Gas gas gas....(no, not talking!) argon to be precise! (Albee)

[Marc.]

Hi,

Being new to the forum and TIG welding, i have now got my new baby (lorch t220) and now i am looking locally for Pure Argon gas.

I am looking for something 10-20l, but preferably rent free. I have been looking at places on the net like adams gas etc which seem ok, but I was rather hoping that someone near to me (I am in Framlingham, Suffolk) would stock it so that i could just go to the place myself rather than paying courier charges all of the time.

Anyhow, i have found a supplier fairly close to me that does that 'Albee' (air liquide) rent free bottle gas... just pay a deposit for the bottle and your good to go.... BUT, and i dont get this, their prices are very reasonable for a 11l size bottle (ideal size to start me off), but i dont get why they have a regulator / flow meter built into them.....with no preference to use your own twin stage reg.... Am i missing something here? Has anybody tried this company and are they any good? They say that the bottles are filled to 200 bar but how would you know as all you have is their gauge to go by?

Any advice on this would be very much appreciated.

Marc

 

[jonnyBMX]

can you not fit your own guages on? they might have their own because they are calibrated,,, ask them... just get a BOC and send an email to katie anderson about the puresheild argon deal so we can get the ball rolling

 

[pedrobedro]

If air liquide says the cylinders are filled to 200 bar I think you can be confident that they are 200 bar, you are not looking at a fly by night selling gas at a scrap yard decanted from a manifold they are internationally recognised and governed by trading standards and all the safety organisations you can think of.

 

[gordon stephenson]

Not knocking your choice of bottle size, But With a lovely new Lorch machine and plenty of practice required an 11 ltr bottle will not last too long, Are the refill prices OK?

 

[dickie bell]

i have albee bottles and find the gauges on them work very well i have done a lot of welding and feel they are just a nice size for hobby welding at home without resorting to renting bottles, as for trusting to be properly filled to pressure just got to check it's full on the gauge we had a bottle of oxygen delivered to the work one time from boc and it was only half full so mistakes can happen i guess but so far so good .

 

[Marc.]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies guys, I know that the bottles wont last me too long but because i can fetch them myself in the car rather than have to pay a courier, 2 refills of a 11l bottle works out cheaper to me than a 20l job from adams gas. If that makes any sense? I love the idea of the price that i have been offered these bottles at but like i said, the only downside is the regulator business. They have a 'quick connector' fitting to go straight to your welder and the regulator is built into the top of the bottle (so no visible flow meter, just a flow control knob.). As far as i can see, it is impossible to fit your own two stage reg.... Maybe it would be wise for me to get one of those pea shooter style flow gauges to use on the torch so that i could at least set the bottle at 'x' flow rate and then just check it from time to time with the shooter again? Another thought is that the smaller bottles would be handy to shift about etc.

Marc

 

[dickie bell]

I find the flow control wheel no problem I set it to 8lpm, give it time and all bottles will be like that

 

[WillP]

ive used the albee bottles for nearly 2years. the built in regulator is perfectly good and the l/minute guide seems reasonable. The mix gas for mig welding is as good as argoshield. Ill be getting a pure argon bottle aswell soon as have just bought a tig. I get a refill every 9 months or so, works out a lot cheaper than renting, even compared to the new deal from BOC.
Will

 

[Marc.]

Well, thats decided it for me. I will get a bottle (hopefully this weekend) so that i can get started with testing next week! I'll let you guys know how i get on with the 'Albee' bottle! Or indeed how long it wont last for! At least the re-fills are a reasonable price.

Marc

 

[Agautosport]

Well, thats decided it for me. I will get a bottle (hopefully this weekend) so that i can get started with testing next week! I'll let you guys know how i get on with the 'Albee' bottle! Or indeed how long it wont last for! At least the re-fills are a reasonable price.

Marc

Hi.
I guess I may be a little late to this thread but have you taken a look at the distributor list on our website , I am sure we have a distributor in your area , 10 & 20 litre cylinders rent free and cashback to Forum members.

Regards
Alan
Southwest Gas Supplies Ltd

 

[Marc.]

Damn it,

Just collected my albee bottle yesterday!

What prices are the 10 or 20l and what's the deal with the cashback?

Thanks,

Marc

 

[Agautosport]

Damn it,

Just collected my albee bottle yesterday!

What prices are the 10 or 20l and what's the deal with the cashback?

Thanks,

Marc

Hi,
Distributors set their own prices.
See the following thread for details of cashback offer;

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=28333

Regards
Alan

 

[Marc.]

Hi Alan,

I went into Jayar car parts yesterday to check up on prices and to be honest, it comes out pretty much the same for the 20 litre refills as buying 2 refills for the 11 litre albee bottles. I have tested out the albee bottle yesterday and seems to be fine, all i did was double check the Lpm at the torch with a peashooter and it wasnt that far out from what the dial on the bottle was reading.

Thanks anyhow though... all i need to do now is practice

Marc