to flux or not to flux?

[W8BYA]

Hi Ron. Yup, what you said makes perfect sense. Everytime I would take my tanks in with the "ole" guy he would let me go out in the backyard and pick out two real nice newer looking ones to replace the two I just dropped off. No refilling was ever done there that I know of not to say they did not. Fingers are crossed when I take my "old" tanks in they don't give me a hard time.

 

[jaxs]

20 years ago there were more than two dozen welder's supplies within 30 miles of where I live. As population has grown, ws houses were sold then closed. Today two large companies operate seven places and not one privately owned place remains. It's next to impossible to deal with either company and when you succeed it will cost three prices.

 

[WranglerX]

I bought a set of small oxy & acet tanks back in 70's, have been exchanging them for years, never been challenged as to ownership, in fact could not even prove ownership of "tanks" as paperwork is long lost, but never been challenged, later purchase (about 6 years ago) of C25 tank for MIG machine, and paper work does not even record tank numbers it just states I have ownership of a 125 cu-ft tank.... Funny part about that is when I purchased tank, went to gas dock to pickup up tank, they were out of full 125 cu-ft tanks so dock jock gave me a 175 cu-ft, been exchanging the 175 ever since....

All I do is show up, and state what I need for tank refills and as I'm paying counter man, dock jock usually has my empties out of my truck and refills in place before I can get the check signed...

Its sad that cooperation have made the simple concepts so complicated when in the end all you want is a gas refill...

Dale

 

[millsan1]

MIG all the way. Flux works, but it is nowhere near the process and end results that MIG produces.

 

[dragoneggs]

... have been exchanging them for years, never been challenged as to ownership, in fact could not even prove ownership of "tanks" as paperwork is long lost, but never been challenged, later purchase (about 6 years ago) of C25 tank for MIG machine, and paper work does not even record tank numbers it just states I have ownership of a 125 cu-ft tank.... Funny part about that is when I purchased tank, went to gas dock to pickup up tank, they were out of full 125 cu-ft tanks so dock jock gave me a 175 cu-ft, been exchanging the 175 ever since....

All I do is show up, and state what I need for tank refills and as I'm paying counter man, dock jock usually has my empties out of my truck and refills in place before I can get the check signed...

Its sad that cooperation have made the simple concepts so complicated when in the end all you want is a gas refill...

Dale

Me either... show up... pay... and they unload/load the tank. Love it. Proof of ownership would be a challenge. Probably didn't throw away the receipt but it would be a buggar to find it now. I'm not good at documenting stuff like that.

 

[RandyT]

My oxy/acetylene set was purchased at a farm auction with the tanks 25 years ago with a companies name molded into the top of the tanks but no indication of a tank lease. Then the place the exchanged my tanks changed suppliers and so my tanks with one companies name molded into them got exchanged for a another companies tanks. So there is no chain of ownership, and no way to even track an original lease or purchase of the tanks at this point.

 

[newbury]

No one I know of around here fills tanks on their premises. You take in your empty and they give you a filled one. You will probably never see your original tank again. The empties are then sent to a central facility for refilling. At that point re-cert and valve replacements are done. I just had to pay a re-cert on an old O2 tank I bought at the auction. Way the business works. Luck of the draw when you get a tank that needs re-cert or you have it a long time (10 years I believe).

Ron

Whats the cost to recertify a tank?

 

[Texasmark]

I am a believer in flux....flux to rid the joint of contaminants. 25% argon gas like TSC sells works just fine for riding the joint of contaminants for me if you get it setup correctly and use it correctly....correctly defined as what it takes for YOU to get good joints. Highly preferred over flux cored wires which is where I started. Other thing is clean surfaces. Last, if welding thick material with .030 wire for example, way over the recommended thicknesses of materials, stay on the spot long enough to get it hot so that it'll adhere. Just because it looks like it flowed out like a "good solder joint looks" doesn't mean it took.

 

[Fallon]

Whats the cost to recertify a tank?

$10 when I exchanged my expired tank a year or so ago here at my local welding shop.

 

[dragoneggs]

$10 when I exchanged my expired tank a year or so ago here at my local welding shop.

No one ever looks at the stamped date upon refill. Never had to pay for a re-cert. Simple swap an empty for a full tank. I suppose it is baked in to the cost. The tank I owned is in someone else's shop. I imagine when tanks 'expire' they get pulled aside, re-cert'd and put back in the population.