Which Gas ?

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I just got a Wire Feed machine, and a Tig Machine. I'll be doing mostly mild steel, but occasional aluminum and Stainless. I am looking to only get one tank of gas, which blend should I get or should I get a straight Argon. Thanks..pc
Reply:I can't speak for the MIG, but for TIG, straight argon. The only time you might need helium would be for heavy aluminum +/or magnesium."SOUTHPAW" A wise person learns from another persons mistakes;A smart person learns from their own mistakes;But, a stupid person.............never learns.
Reply:straight argon is more suited to welding non-ferrous metals, especially for TIG where you will get the most controllable arc with argon. if you use a CO2/argon mix you will get a hotter arc and a broader, deeper weld shape (but more spatter) with better deposition rates more suited to GMAW work with carbon steel. A mix is a lot more economical. I would say hire a small bottle of pure argon for TIG work, and get yourself a larger CO2/Argon mix for the MIG. it will probably end up cheaper in the long run.
Reply:You can't do tig & mig with just one bottle.City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Yep, what Danny said.  You need a bottle of argon for your tig and either a bottle of C02 or a bottle of argon/CO2 mix for the mig.   That will cover all metals with the tig and all carbon steels with the mig (as well as aluminum mig with the argon bottle).MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:The only way you'll get away with only one gas, is to use FC wire in the mig and not use gas, and run 100% argon in the tig. If you want to run solid wire/gas mig, you will need a 2nd bottle as others have said..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Thanks..What is the smallest bottle size bottle I can get for Argon? The largest my welding cart will handle for the GMAW is 80cf.
Reply:You can get a 40cf. I don't think I've seen a smaller cylinder for argon. One thing to keep in mind, you don't pay all that much more to get a 60 or 80cf tank "new", and fills are usually almost the same as that of the smaller tank. I pay almost as much to get my big bottle filled as I do my small one. A 40cf will give you roughly 2 hrs of weld time. It's real easy to run that out. I started with a 40 and after having to swap out tanks same day, upgraded it to a 60, then a 2nd at 80cf. Now those tanks are used only if I need to have a portable tank, everything else is 125cf +. It's silly to get 1/4 the gas and only save less than 10%. You run into issues when you want to do a weekend project and you can't get fills on Sat or Sunday. You weld for a while on Sat then have to quit because you ran out of gas..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWYou can get a 40cf. I don't think I've seen a smaller cylinder for argon. One thing to keep in mind, you don't pay all that much more to get a 60 or 80cf tank "new", and fills are usually almost the same as that of the smaller tank. I pay almost as much to get my big bottle filled as I do my small one. A 40cf will give you roughly 2 hrs of weld time. It's real easy to run that out. I started with a 40 and after having to swap out tanks same day, upgraded it to a 60, then a 2nd at 80cf. Now those tanks are used only if I need to have a portable tank, everything else is 125cf +. It's silly to get 1/4 the gas and only save less than 10%. You run into issues when you want to do a weekend project and you can't get fills on Sat or Sunday. You weld for a while on Sat then have to quit because you ran out of gas.
Reply:Well, most places around me in the Pocono's are open on Saturday, plus a few of my friends have tanks I could possibly borrow.The only reason I want one tank is no room to storage. My garage is packed full.I'm probably going to start with a 80cf bottle of Argon for the TIG, and get some flux core for the wire feed. Then when I get a bit more space I'll get a second bottle 75/25 for GMAW.. Thanks..
Reply:If your cart can fit a 60cf bottle, it can also fit an 80, 125, or 150 cf bottle, since all those size bottles are the same diameter, 8", just taller as you go up in size.  At 200, they go to 9" diameter.MM350P/Python/Q300MM175/Q300DialarcHFHTP MIG200PowCon300SMHypertherm380ThermalArc185Purox oaF350CrewCab4x4LoadNGo utilitybedBobcat250XMT304/Optima/SpoolmaticSuitcase12RC/Q300Suitcase8RC/Q400Passport/Q300Smith op
Reply:Cool.    I'll go up to the 125 instead of the 80Thanks..
Reply:If you ever find a CO2 fire extinguisher or a 20 sized bottle of CO2, like they use in fountain machines,  you could use them for the wire feed and hard wire. The extinguisher bottle would have to have the valve changed out but it don't cost much.
Reply:Originally Posted by BobIf you ever find a CO2 fire extinguisher or a 20 sized bottle of CO2, like they use in fountain machines,  you could use them for the wire feed and hard wire. The extinguisher bottle would have to have the valve changed out but it don't cost much.