Argon gas supply for aluminum MIG

[jwmorris]

Maybe when he needs soda cans stuck together he can call you?

Have you taken a look at Hobart information in the machine. Their window on thickness they are capable of welding is only between .048 and .250” (At 100% wire speed).

Why I asked about renting. It probably won’t take the OP very long to realize the limits of the machine and MIG/aluminum process in general.

Duty cycle gets pretty low on that machine as well, as voltage is also maxed out.

So you can‘t weld thin and if you only have 10 minutes of welding at the higher voltage ranges, it should only take an hour or so…

 

[Deleted member 371759]

I highly doubt hes welding 2 inch armorized aluminum for Bradley fighting vehicles. I'm sure he understands the capacity of his welder. If he decides he needs more welder he can buy it then. He can even trade in his tank and upgrade to a larger size when money allows. Hes not asking for advise on welders. Hes asking about affordably acquiring a argon tank. Unless you are buying? If you are I want a Everlast Typhoon 330. You can have it delivered straight to my house.

 

[BigBlue1]

You have to pay to play, it's as simple as that.

Don't take up expensive hobbies. Sell the equipment if you can't afford the toys. First world problem.

LOL!! OK buddy. Keep up the great suggestions.

 

[BigBlue1]

Have you taken a look at Hobart information in the machine. Their window on thickness they are capable of welding is only between .048 and .250” (At 100% wire speed).

View attachment 808215

Why I asked about renting. It probably won’t take the OP very long to realize the limits of the machine and MIG/aluminum process in general.

Duty cycle gets pretty low on that machine as well, as voltage is also maxed out.

View attachment 808216

So you can‘t weld thin and if you only have 10 minutes of welding at the higher voltage ranges, it should only take an hour or so…

It will work perfectly fine for my rare and simple needs. I'm not starting a welding shop.

 

[mikester]

LOL!! OK buddy. Keep up the great suggestions.

So if you can't afford or don't want to afford to pay the gouged maximum price, just sell your stuff? What a weird thing to say to someone. I just bought a OEM fuel selector valve for my 7.3 Powerstroke. One site had them for $350 another had them for $230 for the same Ford OEM valve. Should I sell my truck now because I bought the $230 valve?

I'm not the one whining about $225.

If you can't afford the $230 valve and can't figure out how to use google to find more than one vendor for parts then yes you should sell the Powerstroke.

 

[jwmorris]

It will work perfectly fine for my rare and simple needs. I'm not starting a welding shop.

I hope it does. I was just giving you my observations over decades of using both MIG and TIG on aluminum.

 

[Deleted member 371759]

I'm not the one whining about $225.

If you can't afford the $230 valve and can't figure out how to use google to find more than one vendor for parts then yes you should sell the Powerstroke.

Changed out the selector valve when I did my fuel pickups and swapped the walbo fuel pump for the new Bosch pump that Irate Diesel is selling now. Old valve was still good but may as well have a new fuel system. I took the truck from a heap that would barely move to, pretty kick arse. Adrenaline HPOP, injectors, new CHRA and billet wheel. pretty much everything is new.. Fuel system, ZF5, south bend clutch. Took the motor out to reseal everything. You name it its most likely new.
Didnt have to do nearly as much to my LB7 Duramax. It just needed injectors to get it right. I used S&S diesel SAC style injectors in that. So far so good with them been a few years and balance rates are all 1 or under.

 

[BigBlue1]

Always a blast as threads veer off into unrelated topics and then start pissing matches. Stay classy, TBN.

 

[etpm]

I'm sure that's true. But I have what I have and this thread is about finding reasonably priced argon for what I have.

You are absolutely right, you have what you have and you want reasonably priced argon. Unfortunately the best price for argon is gonna be when you buy a large cylinder. I know, it's tough buying gas when you also need to buy the cylinder to hold it and the cheap gas comes in expensive cylinders.
It sounds like maybe what could help you make your gas buying decision is to figure out how much gas you will be using in a certain period of time. So rent a cylinder, maybe one step above the smallest, and weld away. Pay attention to how many inches of welding you did with that size cylinder. Then try to figure out how many inches of welding you will need to do with the next cylinder. Maybe that will help with your decision.
There are some points to consider. If you don't need the gas right away then maybe you can shop around for a garage sale or Craig's List cylinder. You can also mix your own gasses. Pure CO2 can be used for wire feed (MIG) welding steel and I have used pure CO2 a lot. CO2 is way cheaper than C25. Pure CO2 has more spatter and narrower bead. C25 is only 25% CO2, so it is mostly argon, which is why it is so expensive.
What you could do is mix your own gasses. Youtube has plenty of direction on how to do this.

 

[panamaguy]

I'm getting set up to be able to weld aluminum. I have a Hobart 210 MVP and recently scored a deal on an SpoolRunner 100 gun. I know that I need to use Argon 100% for aluminum instead of the 75/25 Argon/CO2 I use with steel MIG.

Question is: Is there another way to get a small supply of argon other than buying a cylinder from my local welding supply place? They want $225 to buy a 40cf (almost the smallest tank). Even the tiny 20cf is $140.

I probably will be doing very little aluminum welding and I'm hoping to get into it cheaper than that. If this is the only reasonable way I guess I'll suck it up and lay out the cash, but looking for alternatives here first.

Thanks.

Something else to remember is it is cheaper (cost per cubic ft) to fill a big tank than a small one. And once you are set up you will find more projects. Like they say... Pay once cry once, and if you start doing more now add in the extra costs for higher cost per foot, time and fuel for trips to your welding gas supplier etc. Go big or go home is a saying I believe in