Oxy acetylene bottles needed

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Hi i am looking out for a small set of portable oxy/acetylene bottles to use occasionaly for cutting and Welding and just wondered where would be the best place to get hold of them without having to rent the bottles Thanks
Reply:Your location?  Used equipment is available in many places.  How "small" do you need?  The little plumber sets are often not large enough to do anything approaching serious work."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:Hello and welcome.I moved your post to the Mig/tig/OA section so it gets more views.There are any number of places you can look. I'd start with your local welding supplier, since that's where you'll need to get them filled anyways. Do a bit of price shopping, not just on cylinder cost, but also what they charge for refills. Prices can vary wildly from place to place. Gas is usually cheaper per cubic foot in larger cylinders. I can get my huge 300 cf O2 cylinder filled for just a few bucks more than my 100 cf one as an example. Buying too small can cost you more in gas in the long run.CL is also a possible option. Small cylinders are typically owner cylinders and most places will swap them no problem. When in doubt it's not a bad idea to meet the seller at the LWS and arrange to buy them if they will swap them out.  Larger cylinders may be leased/rentals and you may have issues with those on occasion, so it's not a bad idea to check if you are unsure.The tiny MC cylinders that come in many kits are almost useless for welding and cutting as they don't have much gas and with acetylene you need to stay under the 1/7th rule for withdrawl. That means you don't use more than 1/7th the volume of the cylinder in one hour. With small 10 cf MC cylinders that's really tough to do in many cases and most of the tips that come in those kits easily exceed the withdrawl rate. The slightly bigger 40 cf "B" size are a bit better, but not by much. Note the MC and B size cylinders each use their own special reg fittings, so if you try to change cylinder sizes, you'll need to buy an adapter. A 75 cf acetylene cylinder is a good small shop size. Even then anything but the smallest of cutting tips will exceed the withdrawl rate, so you have to use common sense with them.I got my 1st set from my LWS, but all my other ones I picked up from yard sales or CL and saved a bundle..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:I have found good deals on CL in the past. There is a tutorial video on the net about how to buy used bottles and what to watch out for. In my case I found that video to be spot on. You should talk to your LWS to see which bottles they will fill that are considered customer owned. It seems to vary by region. in Waterbury CT, Airgas will fill customer owned bottles up to 125Cu Ft for Oxygen. For acetylene they will take just about anything. The guy behind the counter said they didn't care as much about acetylene, since they don't have the same hydro testing requirements or liability. Not sure how true that is.Miller Multimatic 255
Reply:I occasionally find a good deal on CL around here.  That is where I ended up getting my bottles (and I am currently looking for a smaller set for more portability).You can just go to the LWS and buy new bottles.  They will be expensive and you will cry, the first time you turn them in for exchange and get rusted old bottles back.If you go through CL, you can suggest to the seller that he meet you at your LWS, who can immediately make the determination if they are OK with refilling them...at which time you can pay the guy for his bottles (smaller bottles are generally assumed to be owner bottles (not rented), but your LWS can tell you whether they will accept those bottles in trade.KevKevin / Machine_Punk from The Aerodrome Studio - Lincoln PowerMIG 210 MP - Meco N Midget w/custom welding station - Vintage Victor 100Current Projects: The Aerodrome Studio