CO2 tank fittings

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New member here.  I'm very new to welding too.  I have a Lincoln 140 wire feed mig/arc welder (110VAC).  I've only used it so far for arc welding with pretty good results.  But I want to weld some light metal using the mig.  A friend of mine gave me a CO2 bottle off of his beermeister.  However, the fittings are incompatible with the gauge/hose setup that came with my welder.  My questions are then:Is it safe to use this CO2 tank and its gas?If so, where do I get the proper fittings for it?
Reply:CO2 will work fine - its all I use with my MIG. You get a bit more splatter and more penetration. You need an adapter to hook your regulator to the CO2 tank. This is the one I boughthttp://www.airgas.com/browse/product...&recIds=191563Some regulators will freeze up with straight CO2, such as the one that came with my Hobart 140, but the manufacturer so stated. The Lincoln one I got with my 175HD says it works with straight Co2 and seems to be doing fine.Last edited by smyrna5; 04-16-2009 at 09:21 AM.Lincoln 175HD Miller AC/DC ThunderboltSmith AW1, Dillion (Henrob) Mark III, & Smith LittleTorch
Reply:I should add that my first CO2 tank was also a beverage tank. It was out of certification, and when I took it to AirGas they exchanged it for another tank and just charged me for the certification. There isn't really any difference between a beverage CO2 tank and the others, that I can tell. They all have the same pressure at a given temperature and fill percentage. SInce the CO2 in the tank is liquid on the bottom and gas on the top, the pressure lies on the Saturation Line in this diagram (about 500 psi-900 psi at ordinary temperatures).http://www.atlantamusclecars.com/Paint/co2diagram.JPGLast edited by smyrna5; 04-16-2009 at 10:06 AM.Lincoln 175HD Miller AC/DC ThunderboltSmith AW1, Dillion (Henrob) Mark III, & Smith LittleTorch
Reply:IIRC and without looking, the CO2 uses a #320 connection with a small fiber 'washer'. A LWS can give you an adapter which goes between the bottle and your current regulator which should have a #580.When, at a Bowling Alley which was closing, I picked up a few CO2 bottles that had been used for beverages, some were out of date and some had liquid (Water?,, or Coke??) in them! One, in fact, leaked--near the bottom! All had no pressure when 'procured'. Certifying does have justification.