O/A tank questions

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About two months ago I buy a O/A torch hoses and tank setup ready to use from a coworker.   The Oxy tank is full and the Acetylene  tank is empty.  Both tanks have been refilled several times over many years by Airgas.  My coworker lives about thirty miles from me and has used a small resell gas supply business which is about ten to fifteen miles from him. He had no papers on the tanks when I purchased them however he told me that if the Airgas near my home will not fill them holler at him and he will get them refilled at the business near him.  So today I go to my LWS and get my Argon tank filled and left there and drove to Airgas.  Well to make a long story short  the acetylene tank did not get refilled.  Airgas said they would need the title to the tanks before they would refill them. My LWS said the same.I know the guy I work with is of good standings and said the tanks were something like thirty years old.  He did not use the O/A a lot and refills were far apart over time. I really don't want to drive a hour away to get the tanks filled however I will if I have to. The guy at Airgas said the tanks were like cars they have a title.  I said well if I l bought a car without a title I could file for a lost title through the BMV.  I asked him if he had a form to fill out and he said it did not work that way.My plans is to have the coworker ask for any paperwork at the resell business where it shows he was the owner of the tanks and ask for a copy for me.  If none is on file what are my options? BTW I'm not a big fan of Airgas and it killed me to go there today.Any help would be appreciated.NetmanLincoln Power Mig 300 with PythonLincoln SquareWave Tig 255 Hypertherm Powermax 45 HH120 w/argon
Reply:Get someone to send you a scan of a tank "title" (old receipt) and get some kid to Photoshop it for the right effect.  It worked for Obama."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:The guy at Airgas said the tanks were like cars they have a title.
Reply:If you do make a fake receipt, print it in gray scale on a blank page out of an old notebook or something you got from Goodwill for 50 cents.  Then crease it good and rub around it with dirty hands.  Spritz some oil on it randomly and put it in a toaster oven until it nearly catches fire.  Then flick a little water on it and seal it in a box with some used athletic socks for a couple days.  It's all about patina and aroma."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:If your cylinders are 30 yrs old, they are most likely out of date re: hydro test. Longest hydro test lasts 10 yrs. The tanks need to be tested for  pressure integrity and marked accordingly or removed from service. No LWS will fill an out of date cylinder, simply a liability issue. Get your money back from the guy who sold them to you or drop $50 to $75 to get the pair of them tested. Also, if the tanks are "commercial" size you will have difficulty getting them filled by a large gas supplier, you might be able to twist the arm of a small shop, if they exist any more.Last edited by bearston; 07-10-2012 at 08:35 PM.When a welder tells you to "stick it", what do they really mean?"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Reply:bought a small set of tanks from local LWS, had several locations in WV an KY, they sold out to Matheson who is much larger, took tanks in one day to Matheson, had receipt in pocket for original purchase since I new would be a hassle, was told we dont honor thoseOK. Waited few days and drove by one day, several cars there, rolled empties to corner where they could see em, said I need 2 refills, guy has 2 rolled out from back, I pay for them and leave, now its their small tanks, hate dealing with larger companies
Reply:Originally Posted by bearston. . . Get your money back from the guy who sold them to you or drop $50 to $75 to get the pair of them tested. . .
Reply:The system I have here is similar.We have owner bottles (125cf oxygen, and a similar size acetylene), and then there's lease bottles (generally bigger cf)Owner bottles are exchanged, same as lease bottles.  And you do have to have a title/reciept for the owner bottles.  I've never taken them somewhere else to swap them out, so I have no idea if the title would be honored by another supplier.Only advantage to the owner bottles is the one time outlay instead of lease payments forever and ever.  Also I like a smaller bottle for my application as my carts are limited in size due to my old deteriorating body   And I have space restrictions in my "shop"   And those smaller O2 bottles are just plain ol' cute lil' fellers "Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:there is a lot of buoolsheet in the tank business. they want to charge you rent. my local techair from whom i startred out renting o, a, and argon, said they would not  exchange my unleased tanks.   thge manager in airgas told me they would. i returned my leased tanks to techair and told them i didnt want to pick up new ones, just terminate the rental agreement. they then said hell just bring in your tanks and well exchange em.
Reply:What is an oxygen tank? Is it anything like a high pressure cylinder.
Reply:So yesterday I get a hold of the guy I bought the set up from.  He tells me of the guy he had to refill the tanks and gave me his name and number. I call the guy and he said no problem bring them in and I will switch them out.  30 bucks for acetylene. Upon reading some of your post it got me wondering.  I own my argon tank. When I took it in to get refilled at the LWS the guy tells me that he switched the tanks out. I questioned him about the switch rather than the refill.  He tells me that they own several individually owned tanks and rather than refill its easier for them to switch out.  I asked about how do I show that I own this tank when I actually owned the other tank.  He said don't worry about it I hooked you up with a newer tank....I'm taking care of you.Today I drive by Airgas and they have literally thousands of tanks stacked up outside the building with grass growing up around them.  I wonder how many of those tanks they could show ownership.I guess its like everything else...just got to figure out how to jump through the hoops.  Thanks for the reply's.NetmanLincoln Power Mig 300 with PythonLincoln SquareWave Tig 255 Hypertherm Powermax 45 HH120 w/argon
Reply:Have you considered that the people at Airgas are giving you the runaround because they don't want to deal with hobbyists?I keep hearing horror stories like this, and all I can say is I've never had any issues like this, but I go to a LWS that is a family business, and I always see the same faces behind the counter.I doubt I'm there often enough for them to remember me, but I still get treated right every time.Most of the problems I read about here, are from people going to the big chains.
Reply:A lot of the chains are like auto parts stores in that most people who are clueful won't be working the counter since they can make more elsewhere.Learn local rules and play the game. Make friends with someone who has a commercial account if needed. If you pay them cash they can deduct the expense since they would be making the purchase...