Welding Gas

[stag36587]

Hi everyone

Successfully welded in a new front spring hanger over the weekend and I think it's spot on for measurement. But I do seem to have been going through huge amounts of welding gas. I'm using the normal MIG 390g disposable bottles and following normal instructions in terms of the welder settings, etc., i.e. quarter to half turn on the regulator Just for my own piece of mind, how long - roughly - would people expect a bottle to last in terms of welding time? Also, has anyone found a supplier who can give more for less?

thanks
Alastair

[bigginger]

IME, the little bottles last hardly any time at all (1/2 an hour, maybe) and generally will leak away anything you don't use the first time you weld. More for less? Find your nearest BOC place and hire a large cylinder, it's less expensive long term.

[bmcecosse]

Some use CO2 gas - in cylinders from local friendly Pub Landlord!!

[steve4063]

if you're anywhere near the midland go th Jawel paints
they sell refillable bottles very cheap alot cheaper than boc i can assure you

you buy the bottle first time for about £30 and then when its empty you take it back and £12 a time and they swap it for a full one.

works out loadssssssssssss cheaper that way.

and i tried co2 and it was rubbish couldn't get on with it at all

there is a link about welding on here and the bloke used all 3 gases and he said use the mix its a lot better finish on the weld
co2 was second but even he struggled with normal welding

but there might be other places that do the bottles i emailed boc and they wanted loads of money for their bottles and the refill charges were alot more expensive too

[chickenjohn]

I learnt to weld on CO2! Its actually OK if you are used to it.

[paulhumphries]

I used to use pub CO2 but one day ran out and could only get a disposable bottle of the argon mix.
The quality of the weld was far better (less splatter) and I've never used CO2 since.
I took out a contract with BOC for a full sized bottle, and although dear, is well worth the expense especialy for bodywork.

Paul Humphries.

[Orkney]

Slightly OT here - but does anyone braze rather than weld for bodywork?

[alex_holden]

IME, the little bottles last hardly any time at all (1/2 an hour, maybe) and generally will leak away anything you don't use the first time you weld.

I get much longer than that out of the mixed argon/co2 bottles and they don't seem to leak at all when the valve is closed. The regulator will only go high enough for use indoors or on a very still day though. The co2 only bottles seem to last for hours, but the results aren't as pretty.

[chickenjohn]

Slightly OT here - but does anyone braze rather than weld for bodywork?

No,for welding repair sections into wings etc, i use Oxy acetylene with a no1 nozzle (I use the kit at college night school)

[bmcecosse]

Braze has almost no real strength - and is certainly not ok for MOT on anything structural! Good service there from Jawel - sadly none in Ecosseland that I know of. Fortunately I have a full size Argon cylinder that I 'borrowed' some time ago!

[jjcymru]

buy an empty one secondhand, trade it in at your local gas supplier.

paid £20 for a 6ft bottle of coogar-5 from air products.

[bmcecosse]

Ahh -now that's very interesting - they will swap you bottles without having a rental account ?

[millerman]

Air products have given me good service and no cylinder rental, but perhaps only in Wales!!

[bmcecosse]

Years and years ago i could do that with the BOC place in Lanark - but it was very much a 'cash' deal involving only the Storeman!

[chickenjohn]

"But I do seem to have been going through huge amounts of welding gas."

Maybe you have your regulator set too high- most people do. You only need to have the gas on enough so you can hear a quiet hiss when you pull the trigger with the torch near your ear- i.e not much gas at all (this applies to welding indoors!) if you get porosity, then turn the regulator up a little. The shroud is there on the toch to concentrate the gas around the weld pool.

[steve4063]

there is a website which is very knowledgeable and there is a forum too for welding issues

i posted a couple of things on there and found it pretty useful

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/

i now use an automatic helmet rather than a solid dark one
1,000 times better and no more welding burn on my face where i had to use brazing goggles as i couldn't see into little places with the proper mask

i'd advise anyone to get an auto helmet for the sake of £50 or so its brill

[chickenjohn]

agreed!

[bmcecosse]

NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOh !! Don't EVER use 'brazing goggles' - you will burn your eyes and can lead to cataracts in later life! Yes - auto-dim helmet makes the job so much easier.

[les]

I have found that setting the regulator at 10 lbs gives a nice weld, don't think you could go too much lower.

[rayofleamington]

but there might be other places that do the bottles i emailed boc and they wanted loads of money for their bottles and the refill charges were alot more expensive too

I have a contract bottle which works out ok if I'm doing loads of welding. This year I've only done a few hours - the annual rental price per hour of welding is a bit scary!

Thanks for the tip on Jawel - hopefully I'll remember that before 11 months is up and I pay my contract bottle again!