Gas cylinder size and how long they last

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I am a occasional, hobbyist welder and I have been thinking about getting a small stick welder that I can also tig weld with it. And to tig weld I am going to need sheilding gas. Since I don't think I will be doing this all that much/often I have been considering buying a 20 cubic foot argon cylinder from harbor freight. I was just wondering if anyone could possibly give me some sort of a rough estimate as to how long a cylinder of that size will last until it is empty. I am guessing it would probably last at least an hour or so of welding time but I would appreciate it if anyone has any personal experience with this and could give me a more exact estimation.
Reply:typical tig welding needs 15 cfh, so that tank will last 1 -1/3 hours..will hf refill it?
Reply:Hey btrswt25,Your best bet would be to look on C/L for a used 80-125cf cylinder & simply exchange it at your LWS. I've picked up clean 80cf bottles for $30 & 125's for $50 & it doesn't matter what gas was in them to the LWS. Even if it is out of date, the fee for a tank re-cert is only $4-$7 & generally they simply exchange bottles. An exchange here in SW PA where I go is only $22 for an 80cf & $31 for a 125cf of Argon. If you have your regulator set for 15cfh, generally good for CS, you'll get approx. 1.5hr usage. You don't need to to have high cfh for general indoor welding, if outdoors with slight breeze, 20-22 will suffice. Anymore wind than that, use the stick option.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Go bigger.  That bottle will last you about an hour of arc time.  A bottle is a one time purchase so spend the money up front.  I'd go with a minimum of 125 CF.My name's not Jim....
Reply:From what it sounds like with going with a tank that small is that your not going to give yourself any practice time.  Going with a 125 cf tank you should be looking forward to going thru 5 or more of these just on practicing alone if not more.
Reply:not very long if you happen to leave the valve on the tig torch open and forget to turn of the tank.... Guilty!take the CF capacity of the tank and divide byt CFH you are running to get the amount of time the tank will last    80/ 15= 5 1/3 hrsAlso always crack the tank valve open and shut before connecting the regulator to blow any dust or debris out instead of blowing it into the regulatorTiger Sales:  AHP Distributor    www.tigersalesco.comAHP200x; AHP 160ST; MM350P,  Spoolmatic 30A; Everlast PowerTig 185; Thermal Dynamics 60i plasma.  For Sale:  Cobra Mig 250 w/ Push-pull gun.  Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Weldbead, no harbor freight won't refill it. I would probably take it to Air Gas to get it filled since there is one 15 minutes away from me.From what everyone has said about this I think I might look into getting something larger than 20 cf. Thanks for  the help.
Reply:Here I can get the bigger tank filled for almost the same price as the small one.  Bigger one means less trips to get filled
Reply:I've got one of the 20 cf cylinders out in the shop.  Every now and then I fill it up for some specific use but most of the time it just sits around.  If you get a 20 I think you will very quickly be getting a larger one.  Less than 80 just doesn't seem worth the cost trouble of frequent refills.
Reply:whatever tank you get be sure first the lws will fill it..some  lws's tell you no unless its their tank ,meaning you are paying them rent on it..
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadwhatever tank you get be sure first the lws will fill it..some  lws's tell you no unless its their tank ,meaning you are paying them rent on it..
Reply:I just priced out tanks locally.  Airgas gave me a better price on the tank than anyone around (including HF) and included the first fill free.  In our community if you are taking a welding class, they also give you a discount on products.
Reply:Originally Posted by hp246In our community if you are taking a welding class, they also give you a discount on products.
Reply:The place that fills my bottles just trades me.  If I find one that needs tested it gets traded in for a full one then get charged repairs if any on the old bottle.  He most time is 15% cheaper than either of the other places here.  He also gets me mechanics discount on all purchases which can save anywhere from 15-50 %.
Reply:Obviously depends on work flow. I'm using 160 bottles and welding aluminum with regulator set to 15.160/15= 10.3hrs of weld timeTakes us about 3 days go through a bottle working 8 hr days. That's about 3.3 hrs of actual weld time per day, the rest is prep work. Actually that seems a bit high to me. Might be because my welder only has a few weeks of training and takes longer to weld, thus using more gas.
Reply:Originally Posted by AluminumWelder Might be because my welder only has a few weeks of training and takes longer to weld, thus using more gas.
Reply:I have been cutting, fabricating and using aluminum for years all via mechanical rivets, bolts, etc, however we just recently started using a TIG machine to weld so yes I am a beginner and I ask a lot of stupid newbie questions!
Reply:There was no offense hehe  , who said you are asking stupid questions ? Was just wondering!Calculator > Bevel Square
Reply:I have 3 40cf air bottles I got free out of date. I own them and my LWS fills while you wait.The closer LWS does an exchange, but you have buy one of theirs rotated in the exchange program.Took a chance on the initial hydro. It cost me $20 for the hydro, $22 to re valve to CGA580., and $20 to fill for each one. I have a line on a 4th for the 2nd mig bottle. Worth every penny since they had no rust and the paint was just scuffed up (obviously I couldn't see the inside).2 are argon and one is 75/25 Ar/co2.I'm a hobby guy mostly just practicing, and they go quick. It's great to have a 2nd bottle, whatever size.I wouldn't bother with a 20 and if I had to buy them I wouldn't go under 80.Last edited by jtcnj; 12-21-2012 at 06:13 PM.Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 and WP17. 75A AC is for pipe thawing!HH 140 - new addtion 9/2012.I didn't agree, but hoped for Hope and Change.I got change for myself and my family: for the worse.This is the reality of: Barackalypse Now. Again.
Reply:you need one of these!