically keep an 80 bottle, but if I have a bigger project coming up I’ll swap it for a 120, the lease is the same price. Costs me around $45 to fill/swap my 80 and I’m in and out in five minutes.

 

[bb29510]

i use airgas and i own my tank, yes airgas is not cheap but it hassle free for me and close to my office. we have a wesco too but i dont know if they are national. there another local company that will fill your bottle while waiting, but i never been there

 

[bdbecker]

For a hobby welder, Thoroughbred's 'Welding Gas to Go' program is tough to beat.

Welding Gas to Go!

www.gaspony.com

You buy the cylinder and exchange as needed, just like you would with a propane tank for your grill. No rental fees. Prices (at least in my area) are right in line with Airgas. The biggest advantage is that you aren't tied to the often limited business hours many weld supply stores operate under.

Looks like there are plenty of options within a 30 radius of your zip code.

Thoroughbred Industrial Cylinder Exchange

www.gaspony.com

 

[mark-NJ]

I have the "big name" companies near me, but there's also a smaller, independent supply house. The big name companies seem to not want my business, based on the absurd rules & hurdles they tell me about. But the small company is a breeze! A true pleasure to work with. Anything up to 125cuft they'll swap for the cost of the fill, on the spot. Bigger than that, it's a lease system, and I don't weld enough to justify that.

Presently, I own (2) 125 cuft and (2) 80cuft. Filling a 125 costs only a few dollars more than an 80, so they're way more economical to own. I'm presently keeping my eyes open for more 125 tanks & will sell my 80s after I find some.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Airgas is our only option here after they bought out the local shops and closed some down. Even the closest Airgas is 30 minutes away and I'm not willing to travel farther than that, so I'm stuck with them.

No refills here, I just drop off the empty tank and load up a full one. Much quicker. I have a 160cf for my TIG at the moment, but on the next refill I'll probably swap that for a 125cf or maybe even an 80cf for ease of transport in the car.

 

[ItsNemo]

I've been doing the TSC 80cf tanks which you "own" and then just exchange at TSC. They're usually filled by Linde/Praxair on the backend of things. It is more expensive, but you can swap on weekends rather than just business hours, and you're not dealing with rental fees or anything...and for the hobby welder, you aren't going through a tank a week here (or even a year).

 

[dogdog]

Mixed stories are because of different corporate/store policies. I own my "T" (300cf) and "M" (150cf) tanks.

Same company, different day, different sales. Private company not a big chain

 

[Steve_P]

I own my tanks, but my LWS only does exchanges. I ask them to give me a tank with nice paint, and they do- certainly not like new, but good enough.
As said, find someone local that you are going to deal with, and learn what the policies are.

 

[liliysdad]

I am befuddled by the desire for "nice paint." Its a welding bottle....who cares?

 

[mark-NJ]

I've come to understand that I didn't really "buy a tank" as much as I "contributed to a cabal" ... Sure, my first tank was purchased new, nice & shiny. "Mine, all mine!". Then I took it to the supply house and it was swooshed away and I was given some ugly, used tank.

But, hey: Argon is argon, and as long as the tank is in hydro, I've learned not to care. A swap is a swap.

 

[shanker]

MATHESON Ft. Worth - MATHESON

www.mathesongas.com

Matheson is the easiest I've found around here in South Texas to work with hobby folks that don't want to lease or work with accounts. Ask for cash discount too!

 

[mike93lx]

I am befuddled by the desire for "nice paint." Its a welding bottle....who cares?

Bufuddled by people that care about appearance of items in their shop? Spending potentially thousands on a welder and cart and wanting a bottle that isn't a scratched up mess doesn't hit me as odd

 

[Buckgnarly]

I am befuddled by the desire for "nice paint." Its a welding bottle....who cares?

The hydro stamp is what I care about. I'll exchange a shiny painted tank any day for a more recent cert!

 

[txvwnut]

Google welding supply around me and you should find a half dozen within a short drive from you. I suggest finding an independent store versus a chain store as that's where I've found the best prices and customer service. An 80cu tank isn't going to cut it for tig if you do a lot of welding, I have 125cu bottles and run through those pretty quickly. I'm not on the torch every day but when I am it's sometimes long sessions and with pre and post flow settings then the actual welding process you can run through some gas quick depending on what you need for gas coverage.

 

[liliysdad]

Bufuddled by people that care about appearance of items in their shop? Spending potentially thousands on a welder and cart and wanting a bottle that isn't a scratched up mess doesn't hit me as odd

Yep, still think it’s weird.

I could not care less what a bottle that doesn’t belong to me looks like, as long as it’s got enough gas in it to get what I need to get stuck together.

I’m also the guy with stickers covering my Miller 175, sitting on a homemade welder cart, so I’m probably not the authority.

 

[yatg]

get a bottle condom. problem solved.

 

[finn]

Yep, still think it’s weird.

I could not care less what a bottle that doesn’t belong to me looks like, as long as it’s got enough gas in it to get what I need to get stuck together.

I’m also the guy with stickers covering my Miller 175, sitting on a homemade welder cart, so I’m probably not the authority.

I just turned my brand new argon tank in for an exchange at Airgas, and joked that I am going to miss the shiny paint.

The Airgas rep thought I was actually serious!

I had to explain that I was just kidding.

 

[Mgdoug3]

Earlier this year I had a hard time getting argon. The welding supply store I use to use was bought out by AWG and must be short staffed because the aren't open the normal M-F and aren't always open. That made me waste a 1.5 hour trip once.

Airgas had a bottle shortage. I offered to bring my tank in but was told no. They only exchange bottles even when they're out of tanks and I have an empty one. I ended up and had my new store take my empty bottle so they could immediately swap mine out once they got a shipment. It was a frustrating ordeal.

 

[dr_clyde]

Bufuddled by people that care about appearance of items in their shop? Spending potentially thousands on a welder and cart and wanting a bottle that isn't a scratched up mess doesn't hit me as odd

Eh, it's a home gamer thing to care about for sure. Never been in a shop that was a business who gave two shits about how the welding cylinders looked.

It's why you get a really strange look at the LWS when you say you care about the paint job.

I would say an in 95%+ of the industrial gas world, the customer primarily cares about the quality, cost and ease of access to gas, not how the cylinder looks.

I take care of my equipment and tools, but its a welding cylinder not a show car.

 

[mike93lx]

Eh, it's a home gamer thing to care about for sure. Never been in a shop that was a business who gave two shits about how the welding cylinders looked.

It's why you get a really strange look at the LWS when you say you care about the paint job.

I would say an in 95%+ of the industrial gas world, the customer primarily cares about the quality, cost and ease of access to gas, not how the cylinder looks.

I take care of my equipment and tools, but its a welding cylinder not a show car.

Sure, no argument. I am not advocating one way or the other. Just seems odd that people can't understand the concept.

 

[kaymccampbell]

I bought my tank from Northeast Gas, now Airgas. It wasn't cheap, but rental is a killer, unless you own a herd, and then rent extras as big projects roll in.

Anyway, there's at least 3 Airgas stores near your zip.

As for pretty tanks, I could give a ****. It's the result I care about.

 

[Wamsutta]

I just turned my brand new argon tank in for an exchange at Airgas, and joked that I am going to miss the shiny paint.

The Airgas rep thought I was actually serious!

I had to explain that I was just kidding.

That thing cost me over $400 with shipping. There's no way in hell I'm ever going to turn it in for scratched up beat up tank.

 

[chris142]

I use Airgas and lease the tank. Yeah, I probably ought to buy my own…but at $75 a year it’s not that big of a deal, and I don’t have to worry about it.

I typically keep an 80 bottle, but if I have a bigger project coming up I’ll swap it for a 120, the lease is the same price. Costs me around $45 to fill/swap my 80 and I’m in and out in five minutes.

That's cheap. My old boss owned his tanks but the local place gave him rentals once. I don't remember exactly how much it was but it was in the $100's for a few months we had it. He made a huge stink about that.

 

[finn]

That thing cost me over $400 with shipping. There's no way in hell I'm ever going to turn it in for scratched up beat up tank.

It’s a tool, not the Mona Lisa.

It’s pretty unlikely that you’ll find a vendor to fill your tank while you wait. Most places batch fill. They accumulate a number of empties and fill them all at once. Some outlets don’t even have fill capabilities, but rather send empties off on the welding gas truck to a central filling facility.

 

[dr_clyde]

That thing cost me over $400 with shipping. There's no way in hell I'm ever going to turn it in for scratched up beat up tank.

Why am I not surprised that the guy with a complex about a circular saw also has a complex about welding cylinders lol.

 

[dr_clyde]

In my experience welding supply houses don't want to deal with home gamers, so they try to make it as inconvenient as possible to discourage you from wasting their time.

However, if you are willing to play their game and follow a few simple "rules" your experience will be much improved.

Before you buy anything, ask a few questions.

How big of a cylinder will they sell you? I own all my cylinders, and I have a dozen or so 330 cubic foot argon and argon/co2 cylinders as well as an assortment of acetylene, oxygen, and mixes. The big cylinders cost more up front, but save serious $$ in the long run in gas. In reality I own whatever cylinder I happen to have in my possession at any given time. When I exchange them in, I am guaranteed to get one in current test and fit for service.

What are their policies regarding exchanges? My LWS does not like to fill, they strongly prefer you exchange. They'll charge a hefty premium to fill "your" cylinder and you will have to wait until they are filling that gas and that size. My LWS also will take in "orphan" cylinders for a fee. I've bought several random cylinders off craigslist or at garage sales and turned them into what I really wanted. Some places will do this, some won't.

What are the requirements for delivery or salesman service? You'd be surprised how many sales guys will take a hobby shop on. Every sale adds to their commission, and if you have a sales rep attached to your account your pricing is usually MUCH better, as they treat their accounts better than counter sales. They may be willing to sell a business different things than an individual, but some places will only require you to have a charge account to get all the pricing and service of a business. I had an charge account and a sales rep when I was 19 working out of my uncle's garage and paid the same price as the big dogs, all they wanted was me to have an account.

Counter sales customers pay the highest prices, have the least service and have the least amount of access. It's worth the time and effort to get an account. My 330 CF argon is over $150 to exchange to Joe Public, but with my sales rep and account the cost drops to like, $35 or so. I had this as a teenager with no business or company, so it never hurts to ask what it takes to get an account. I didn't even have any credit for a long time, everything was C.O.D. and I had a sales guy bringing it out to my shop in the woods.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

If you care how your tank looks, just paint whatever tank you receive in exchange. The shop won't care. I'm pretty sure all my cylinders are a different color.

 

[ItsNemo]

Bufuddled by people that care about appearance of items in their shop? Spending potentially thousands on a welder and cart and wanting a bottle that isn't a scratched up mess doesn't hit me as odd

I'm the most fussy person in the world...and even I don't care what the bottle looks like lol

 

[Wamsutta]

It’s a tool, not the Mona Lisa.

It’s pretty unlikely that you’ll find a vendor to fill your tank while you wait. Most places batch fill. They accumulate a number of empties and fill them all at once. Some outlets don’t even have fill capabilities, but rather send empties off on the welding gas truck to a central filling facility.

My tank goes into the batch fill with the others, but they gave me a special name tag template that presses onto the valve cap so that it doesn't get mixed up with the other tanks. And besides that, I have all of the stamped numbers recorded onto a USB drive.

 

[dnschmidt]

Plano should have multiple sources. I've always liked Matheson and Linde (formally Praxair)

 

[bb29510]

In my experience welding supply houses don't want to deal with home gamers, so they try to make it as inconvenient as possible to discourage you from wasting their time.

However, if you are willing to play their game and follow a few simple "rules" your experience will be much improved.

Before you buy anything, ask a few questions.

How big of a cylinder will they sell you? I own all my cylinders, and I have a dozen or so 330 cubic foot argon and argon/co2 cylinders as well as an assortment of acetylene, oxygen, and mixes. The big cylinders cost more up front, but save serious $$ in the long run in gas. In reality I own whatever cylinder I happen to have in my possession at any given time. When I exchange them in, I am guaranteed to get one in current test and fit for service.

What are their policies regarding exchanges? My LWS does not like to fill, they strongly prefer you exchange. They'll charge a hefty premium to fill "your" cylinder and you will have to wait until they are filling that gas and that size. My LWS also will take in "orphan" cylinders for a fee. I've bought several random cylinders off craigslist or at garage sales and turned them into what I really wanted. Some places will do this, some won't.

What are the requirements for delivery or salesman service? You'd be surprised how many sales guys will take a hobby shop on. Every sale adds to their commission, and if you have a sales rep attached to your account your pricing is usually MUCH better, as they treat their accounts better than counter sales. They may be willing to sell a business different things than an individual, but some places will only require you to have a charge account to get all the pricing and service of a business. I had an charge account and a sales rep when I was 19 working out of my uncle's garage and paid the same price as the big dogs, all they wanted was me to have an account.

Counter sales customers pay the highest prices, have the least service and have the least amount of access. It's worth the time and effort to get an account. My 330 CF argon is over $150 to exchange to Joe Public, but with my sales rep and account the cost drops to like, $35 or so. I had this as a teenager with no business or company, so it never hurts to ask what it takes to get an account. I didn't even have any credit for a long time, everything was C.O.D. and I had a sales guy bringing it out to my shop in the woods.

and alway pay with a credit card. so when they try to rental you, you have a reciept that you paid in full. they tried that on me once

 

[finn]

My tank goes into the batch fill with the others, but they gave me a special name tag template that presses onto the valve cap so that it doesn't get mixed up with the other tanks. And besides that, I have all of the stamped numbers recorded onto a USB drive.

And we wonder why some gas suppliers don’t want to deal with home gamers, and why industrial users get such a huge discount.

 

[liliysdad]

And we wonder why some gas suppliers don’t want to deal with home gamers, and why industrial users get such a huge discount.

No kidding.

I’ve heard of some odd stuff…

 

[Wamsutta]

And we wonder why some gas suppliers don’t want to deal with home gamers, and why industrial users get such a huge discount.

I'm looking into having my name stenciled on the tank in military style letters. I'm wondering if there's such a thing as a stenciling service.

 

[LopezBart]

I'm looking into having my name stenciled on the tank in military style letters. I'm wondering if there's such a thing as a stenciling service.

Have someone laser cut you a stencil.... I just googled this: https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Stencil-12x24-Anything-Polyester/dp/B01N6LG3ZH?tag=atomicindus08-20