my argon cylinder is close to empty: what i must do

[ghostdancing]

it's my first cylinder, few liter left (judging on the pressure gauge), can i weld until the last drop of Ar flows, or better do not let the torch running dry of gas?

 

[Munkul]

Weld til it stops coming out
Honestly though. Or until the flowrate drops to the point of giving bad shielding.

 

[Wozzaaah]

It's not wise to let it run out completely, it's better to swap it before it does.
If you're just practising then it's not too much of an issue but if you're part way through welding something and it runs out you'll end up with a bit of a mess.

 

[tom 748]

thats when the angle grinder comes in lol

 

[ghostdancing]

thanks guys, yes, i'm still struggling with plain beads.. these were my first 14l of argon..i was just a little concerned for the torch\tungsten that will run (few seconds) without any cooling when the gas will expire..

 

[Screwdriver]

Think of it it terms of time rather than volume of gas.

How many days/weeks/months use have you had from the bottle?

How many days/hours/minutes do you think might be left in it?

You might think you're "saving" money by using up the fumes but in that instant, you risk damaging the workpiece, making a bad weld AND you'll be out of gas!

 

[ghostdancing]

yes, that's right, but i'm just laying beads to practice..the bottle lasted 1 month, less or more 10 - 12 sessions of welding, tomorrow i also will order this:

Economizzatore Argon/CO2 marchio CE garantito

ECONOMIZZATORE DI PRESSIONE ARGON/CO2 UNI 4412 La maggior parte dei riduttori di pressione per saldatura MIG / MAG / TIG sono impostati per la pressione di lavoro a 3,5-6 bar con un consumo di gas al massimo di 32 lt/min.L'Economizzatore DM fornisce la necessaria protezione del bagno di...

tecnista.it

 

[Wozzaaah]

In which case, as @Munkul says, just run it right out and get your money's worth.
It's annoying when you run out mid-job and can't get another straight away though, so probably better to plan ahead if you're using the welder for a job.

 

[Richiew]

My regulator shows empty when there's still a fair bit of gas left in the bottle. Cheaper to use it up than waste it. It's a bit strange as it it accurate at the top end when connected to a new full bottle. It's a new regulator as well.

 

[W.olly]

Have i missed something, OP asks what he must do as he is running out of gas.

To me it would be to get a refill and a spare.

 

[Hood]

For me often it can be cheaper to take a cylinder back that has 1/4 left . That however is because I have two so if one is empty and I need to get that filled and can't risk running out then I will just take the two. It costs each time I collect plus it also costs me in time/fuel each time I collect so 1 charge and one time is often better than trying to save £15 of gas and it costing me more in time and collection fee for going twice

 

[Shedendman]

Nope,i run the damn bottle out till i get every drop of it,been many a time the gauge says no but i still keep running an inch or so beads,afterall i paid for the damn stuff(BOC) i want me monies worth
Theres even the little trick with cutting the end off a bic biro and putting it down the hole,stick the reg on and hello bit more gas