New welding machine plus other stuff

[Thomas]

Yikes..you did darn good getting all those goodies. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

By the sounds you need a BIG rolling tool box w/a lock. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[ejb]

>>By the sounds you need a BIG rolling tool box w/a lock.


Oops, forgot to tell you, all this stuff did come in a BIG metal tool box with locks...not rolling though!

 

[kevinro]

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I don't know about the laws in Mass., but I do know you'll need to check the stamped dates on the bottles. If the bottles are past the dates the bottles will need to be hydro tested. Your welding supply will be able to get this done.

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In WA state, when you get your bottles 'filled', you actually turn in your used/empty bottles and they give you a different pair of bottles that you keep indefinitely. Chances of seeing your original bottles again are really really low! There is a large rotating stock of gas bottles in the state. You don't actually own your specific gas bottles, you merely own the rights to two of the rotating stock. As such, the tank testing is done by your gas supplier and they determine if the bottles are suitable for continued use.

I thought it worked like this all over the country, but perhaps someone can enlighten me?

Kevin

 

[JonLeonard]

I believe the filling of these is controlled by the Department of Transportation (federal). You MUST have the originaly papers to get them filled if they are bigger then the little ones you can buy at Lowe's etc.

Some cylinders are leased, some are purchased. If you take a cylinder you own to a place other than where you bought them, they will refill your cylinders. If you take them to where you bought them, then they might just swap them out for filled ones (depends on the dealer). I dont believe you can get a leased cylinder filled/swapped anywhere, except the dealer you leased it form.

The thing to know here, is those cylinders you see for sale at flea markets, etc are absolutely useless unless they include the original paperwork. Noone will fill them. I speak form experience /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

Jon

 

[ejb]

I suspected that it wouldn't be as simple as showing up with two empty bottles, with no proof of ownership and trying for a re-fill.

Any ballparks on what it will cost to get a set of new tanks, pluss have them filled?

 

[Bird]

Kevin, my brother and I bought our bottles and they were new when we bought them, but like you, never saw them again after they once ran out, because every where we ever went to have bottles filled, they simply took our empty and gave us a full one.

I do know that some people (usually only shops that use a great deal of gas) rent the bottles and I checked into that quite a few years ago and it is far too expensive unless you're buying a lot of gas.

 

[JonLeonard]

I just bought a set of bottles a few weeks ago. A small oxygen and acetelyne setup. The two of them filled were about $260. Each is about 2' tall, about 12" in circumference.

Hope that give you an idea. They are pretty expensive.

Jon

 

[DavidH]

ejb: I bought a used cutting torch six months ago. Before I bought them I checked a local welding supply store to see if it was worth the price. They told me that if I bought tanks it would be $225 or they would fill them for $32. I finally ran out of gas last week and took them to the store. They swapped them out for different tanks for $32 with no paperwork. They did say if the tanks were expired there would be a $15 fee extra, but both tanks were in date.

 

[bgott]

I did that, went to Home Depot and bought the little cutting rig for doing my A/C work and other small jobs. I took my shiny new bottles down to get them filled and durn near cried when they swapped them out for two bottles that were all beat and scratched up. When I bought some used bottles for back up at a yard sale they wanted to charge for a hydro test but I found out that my A/C supply will swap them out, no questions asked. It costs me about $8 a pop to get my cylinders swapped out for full ones. Not bad for a set up I can carry anywhere.