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Olmike · Nov 20, 2006

No, They will exchange owner bottles only,with A signed affadavitt from the owner stating he owns them.Lawyer stuff you know

Dusty · Nov 20, 2006

That is what I thought. Since the bottles that are in question here, are the type that have the company name casted into the top of the bottle, is it safe to assume that no one will fill these, even if the company has gone out of business? Isn't the name cast into the bottle the reason they can tell the difference between owned bottles and leased bottles? I know that is the reason that I won't accept any exchange that has a cast in name on the bottle when I exchange my owned bottles. Thanks

Olmike · Nov 20, 2006

I get A lot of bottles with the name cast in them.Some of the kirk bottles have the name cast in and some don't.To my knowledge Kirk does'nt lease bottles to anyone.But I could be wrong.

gemini5362 · Nov 20, 2006

Timber · Nov 20, 2006

Just because a bottle has a company name on it doesn't mean it is not a customer owned. You don't get the same set of tanks when you own them, you get an exchange. If you go to airgas and buy a set of tanks you get airgas tanks and you own them. Even a welding supply store can not fill and AC tank. AC tanks have to be filled at an AC plant and no were else. BOC and Airgas own almost all the atmosphere extractors all over the world and certainly in the united states. Most welding supply stores or anyone that deals in tanks ever fill them. In fact they are probably filled by Airgas or BOC gas regardless of who you think your dealing with because the own all the extractors. Once you own a tank and you empty it you will never see that same tank again

Timber · Nov 20, 2006

gemini5362 said:
Save | Print | Update | Send | Send | What's Nearby

to cell phone | to email address
Airco-Selox Inc
2610 18th Avenue North, Bessemer, AL 35020
map | driving directions

Rate It phone: (205) 428-9111

http://www.airgas.com

I got this off of a google search if it will help any

I was pretty sure BOC bought them out. We bought out so many companys that there are all kinds of tanks in the inventory

Sully2 · Nov 20, 2006

Timber said:
Just because a bottle has a company name on it doesn't mean it is not a customer owned. You don't get the same set of tanks when you own them, you get an exchange. If you go to airgas and buy a set of tanks you get airgas tanks and you own them. Even a welding supply store can not fill and AC tank. AC tanks have to be filled at an AC plant and no were else. BOC and Airgas own almost all the atmosphere extractors all over the world and certainly in the united states. Most welding supply stores or anyone that deals in tanks ever fill them. In fact they are probably filled by Airgas or BOC gas regardless of who you think your dealing with because the own all the extractors. Once you own a tank and you empty it you will never see that same tank again

I know you are right...but I have ONE BIG problem with that!! I stopped by my local shop and was looking at tanks; torches..etc..and the guy told me that a "new" set of tanks would set me back $350. ( OK..?..I didnt think they would be free or anything!!) and that HE...the welding shop...stamps THEIR NAME in them...and hence...THEY are the only ones that will fill them because the other 2 locations...owned by others...wont do "someone else's tanks". AND..as you stated...if I turned NEW tanks IN..I get back USED...FILLED tanks back!

Frankly..that sounds like total "BS!" to me. Maybe thats the way the game is played...but I aint about to lay out $$ for "new" tanks and get back some used POS!!

Timber · Nov 20, 2006

This is how it works All gas is harvested out of the atmosphere. The atmosphere is made up of 95 percent Nitrogen and all the other gas we use is in the other 5 percent. It is very expensive to process these gasses and the laws have changed over the last 30 years. BOC owns almost all the extraction towers and Airgas owns a much smaller percentage but are the next biggest collector. You are correct to a point. There are some outfits that own a large quantity of customer owned bottles and the rotate and track them but even at that it doesn't work very well. Say welding supply X gives Airgas 200 bottles a week to fill of 30 different gasses and mixes then 110 come back filled in there bottles, well airgas will complete the order with there bottles and the the next week the get 220 of theirs and they give 75 of there bottles and 80 airgas bottles back. do you see were this is going. Now your a body shop and you get your gas from welding supply X and your bottles are out being filled and 2 of your's comes back and 3 say airgas. You own the bottles! & because you have a business to run and need gas for your torch and welder and plasma cutter. So it is imposable to keep the same bottles. You see welding supply X might be able to fill Oxygen or propane and liquid nitrogen. Acetylene has to be done at a special plant and there are all kinds of mixes. Argon, argoshield, Helium mixes, CO2, liquid oxygen, liquid argon, Never mind scientific medical. Artificial atmospheres, Medical oxygen, Medical gas has lot numbers and is a pharmaceutical. You see it doesn't matter who you buy your gas from they are getting there bottles filled at a plant some were off sight. To buy a set of crisp tanks is foolish because the 1st time you turn them in to be filled there gone. I have replaced nice crisp tanks with tanks that have sat outside in a junk yard all winter. I have seen guys get pissed saying I just bought those and you bring me these. That is the gas business.

Timber · Nov 20, 2006

Dusty said:
That is what I thought. Since the bottles that are in question here, are the type that have the company name casted into the top of the bottle, is it safe to assume that no one will fill these, even if the company has gone out of business? Isn't the name cast into the bottle the reason they can tell the difference between owned bottles and leased bottles? I know that is the reason that I won't accept any exchange that has a cast in name on the bottle when I exchange my owned bottles. Thanks

Dusty I just want to address the issue of stamping or embossing a company name into a bottle. It doesn't mean very much at all. There was a time when there were many small fill plants that just did a select few kinds of gas like oxygen and CO2 and maybe strait argon but the mixed gasses that came along with better equipment and the advances in the scientific community required more complicated mixes. Purity became more important. That era of buying a set of tanks and going down to the feed and grain store to fill them is long gone. Like I said in the previous post. There is a very small number of outfits that are under contract with there fill company's the keep the same bottles in rotation. In this day and age it doesn't work, The gas business is very regulated and very complicated. When I was hired by BOC I was already skilled in Hasmat and had to go through 6 months of there training before I was weened off to work on my own. You have no idea the training and testing and certifying it takes just to handle the variety of gasses there are

dancer · Nov 20, 2006

My experience is that welding supply companies will work with you -- period. After all, their business is to sell gas rather than refuse to sell gas -- so they have ways to make it happen and I've never felt ripped-off by their methods.
I bought a heavy-duty Victor torch set about 20 years ago in Northern California, and bought used filled tanks of acetylene and oxygen from the same store. Took them home and used them in the rebuild of a '67 Cuda coupe. Later took them to Southern California as household goods and exchanged them there -- different bottles but same amount of gas. I've always kept my paperwork on the purchase and every refill but can only remember one time I've needed it and that was when the bottles I took in needed to be hydrotested before reuse -- which didn't matter to me since I got replacement bottles again anyway. Eventually took my bottles to Colorado, then Maryland, then Virginia, and now Arkansas where they've been "refilled" at least three times. No problem ever. Different bottles each time. Total transaction time each time was about 10 minutes. Total cost each time was about $40. Frankly, I've had more trouble buying Tide at WalMart in all those locations.