Welding Bottle Ownership

[RustyPrints]

Around where I live the only bottles that can be filled by anyone are slick neck bottle that are 125cf or under. If they are bigger you won't get a slick neck back and will have to use that supplier for refills. I did find a different shop that would take my praxair cylinder in on exchange for $75. The gentleman I bought the cylinder from has 15 more for the same price but it isn't worth the hassle for how little I weld.

 

[Big B]

Not "me". US Government. Civil, under ICC authority in that era. Mine at the time, LG Cassidy, Chief of Engineers via 'strong dotted line" if local brass chose to challenge it. Compressed gas safety regs are in USACE portfolio - 3rd and 4th Corps Tactical Zone, USARV my specific "reach".

ID rings - or valve replacement and such are meant to be dealt with by those trained for it. Only. At the time, Belvoir could generate a Lootenant of Engineers in 21 weeks. Cryogenics tech, Corp of Engineers took longer. 26 weeks, and the intake had to have near-as-dammit the same tested IQ. 90th percentile or above. Several of my team had already earned Master's Degrees in various Engineering Disciplines. Others had been commercial HVAC techs. Or driven coal trucks in Appalachia.

Funny part is the lootenant left active duty with the simple "civilian equivalent occupation code" of "blaster".

The SP4/SP5 Oxy/Acetylene/CO2 guys had a much better crack at a good job with the industrial gas companies!

Providing.. the even BETTER trained US Navy or USAF "Base Fuels" veterans hadn't gotten all the best jobs, first!

And if bullshit was music you'd be a brass band.

 

[metalmagpie]

When I buy used cylinders I am extremely hinky about lettering on the neck ring. Sometimes I ask the seller to meet me at the local welding supply where they can tell you right there if they're exchangeable. Or, take a picture on your camera and send it to your local welding supply clerk.

Around here if it says Airgas it's owned by Airgas. If it says US Navy you might be OK. If it says the name of some no-name that got bought by Airgas, Airgas owns it.

The dumbest thing to do is to try to sand the letters off. That's a felony. Is it worth it for a couple hundred dollars?

metalmagpie

 

[bastarddsm]

Around where I live the only bottles that can be filled by anyone are slick neck bottle that are 125cf or under. If they are bigger you won't get a slick neck back and will have to use that supplier for refills. I did find a different shop that would take my praxair cylinder in on exchange for $75. The gentleman I bought the cylinder from has 15 more for the same price but it isn't worth the hassle for how little I weld.

That's not entirely accurate. There are no laws in illinois that prevent you from owning the larger welding tanks. It's the LWS that does it. Fuckin crooks. I'm from northern illinois and lived in central illinois for a while, differnt branch of airgas. I could buy and my dad has a 330 of argon for the tig. In central Illinois, airgas won't sell me larger than an 80. Ilmo would though. Can go to Rural King, TSC, Farm N Home and buy a 330 though.

I ended up getting one from my farm shop buddies at home since I do a lot of work for them. it was from great lakes airgas, and airgas wouldn't exchange it for me in central Illinois. Bunch of bs. And I avoid airgas like the plague.

 

[dkmc]

It's location, location, location. As I commented previously it doesn't hurt a bit that my local Airgas store is manned by counter personal who seem to be most interested in their phones and less interested in policing leases and ownership of gas cylinders. One associate said he had been there 2 weeks, and the other said 4 months. That was before C19.

 

[RustyPrints]

I have also found the every airgas store is different I was trying to buy a cylinder off facebook that said property of airgas on the neck so to check if it was a leased tank I called my local airgas store and asked how to check and the gentleman who answered said said they can't tell for sure if it was a leased or stolen tank and that they don't keep track of that anymore with over 4 million cylinders in inventory it wasn't cost effective. He also said if someone who is leasing a tank decides to sell it who ever buys it owns it as their lawyers go after the lease owner for replacement cost. I will say taking a tank to rural king to exchange looks to be more convenient then what I do now which is drive from Chicago land area to Milwaukee to refill my tanks. Now I need to find a 125cf slick neck to exchange at farm & fleet or rural king. I could buy more of those 330cf cylinders but for what praxair wants to exchange them makes then not worth it. I will say I find it funny that people think you can't change the name on the neck of cylinders, so hydro testers will put a new neck on for a small fee or at least that is what airgas and praxair told me which is why they also stamp the cylinders.