Hello,
For the pulse arc welder users out there, I am curious to know…
what size Argon tank do you use/ prefer, and what is your approximate usage…
ie: daily/ heavy usage, daily medium usage, daily light usage…a few times a week, etc…
thank you in advance for your comments!
Julie
40 cuft. I don’t use my welder a lot, so it lasts a long time. I traded a 40 cuft. O2 tank for, so I only had to pay for the gas. Look for a used one on craigslist or marketplace and then turn it in for a refilled cylinder. Good luck…Rob
ARGON IND SZ 60 C/O ARGON COMPRESSED, 2.2 I pay $31.95 locally from Matheson Tri-Gass,
its a 60CF STEEL TANK I bought for $175.00 We use it weekly, not everyday.
Hi,
thank you!
i ended up keeping the smaller 21cuft R tank
i am all good…for now…
on my second refill i was messing with the replacement regulator i received…and the gas settings…i must have bled the tank out
(at the end of the day it was almost empty and I was like “whaaaa?…)
julie
Hi Julie, Funny…we bled our tank out too when we first got it! Carry On! Ursula
Hi Julie, we use the smallest tank available these days but with the first welder a PUK2, well we needed the biggest tank We could get. We changed over to the German regulator and reality stepped in and consumption went way down. Next, PUK developed a replacement tip (for the 2) so that halved consumption again. We now run with a PUK3 Plus and that uses less Argon again.
My second 40 cuft in three years is still going strong. That being said, I know it will need replacing soon based on the gauges. I don’t use my PUK as much as others, but it is used at least 4 or 5 times a week. I have the PUK regulator. I have no idea what difference that makes since I have always had a PUK regulator…Rob
My main tank is 300cf and my back up is 80cf. The reason being the 300cf is the only one I can exchange for medical grade 92% argon; the 80cf comes in the 75% argon. The difference in clean up is worth it. The big tank lasts 3-4 years!
Do the Argon for these welders need to be at these purities?
Welding Argon is usually 99.996% pure.
For Mig/Mag welking with thread feeding spool one use 75% Ar and 25% Carbon dioxide.
For any Tig welding the purest possible Ar is preferred.
Medical grade just don’t hold up for welding seem purity.
I tried using my husbands 75% argon that he uses for his mig welder - not a good idea. I got the nearly pure and it works well. I use a PUK and their regulators use much less argon than the orion ones.
Judy
The 75% is mixed so so it will oxidize and reduce some of the impurities from the steel in the weld seem.
Carbon dioxide is funny that way.
I’m more worried of the 8% oxygen in the medical 92% Argon, won’t it react with Silver and Palladium when it is molten??
I’ve got a 60 cubic foot argon tank, but only because it cost just a tiny bit more than the 40. A 40 cubic foot or even a 20, would have been fine.
It always hurts to accidentally empty the tank. I feel your pain! At my job, we have a Neutec J-2R vacuum casting machine that uses a huge nitrogen tank. At least a couple of times a year someone who uses it (true confession, occasionally it’s me) forgets to turn off the nitrogen and empties the whole tank. I hate that!
Julie, what kind of welder to you have? PUK or Orion?
Right now I’ve got a PUK 5.1 and an Orion 200i3. I have noticed that the Orion seems to use more argon than the PUK, but not enough to drain the tank too quickly. I think you made a smart move keeping the tank that you own.
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
i have the orion 200i
julie
That’s a great welder Julie! You’re lucky to have one!
This doesn’t sound like it’s your problem, but just in case you don’t know. For a while Orion welders had a reputation for going through argon too fast. Eventually, Orion switched out their argon regulator for a different model. If you feel like you’re using too much argon, reach out to Orion technical support and tell them your issue.
Thanks Julie!
Jeff
Hi,
ok i will double check!… my first regulator wouldn’t zero out, so they sent me a new one shortly after purchase.
julie