Bad Argon

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Wow - annoying,Picked up a new bottle of argon on saturday, hook it up today, tungsten contaminates almost immediately, welds look like garbage (like a lack of gas coupled with a contaminated tungsten). Lost a whole day of work because of it. Bloody hell. Yes I checked all of the flow rates and all of my equiment. It welded great 12 hrs before with the exact same stuff except the gas. This was an 80cu. ft. bottle that was transfer filled, and they had to hook up a new bottle to transfer fill- so either something wasn't purged right, or they hooked up the wrong bottle and I got 98/2 or something instead. Anyways I am just annoyed as I was counting on the 12 hours of welding I'd be able to do today into order to finish this work on time and now I'm screw, so I needed a "venting" post.
Reply:That has never happened to Me personally but man that must suck...It is just as bad as running out on Friday and no shipments untill Tuesday......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Vent all you want. It will not solve your problem with your LWS. Take it out on them not us.
Reply:It sucks, be able to take it up with your LWS Monday morning EARLY. Let them know how much time it has cost you. Just be sure that is your problem.Tim Beeker.
Reply:I'm in a TIG class, 4th day, the machines never move. They can't, they're stacked, no wheels, mine is on the bottom. First arc, what the heck?!?! Looks like no shielding. Looked around, there's a hose laying on the floor. Huh?? Someone had unhooked the argon, up at the manifold connection?!?! They left the hose lying on the floor. 9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:Originally Posted by Fred Paul JonesVent all you want. It will not solve your problem with your LWS. Take it out on them not us.
Reply:I went to my LWS on Saturday morning for some AL wire and damn if they didn't change their hours- Now closed on SaturdaysLuckily Home Depot carries 4043 I needed a "venting" post too.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Dang,What's worse.Bad gas or no gas.Everytime I get bad gas, everyone around me knows it.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Very annoying but at least it's easily discovered by striking an arc on some scrap after switching cylinders. Obviously it'll always wreck your schedule as (like only getting a puncture/breaking down at night, in a storm) it'll never happen on a weekday when it's easily rectified!I did a little build up aluminium build up work for someone a few weeks ago, using their plant. Was pretty much done after around an hour, one final pass would finish it off nicely. Struck an arc only to have the tungsten vaporise and blow away a large portion of the corner- machine picked that moment to fry its control pcb or something, result was  325A like it or not. Now that'll ruin your day Still, could have been worse, they might have blamed me for their machines demise. Or it could have been my kit that got stuck on 'kill'!
Reply:Haha thanks guys- I thought most of you would get the spirit of te "venting" post- I'm not trying to "take it out" on the board. I am going to go there tis afternoon, wanted to get there first thing this morning, but couldn't make it. I have a theory- I think guys using smaller (80cuft and less) have more issues with contaminated gas due to the fact that the tanks are "transfer filled" at the LWS. Maybe this creates a margin for error in terms of whoever is in the back not purging everything right before they do a fill? Where as with larger tanks they are filled at a big depot somewhere.I had been planning on upgrading to a 125cuft tank, at which point I would be doing an exange and so it would be a "depot filled" tank rather than a "transfer filled" tank. I might see if I can just upgrade when I bring the bad tank back.
Reply:Originally Posted by Broccoli1I went to my LWS on Saturday morning for some AL wire and damn if they didn't change their hours- Now closed on Saturdays
Reply:Just an update- brought a new tanks of gas home. Welds correctly again. I just feel bad for any new guy that has had this happen to him, it would be a nightmare to troubleshoot if you didn't know 100% that you/your welder are operating correctly.
Reply:Oh we just wait for the new guy to change out C25 with a tank of argon. Usually begins with What the Fuc!
Reply:Transfilling Argon Cylinders?? You've got to be kidding me right!! The LWS I work at would never attempt such a thing, this violates the correct fill procedures outlined by the CGA (Compressed Gas Association) not to mention the fact that this Argon when transfilled would not meet AWS specs. We are an ISO regulated company, and would get our nuts handed to us if we were doing this. Ask them if they are pulling a vacuum on the cylinders before they fill, cause if there's crap in there and they don't pull a vacuum, the crap stays! Oh and as far as Saturday hours, we are open 8:00-11:00, and have a steady stream of customers all morning long.
Reply:Where I worked, we used bottled hydrogen and bottled air to feed the flame of our gas chromatographs. One day, the flame wouldn't remain lit although we were definitely getting hydrogen to the jet; I kiddingly captured some of the 'air' in a flask and, pretending to be that "Mr. Wizzard" or whoever he was from TV long ago, stuck a lit match into the flask to show how it would continue burning-----and it went out!  Apparently the bottles (there were more like it in back) had been filled with Nitrogen instead of air. Would have been bad news for a diver.These had been delivered by a major supplier/filler.If I were in your situation regarding the argon, I would ask for a no-cost exchange to a bigger bottle to make up for the lost time; any good shop would realize the liability of its position and quickly agree.
Reply:I used to work in a shop that used pure helium (not my shop and I was stuck using what they made me use) for welding aluminum. LWS had brought us a new bottle and I changed it out (not sure on size but the large ones which are bigger than my 240s) and went to weld. What a mess. Boss climbing all over me about it. Turned out someone had filled a helium bottle with co2. Owner of the LWS actually locked the door and brought me a good one. Cured the problem.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.