argon cylinders

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I have some older cylinders from oxy/fuel torch, I was wondering if I can use those to keep argon in? As far as I remember argon isnt flameable so can i do it?  I have like 20 cylinders ;>Tom
Reply:you may be able to swap them at your gas supplier, mine doesn't care so maybe you are lucky tooStangnetShop Full Of Stuff. Joey
Reply:Vipermanz is right.  Mine doesnt care either as long as they are the same size (tractor supply company).  I have two small portable bottles I use for aluminum and steel mig.  If I need co2 I can turn in the argon bottle for it.  If I need argon, they will take the co2 in exchange.  Either there no cost differences in the exchange or someone is getting ripped off.  I hope it's not me.  Besides,  I am pretty sure the valves types are different on the two gases.  I know my argon flow meter will not go on my oxy tank and vice versa.   If all else fails, do some swapping with someone on this board.Last edited by smithboy; 07-22-2005 at 03:21 PM.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:BTW, What size oxy bottles are they?  What kind of bimmer also.  Ive been working on an 87 535i for a fun car. It's like a 4-dr 280-z.  Lots of fun.Last edited by smithboy; 07-22-2005 at 03:35 PM.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:150cu ft I think, I have 2 M3/4, The whole idea of welding pretty much started just so I could weld my own turbo piping,exhaust,manifold etc. Tom
Reply:another question, I bought a TIG from harbor freight, $200 not a bad deal, but the more i use it the more I realise its kinda ****ty, I have 2 questions, I was told that I could weld aluminum (to some degree) with it(eventho its not AC) but the thungsten rounds up almost right after striking an arc or I just burn thru... Is there any way I could sucessfuly weld a intake manifold with this TIG? If not Im probably gonna pick up a lincoln tig 185  Tom
Reply:Tom,Do a search on this board or the Hobart board.  I remember reading quite a few discussions about DC TIG on Aluminum.  Bottom line was that it was possible, I think there were even some pics posted.  Biggest issues are that cleaning is ultra critical and that since you're reversing the polarity on the torch most of the heat is going into the tungsten and not the aluminum.  You'll be limited in the amount of amps you can use in that configuration.  There are charts that will show you amp limits for straight and reverse for a given size of tungsten.I picked up an 1/8" tungsten to play with on Aluminum but haven't got around to it yet.  When I'd tried my smaller tungsten it just got too hot and burned off.I'd done some aluminum work with a real AC TIG (Dynasty 300) and I'm sure you would be much more successful using the AC capability of the Lincoln you're considering.Last edited by Tinker; 07-22-2005 at 06:22 PM.TinkerCentury 135GS, ThermalArc 250GTS
Reply:How did you end up with so many Oxy cylinders that big?!  If they are in date, you could sell'em for a good peice of change.  As for tig, I have run a bead or two by accident with dc, on aluminum.  Forgot to change back from DC on the welder.  It really screwed it up.  The welds looked crappy and best of all they didnt even come close to the strength of the base metal...NOT CLOSE!  I was working on 1/4 thick bar stock and had to toss it...but that was by accident.  Never tried on purpose.  If this car part is still of value, I wouldnt try.  Maybe not even with the lincoln.  That manifold is probably sand or silica cast al.  Mine is.  Some cast al can be next to impossible to weld with the best equipment.  Lincoln has a chart that detials the weldability of aluminum of different grades.  4xxx, 5xxx are pretty easy with a bit of practice.  Casts are not as easy and as stated in the website can be impossible.  I fixed a cast aluminum rim for my car once.  I tried to move a curb with an old TRX rim.  Curb's still there.  The rim cracked between two of the lug holes and a chunk fell out of the center.  I had seen a guy not a month earlier at a local wheel shop fix the exact same problem on the same car, rim and everything, so I knew it could be done.  He had a square wave machine, I think it was a euorpean welder.  Kempii, I think.  He tacked, tacked, and tacked again and then let it cool down a minute or two, then went at it in earnest.  after it was done he just took a rotary tool to it and it looked pretty good and solid (I used my x-ray vision).  He told the guy, "make that one your spare."  When I broke mine, I didnt have square wave, but....I tried the same approach and it came out pretty close.  Little more contamination than his but, I was ok with it as a spare.  The biggest problem was the prep (acid ruined the look of the rim).  With all that said, the intake on my car doesnt look like that kind of casting at all.  It is really rough like old cast iron.  I have never successfully welded anything that looked like this in aluminum.  I think this is what the lincoln site is talking about.see item #7.http://www.lincolnelectric.com/knowl...nt/alumfaq.asp  I would carry it to a welding shop that specializes in racing or airplanes and just ask.  I would guess this would be the best place to start and see if it is possible.  If they say, "hell yea, man.  We do those all the time."  Then I'd start thinking about equipment or asking them how much they would charge.  I am not too proud to ask for help, even when I think I can do it.  Seeing it done once makes things a lot better for me, psycologically speaking.  I don't know what car you are comming from, but these parts can be VERY expensive on BMWs.  Of course, if it's broke already, and you cant find anyone to say it can be done, all that would be lost is time and a little money by trying.Finally, you probably want to ask more folks here and see if most agree with my assessment.  I have been known to be way off base.  I grew up in the back woods of Georgia and learned to weld in a state education system that ranks 50th only becasue we dont currently have 51 states     .  If you do try and it works, take pictures.  If not, take pictures.  Wisdom is the sum of experiences.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:One additional thing that came to me about this...I was thinking you might be talking about a modification and not a repair.  If it is a mod, I'd get a price on the part before I started anything, just to know what it might cost if I did not achieve the desired results.  Next, try your dc welder in optimal conditions by doing good prep on a peice of scrap aluminum that you know can be welded (4xxx or 5xxx).  If it's a repair, I might try a test weld (just a tack) somewhere on the thickest part of the manifold, farthest from the surface that goes aginst the head.  Aluminum warps sooo easily and a little too much heat and even if the repair is successful, the part may not mate against the head and would need to be machined.  So, where you intend to weld on the part is important.Tinker mentions that he has seen places where dc tig worked for aluminum.  I imagine it could be made to work (if the item is in fact weldable), but it is probably not the optimal strategy.  Just seem like a long shot on top of another long shot to try both dc on cast aluminum.  Tinker also mentions prep.  I couldnt agree more.  Most of all, if things dont work right at any point, I'd stop and think about alternatives.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Hes talking about turbo plumbing- it would be a bolt on affair.  The piping is bent and welded, and welded on to a flange that then bolts on to the intercooler system, and aon up to the intake system.  The intake manifold usually goes untouched, with the possible exception of some casting cleanup work.Do yourself a favor and get a good machine.  Working with poor equipment is no joy.  The Lincoln 185 is a good machine for light use- I had a chance to use one recently, and it was good up to its limits, but tended to heat up very quickly in the hot garage we were using it in.  I managed to shut it down twice during the evening, welding 1/4 inch aluminum at 150 Amps- I was pushing the machine a bit.  But I've done 20 times the work load with my Dynasty, in a very hot garage, and barely had the cooling fan come on.  The Miller was twice the price, but worth every penny.  But for turbo piping, the PT185 would probably do just fine.  The whole works would cost about $2200 locally, with an air cooled torch.  If your going to do any serious time though, get a watercooled setup, and upgrade to the PT 275.  I worked a lot with an older Lincoln squarewave (225?), and the arc quality was very nice.  The Thermal arcs are nice too, but I'm a bit partial to Miller, myself.Whats a day without flippin' like a trout?