Gas Running Out

[tdxffy]

Hi, again very new to this, I’m trying to get as much practice in as possible but I’m noticing that my gas is running out very fast, i maybe get about 75 spot welds out of a Clarke 60L bottle from machine mart. Is this normal or could there be a leak somewhere? I don’t have a gauge on my regulator so I’m not sure what I’m running, but the gas is coming out of the nozzle at what seems a reasonable pressure. It’s just that at £15 per bottle it’s going to add up quite fast just in terms of practice.

Thanks

 

[voipio]

Yup. That's about right! Those small bottles are an expensive way of welding with gas.

 

[Rrobson]

That sounds pretty standard. A flow rate of 10L per min gives you 6 mins of constant welding.

Do yourself a favour and get yourself a 20L rent free bottle from Adams, SGS or the likes.

 

[chunkolini]

I did the maths when I first started regards how much gas per £
It was in the region of 100's of times the price or was it 1000's? a silly number of noughts so an easy choice

 

[tdxffy]

oh that’s unfortunate I’ll be able to borrow a cylinder from a friend, what are the typical rates /L for argon/co2 mix?

 

[JOEPRO]

Old post of mine below- easy enough to work out even for the small disposable cylinders

Here is an example of gas price variations between larger bottles. I imagine inputting the correct volume, price and pressure of the micro canisters will show a large uplift in cost.

Hobbyweld 9L @ 137 bar = 1.28m3 volume. £78.99 refill cost = £61.71 per m3 Argon.

Autoparts store 10L @ 200 bar = 2.07m3 volume. £35.75 refill cost = £17.18 per m3 Argon.

 

[Popcorn]

I see they where mentioning the gas fields in Lincolnshire and fracking.
It does't need fracking just a few wells drilling there are massive gas and oil fields down there.

 

[voipio]

There is a link to a shielding gas price comparison spreadsheet here. It's dated September 2021, mind:

Shielding gas price comparison

I put together a spreadsheet to help me decide which shielding gas supplier to use. It may be helpful to others. - It assumes I am using a single bottle at any one time. - I may have omitted some fees. - No delivery prices included, I will be collecting. I would suggest you phone around your...

www.mig-welding.co.uk

 

[denlow60]

you need to buy a flow meter that you put on the mouthpiece of your gun and then you can see how much gas you are using and if you have any gas loss

 

[cocker]

I see they where mentioning the gas fields in Lincolnshire and fracking.
It does't need fracking just a few wells drilling there are massive gas and oil fields down there.

Different type of gas .
But the gas is there , just needs drilling . The tree huggers and alarmists have thrown in the word "fracking" to stir the pot .

 

[Popcorn]

I know I realised last night DOH

 

[Hotstuff]

Do also check any gas unions or connections for leaks with soapy spray solution. It’s very easy to over tighten unions and not uncommon to get leaks.

Bite the bullet and get yourself a 10 or 20ltr bottle & regulator but do consider the weight of the bottle before making your choice.