200cf cylinder

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hey every1, i have been welding with flux core for a while and i think its time i step up to a real mig set up. a friend of mine gave me his 200cf tank. It had some rust outside and was last tested in 1990. i cleaned it up and its looks ok i guess. I asked 2 welding shops if they can retest it. 1 said no since its expired in 90 and the other said yes its $35 but this is a oxygen tank not argon.  what is the difference between the tanks other then the valve? both shops told me i can leavea $150 deposit and $6/month for a 80 cf. can i convert my 200cf to argon or argon/co? and are there any signs i should look for on my tank b4 i waste my time and money getting it tested and it fails? thanks
Reply:The date it's last test expired has nothing to do with whether or not it can be re-tested.$15-20 is a reasonable re-test charge.  There is no problem switching this tank to argon, its just a new valve (that's about another $30).I'd find another supplier.
Reply:i noticed ur loc is LI im in queens. do you have any good places to go? i have been to TNT and Airweld. Airweld tol dme i had the wrong tank and i need to get a argon tank, i iwll look into this valve.
Reply:also do all tanks have the same thread style? cga580 and pz27.8?
Reply:Most places I've dealt with usually just exchange the tank and charge you for the test. You can get any gas that comes in that size bottle, O2, 75/25, Argon, etc.If these are place that just refill your own bottle rather than exchange it, they should be able to change the valve at the same time they hydro test the tank, as long as the cylinder is rated high enough to take the gas. (All my O2, 75/25, argon's are 2400 psi bottles. I have seen O2 bottles in lower pressure 2015 psi cylinders. I'm not sure if they can do Argon or 75/25 in those.) I used to deal direct with a hydro shop for tanks that needed to be tested. As far as what condemns a cylinder, first they will visually look for damage. Dents, gouges in the tank walls, deep pitting, obvious signs of heat/ fire, welds on the tank etc. After that it has to get hydrostaticly tested. There's no way to tell if it will fail that or not other than the test really. I've seen hundreds of tanks fail visual for damage, but only a handful fail on hydro in the 10 years I worked with compressed gases and took tanks in for testing..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 PM'd you the place I use.  I'd give them a call.Don't go messing with the valve.  Whatever supplier you deal with will be best equipped to swap it out.  Oxygen tanks need to be clean for oxygen service (to prevent explosions), and are designed to hold high pressure gases.  A tank setup for Argon (or argon/co2) service doesn't need to be as "clean", but otherwise, its the same thing (high pressure gas).  So, there is no problem switching your valve from a cga-540 to a cga-580.  Going from Argon to Oxygen is a little more difficult.Personally, I've picked up a number of tanks on eBay, craigslist, garage sales and the like, all of which were way out of test date (one was last tested in the 60's).For the most part, I brought them in, and just exchanged them for full replacements, paying only the re-test fee and cost of the fill (and valve sometimes), but when the size I brought in wasn't something in stock, it could take several weeks before I got my tested tank back.Yes, cga-580 is the only inert gas valve fitting you will encounter.If you steel tank doesn't look like it was run over by a tank, it'll probably pass.  The failure rate on steel tanks is pretty low.  Aluminum tanks are another story.Last edited by rlitman; 11-18-2009 at 03:33 PM.
Reply:nice guys more advice in 2mins then i had with these guys out here. 20 for the test and fill for 200cf is about $55-60. they said if they have a ar/co tank available they will just swap it. no need to change the valve.. He said if the tank passes his visual inspection then hell send it out for hte hyrdotest and hell give me a bottle on site if available. gotta see if i can make it there on sat 9-12. thanks
Reply:It's nice they're open Sat. too..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