how to buy used welding gas bottles oxygen acetylene argon tank Austin Texas

What to look out for when buying oxygen acetylene argon and other welding gas cylinders, bottles or tanks. this video shows you the sizes and markings of tanks that can be exchanged as owner bottles and discusses what not to buy. oxygen and acetylene welding and cutting tanks as well as inert gas for tig and mig. beginner welder education. Alamo Welding Supply Austin Texas. This place is great I wish I could just hang out here all day shooting the sh*t with these folks, they will really go out of their way to help a brother out.

[@nlongor1]

Thanks for the quick reply..I just graduated with ssociates degree in Applied Science and welding tech and plan on starting to buy my equipment. Thankyou for your service.

[@BobNchannel]

i can see why you only go there, it is cool he took time to answer all your questions. that is the kind of business that will get me coming back again and again.

[@txflatblack]

Thanks for the info and recommendation. I'm just learning to mig weld. I bought a small used bottle and went by this shop. Those guys are great - super friendly and helpful, plus, they were way cheaper than the big shop I was about to go to.

[@4xprops457]

This sounds like a great place and very friendly people willing to take the time to school you.

[@jessiej3991]

That is the best info I heard yet because I just bought 3 " slick neck " bottles on e-bay 1 Argon,1 Acetylene and 1 Oxygen ;)

[@5809AUJG]

Excellent info, Freddytk421! I cannot, however, go to these fine folks in Texas for tanks, as I live up here in Washington state. However, we have an excellent resource here in Tacoma with Pacific Welding Supply, where we have wonderful people who have been very helpful and honest with every question we've had. Many thanks for this and your other videos. Keep them coming!

[@skydyverjym]

5809AUJG I live in Texas and I can't go there either. may as well go to Louisiana or Oklahoma they're both hundreds of miles closer. I don't feel he should've recommended a specific place in any town at all

[@NYPD5001]

By far the best video physically showing the size difference nicely done! Nice job! Was searching the whole web couldn't find anything!

[@davidmarquardt2445]

The + means it,s good for a 10% over pressure. Which means a 330 cubic foot cylinder with the + P would have a max filled pressure of 3,300 psi. Also they have to scrap the cylinders if the surface is gouged more than 10% thickness of the walls. That,s not much considering the parallel side walls are only a 1/4 inch thick. Many years ago in welding school the instructor told us about some cylinders that had been left out in the rain for a long time. When they found them and brought them inside they found the caps were rusted tight, they had to use pipe wrenches to twist the valve caps off and the wrench jaws had cut in so deep all they could do was use up the contents and scrap them, the supplier would not refill them.

[@RickRose]

Arcet Equipment Co in Hampton, Va. has treated me very well. They exchanged a 60cf tank I bought off the internet ($100) for a full argon tank, and they exchanged two 40cf acetylene tanks I acquired in a trade for a full oxygen tank and a full acetylene tank. I've talked the ears off of two of their salespeople, Tommy and Mike, and they've always been willing to educate a noob. They special-ordered a particular Victor torch set for me b/c they could do it for the same price I found on the internet. I have no financial interest in the company, just passing it along. I like dealing with good people in brick-and-mortar establishments when I can find them.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

what size was the full argon tank? was it customer owned 60cf also or one of the rentals only? and what about the full oxy and acyt tanks?

[@easeemann]

Wanted to thank you for this clip. I am putting an Oxy Propane kit together on the cheap and this was a big help in know what not to do. I am going to be avoiding craigslist and getting my O2 bottle from the local welding house in Huntsville. Thanks for the info, it was very well done.

[@LoneStarCreekRanch]

Good job right there! I just had my Miller Bobcat 250 Trailer rig stolen. I lost the trailer, the welder, 300' of lead, a gang box full of tools and supplies, and a 250 Oxygen Bottle and an 80 Acetylene Bottle were also on board!! Theivin....you know whats!! Anyway, I need to buy some new Bottles, so thanks for the tip for sure!!!

[@1046fireman]

I have about twenty of these to sell. Thank you so much for the info!

[@CarloRusso]

I didn't know you didn't have to switch out the neck rings on the smaller tanks. I buy tanks all the time and I still learned from this video thank you!!

[@jeffreyluna8627]

Hey carlos

[@RicochetRichard]

You are not the first You Tuber to recommend Alamo Welding. Must be good people.

[@iwantosavemoney]

I have to say that is a good bit of information to have am looking to get a few used bottles my self and wanted to make sure they are not bad or stolen thanks.

[@foprevenko]

I also sell cylinders and gases. But our organization is in the Ukraine. Our clients often ask for more information about the cylinders and gases. Your video, I loved it. I want to do something like that for Ukraine.

[@hemilove]

Thank you so much for your time and consideration on teaching us. Very helpful.

[@angelrodriguez6590]

awesome man have some tanks my dad kept and wanted to put them up for sale. All my questions answered in one video.

[@rwdplz1]

I used this video to buy my first bottle today, thanks!

[@adrianugalde5633]

Man great tips makes me want to go home and check my tanks

[@ayayron2202]

For a welding shop supplier, he got most of the sizes wrong, also a "+" means it's allowed a 10% overfill, the star is good for a ten year test. Which most places do a test two years before expiring. The 2001 is date of manufacturer, not last test date seeing as there is no RIN between the two dates.

[@ayayron2202]

They can fill it yes, but being as its from 15 years ago, the max allowed retest time is 10 years, so by law they cannot fill an out of date cylinder. You won't lose the tank unless during a test method something shows up. Best option for ya is to locate a facility nearby that re-certifys cylinders and they'll take care of it for ya and you can get it filled and good to go for another 10 years 😀

[@ayayron2202]

I don't know off hand how much it would cost.. Ya that was very wrong on their part to sell half full ones. I know at my job they fill to the max allowable. Usually a pressure gauge fitted into the valve can tell you how much is in it

[@ayayron2202]

Your welcome!

[@MrBen527]

That's right!

[@ARCSTREAMS]

what does 10% overfill mean? what is RIN? also if i gave you some of the info written on my tank can you help explain somethings?

[@Dustendee]

Good info man I like all of the specs that this video covered. Thanks!!

[@srgore67]

Thanks for the video. That cleared up a lot of things I wondered about and some I didn't know about. Would love to see info about renting vs. owning as well.

[@rule15master]

VERY INFORMATIVE, THANK YOU. NOW I HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT WHAT KINDS OF TANKS I HAVE AND HOW TO BEST GET RID OF THEM.THANKS

[@imbrandon16]

I have owner bottles that have welding stores names on the cylinder shoulder, and i know they're owner bottles, because i bought them outright and have exchanged them before, they don't say rental, but they say like barnes, air gas, praxair etc...

[@catherineharris4746]

Outstanding information Sir! Thanks!👍👍👍👍👍

[@michaeldunagan8268]

Uh- -Here in West suburban Chicago, Praxair and Airgas only take their issued bottles: even if it's an MC. So tractor supply is not really that out of line for wanting a specific type of ownership of a bottle.

[@djnewyork3315]

Super Great info, That I didnt know, Thanks for Your Vid Bro!

[@jshivprashad]

Very Good. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@carlosprieto8542]

how about if it says Victor Equipment Co. Isnt that the manufacture of the bottle making it an owned bottle and not a rental?

[@hotrodrick6869]

Someone please correct me if i'm wrong? The guy in the video said that the + and the * means 5 years each? I thought if a cylinder is stamped with a + after the most recent date that the + means it is rated for a 10% overfill and if it's stamped with a * that the * indicates it needs a hydro test every 10 years?

[@oKryme101o]

You are correct sir. That gentleman is incorrect.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

what does 10% overfill mean?

[@matthewmetzger5561]

You are correct. I am a DOT bottle tester/inspection certified. + means 10% over fill is permitted and a star means that the test date is good from 10 years from last test.

[@derbyone1011]

yes your absolutely right!

[@johnbrevard5966]

Thank you for doing this, I am sure that you helped a ton of people with this Great Info, I know it helped me!

[@Mike-01234]

I got so screwed on my first gas setup out of CL. The acetylene tank had a name of an old welding supply company that went out of business in 1980 had been rented I could not refill. I was lucky that the oxygen tank was purchased from a local supplier. The victor handle and both regulators needed to be rebuilt. That cost be about $250 and the new Acetylene tank by the time I was done I had about $500 invested. My advice is just buy everything new except for the tanks expect to pay hydro-static testing charge on anything you buy. I just saw one on FB marketplace guy tank had a welding shop name on the neck and he claimed it was not rented I told him no one will refill it.

[@obfuscated3090]

I do my homework and because of that have the reverse experience. I ALWAYS study thoroughly when considering a purchase because I should be able to learn anything anyone else does. So can anyone else. The Weldingweb and Miller forums are excellent. 250 for a Victor rebuild isn't bad and cheaper than buying new while the result is as good as new (I rebuild my regs per Victor manuals). Victor gear easily lasts a lifetime. I've got heaps of it (all bought used and rebuilt by me or if I didn't feel like polishing, via my LWS). I studied cylinder sizes then scored multiple oxygen, acetylene, argon, MIG mix, CO2 and nitrogen cylinders cheap over the years. I exchange on purchase so I always have good, full cylinders that passed hydro. Anyone can do this. Study doesn't cost a dime and saves tons of money.

[@Mike-01234]

@@obfuscated3090 Not that easy in 1998 when those forums didn't exist.

[@donsmith9081]

I Agree. Seems like every comment so far is that people have to get their empty tanks tested before refill. I have Never had to do that. They Always do an exchange (empty for full)-if tank is an owner tank.@@obfuscated3090

[@AntonioLopez-kw3ev]

⁠@@Mike-01234he thought he was a smart guy but he failed to “thoroughly research 1998 Welding scene “😂

[@marzsit9833]

in my state all tanks are exchange tanks. when you buy a tank from airgas or praxair it has their name on it but it is an owner tank, although you can't exchange a praxair tank at airgas or vise versa.

[@obfuscated3090]

That's a welding supplier practice but does not have the force of law. You can own tanks with their neck rings due to the millions of cylinders sold over the years. I was given named cylinders as replacemnents after they lost my blank neck military surplus cylinders.

[@Iliketoweldandbraze]

Thanks with the info you provided. I was able too buy a set of tanks off EBay

[@rodlively1413]

thanks for the info, I've recently been looking for some tanks, glad I checked out your video first.

[@DougPlucker]

Hi Freddy, Thanks for making this video. Lot of valuable information. Can you make a video about the different CGA fittings on the tanks? CGA-300, 300,510,520,540 all so confusing.

[@freddytk421]

@ACumminsCan I'm not sure. I have not looked into it. I don't think they are in demand here

[@storminnormanz]

whats stopping someone from taking a grinder and grinding off the rental letters then sanding it down smooth and repainting the bottle?

[@walterbrunswick]

lol good observation! in any case, the cylinders are pitted right next to each other, so pushing them over altogether wouldn't be easy...

[@marianoaldogaston]

I ask the same question to a gas provider here in Argentina and told me the same. and if the cylinder has a company name of his provider. they will make a call to them to get they cylinder back.

[@freddytk421]

@LoneStarCreekRanch DAmn that's terrible. did you have the serial number of the machine and stuff like that. If you decide to get a new generator let me know I was thinking of getting rid of mine because I only turn it on to keep the cobwebs from collecting it's only got like 30 hours on it. trailblazer 302

[@MinnesotaClassof]

Thanks for the tips!

[@kenbarnett8189]

Your right HotRodRick 68, plus sign means it can be overfilled 10%, no marks after cert date means it's only good for 5yrs (do they even do that?) 5 point star is good for 10 yrs from date on stamp. I was trying to find the tare weight on my 125cf tank that I'm going to sell on ebay to figure out how much O2 is in the tank, it weighs 81.8lbs 1500 psi on regulator and no hoses connected. They also use a registration mark between the month and yr.

[@thastryker85]

@pennybag.........yes people that bag their trucks use nitrogen..........but you still need to have a regulator to regulate the pressure, those cylinders go up to 2500psi.....

[@mkrbrkr]

Yep. Alamo is my LWS. Great local company

[@cameronempey8350]

Seem like really nice people

[@magnuswilen]

What gas goes into the green bottles? Is it acetylene or oxygen? I thought red was the standard color for acetylene bottles, at least that's what it is here in Sweden.

[@mackenzieprestage2573]

Why does the smaller tanks don't have safety caps I know they don't have threads i was just curious?

[@poucedeleon]

Nice video. Thank you Alamo!!!!

[@dennisneer4460]

Look through the whole category haven't found one thing that says you can personalize your tanks I thought about it need more info on this

[@GeraldThomasphotojunkie]

Awesome information! You are da man!!!

[@1uptospeed]

thanks for cracking the code!

[@lowwpass]

Excellent info! Thanks for sharing.

[@dynomike1964]

Thanks great video you told what i needed to know . PS : tractor supply blows big time.

[@dennisarterburn18]

FIVE STARS.....excellent information......Freddy

[@SteveSam66]

Very helpful video. Thanks for posting

[@freddytk421]

@Munky332 Wow I never heard of the low pressure tanks. I will look into those and warn people with a vid once I figure that whole deal out. What gas are they for? are they for welding or paintball? on another note. does it make you mad when I upload videos other than welding related ones even though I put "not worth watching" in the title? I was thinking of making an alternate account for that stuff but was wondering if it was worth the trouble.

[@dirtbikeman828]

Great video

[@stellbo]

Thanks for taking the time to share this.

[@imchris5000]

whats stopping you from just grinding the words off the ring and painting it?

[@CCWSig]

A die grinder, and about 5 minutes of your time. lol

[@jsnjcnt]

Works for me.

[@yunggolem4687]

@@DicksPC Clearly it doesn't since you could easily buy it for cheap then grind off the name to resell it.

[@PGC195]

The plus means it can be over filled the star is the only one that means it’s good for another few years

[@ieatfoodthatisgood]

If u get a tank with a company sticker on it (not stamped by them from what I can tell) cant u just take the sticker off???

[@isaackalashnikov3681]

NO! you'll get inmediately arrested and thrown in a federal prison, that if the cops don't shoot you on sight

[@larryswope1196]

Thank you so much for this post.

[@freddytk421]

@matt986423 put the top on the tailgate and lift the bottom and slide it in. if you have a tall truck its hard. I myself use a van....with all the windows down.

[@freddytk421]

@nlongor1 it depends on the size. look online or call your local welding supply. I rent mine 5.50 each per month that's not bad. The tanks I have are around 200.00 each to buy.

[@elpasokratom8343]

Awesome video quality for 2010

[@Horner181]

The plus sign is not 5 yr it’s for 10% over pressure but the star does mean 10 yr.from what I’ve learnt without the star is 5 yr.

[@metou3072]

I am assuming that you are using them to fill yourself or use them for something that they were not made for.. It's the only reasons I can think at this moment...i figured to just explain to people that do not understand the process of buying a gas from a supplier... They make you put down a deposit for the tank that you can get back after you bring it back..you can exchange the empty to a full bottle and not have to put another deposit down and only pay for the gas inside... You keep doing that until you return a bottle that is the same size as the 1 you put the deposit down on.. Tanks must be tested every so often and must pass the test in order for companies to fill it with gas.. These tests go way way beyond normal using conditions to ensure that the are safe because people are idiots...the tanks taken out of service still work fine...they just did not pass the very strict regulations so they could be sold to consumers with gas inside...you can bottle the gas yourself and use it still... This is done to reduce liability...there is nothing at all wrong with tanks taken out of service

[@tydog29]

How would you fill it yourself?

[@BigBADArt89]

great info, thank you so much

[@matt986423]

is the 250 easy to lift in a pickup with out help?. how do you guys do it? ramp? just through it up?

[@freddytk421]

@gerardopenya The regulator will tell you how much pressure is in once you hook it up. The suppliers will not cheat you because you can see how much they give you when you hook it up and private people selling tanks usually do not include the contents in the price so whatever you get is a bonus.

[@freddytk421]

@jeremcfadden 1:30 he says you don't want a bottle with a welding company name on it. I have never had papers for a tank. what state do you live in?

[@ACumminsCan]

Is there a decent demand for welders-welding in Austin? Really am considering moving there someday.

[@intjonmiller]

Fantastic info. Thank you!

[@gusvillar4942]

Question? At 1:27 there is "REE 225 ml" What does it mean? Thanks!

[@saeidmomtahan]

Austin's a great city. If you haven't moved there yet, you should. I've always thought Austin's what California always wanted to be, but is not.

[@joracer1]

+ means ok to over fill 10% example rated for 2200psi add 220psi for 2420 psi max, also if no star its 5 years, with star means 10 years. And i know very little about gas cylinders...

[@freddytk421]

@iamaGod357 I don't know I guess it depends on what kind of gas and if it's empty or not. They are very manageable I would guess 50lbs or so, I can lift them up no problem when they are full.

[@iamaGod357]

can u make a vid about flow regulators and how to use them?

[@freddytk421]

@DougPlucker I don't even know what that is. perhaps you should make the video about it and teach me something.

[@matttrotta57]

Well I have not brought the tanks in for a refill yet so I don't know what they will say. I guess the only one I have to worry about is the 01 tanks (my oxy & acet) The 02 tank is my mig tank I got the rest of the year for that one I figure.

[@phild9654]

Great info!

[@timestandingstill]

What if the tank is marked Linde Div. Union Carbide Corp.? could I get it refilled?

[@boogneckne8068]

Jim Kingdon yes

[@freddytk421]

@nch8 That grasshopper was the correct answer.

[@Munky332]

@freddytk421 no, actually if you put it in the title i tend to not watch as you put it there for a reason lol its a good warning. from what i've been told the lower pressure bottles were used as old fire extinguishers, and have been converted cheaply. they're obviously not rated for the higher pressures - so a shade tree shop might get away with sellin them to someone not knowing and they'll have to keep comin back for more gas sooner than if they bought a bottle rated say at 2400 psi.

[@Supercrewchief]

Thank you for sharing!

[@zultron]

Hey Freddy, I always go to Alamo too. They're awesome. Any advice on where to get cheap scraps to play with?

[@the_silvesterc4881]

How much would a test be on a 150 bottle ?¿

[@1Dekun]

I recently got a tank. And it has a company name on the ring. It's a 250 at least. I want to know what happens if you grind the words off. And paint it. And also how much is testing? I'm wanting to sell the one I got. It's empty oxygen tank.

[@LemonySnicket-EUC]

TejasBobGOM the ring on top is not part of the bottle. It's a separate ring that is applied with epoxy. Grinding on the ring does nothing to the actual tank

[@jstrunck]

Yep.... I have heard bad stories about Gas Pony (Tractor Supply) bottle exchange program. Alot of people have posted stories about thier experience with Gas Pony on Hobart's Weld Talk forums and also Weldingweb. Somehow, Gas Pony was sued for some misdoings.

[@raulmarin8704]

What is the price for the 40 cf of oxygen in the video3

[@Munky332]

i got 2x 40's for 50$ :D filled. i love craigslist. good video, very informative. one thing i'd like to mension though, is that some bottles being sold are low pressure. i wouldnt buy a bottle thats rated for 1800 psi for example(ebay has some that are dirt cheap, but not worth it). most of the ones i see are 2015 or higher. and even 2015 is low apparently.

[@johnbivins]

Wow great video!!!

[@joseywales9726]

I thought the (+) meant it could handle 10% over the rated PSI...

[@freddytk421]

@iamaGod357 Because it's a rental tank and the property of the supplier. thats only for the big ones.

[@KaliBlaz]

what is the going price for these bottles ? and how much it cost to refill them?

[@giselevieira1218]

If you still need these kind of bottles, i have to sell.

[@jeffdeluca1153]

Actually the + indicates you can add 10% more to the tank. The * indicates 10 years as he said

[@freddytk421]

@jstrunck I never heard the stories, I just asked them one day about their tanks and they said they only took so and so's tanks and didn't take any others. I thought that was weird so I disliked them ever since. what's the scoop?

[@pauljohnson-yk5dq]

Your man at Alamo gave some erroneous information regarding tank test dates. He says the "+" is for 5 years, and the "*" is for 10 years. His comment regarding the "*" is correct; it does mean 10 years. But the "+" doesn't mean 5 years. The "+" means tank can be overfilled by 10%. A tank with just the date stamp (i.e., no "*") is good for 5 years from the stamped date.

[@boogneckne8068]

I caught that too!

[@boogneckne8068]

I caught that too!