Old gas?

[wyldman]

Hey guys, I'm having some trouble getting my welder back to work, it's been sitting for 5-6 years.
My question is does regular mig gas separate like acetylene after not being used for long periods? It smells kind of funny and makes a white soot. Welds look cold it even seems to weld better with gas off, Not good just better.

 

[voipio]

MIG gases shouldn't separate, nor should they go "stale" over time. Could it be something else, like rust in the liner? Might the metal being welded by galvanised, by any chance?

 

[pedrobedro]

I've got a big cylinder over 10 years old which I use when my small one runs out and the gas is still good with no problems welding.

 

[tom2207]

no prob with gas sitting , if your worried roll the bottle on the floor a couple of times ,,

 

[wyldman]

MIG gases shouldn't separate, nor should they go "stale" over time. Could it be something else, like rust in the liner? Might the metal being welded by galvanised, by any chance?

Brand new liner, my test metal is a piece of a replacement 1/4 panel that was ground to the clean metal.
I even lifted the tank out, laid it down on the floor and rolled it back and forth then reinstalled it. I was going to run to the welding supply store and get a small tank to see if there was any difference.
I'm starting to think it's an internal problem. I have a spare Solar 2225 I've been using for parts

 

[tom2207]

post a pic of the results ,, may give someone a clue , maybe someones seen it before

 

[wyldman]

no prob with gas sitting , if your worried roll the bottle on the floor a couple of times ,,

No problem??? The first thing I noticed was how much heavier the tank is with the old gas. Back when I got it filled I got it out of the truck, into the shop and up into the cart. Now I can't even lift the thing out of the cart. LOL, I had to call my step son for help. I'm only 62 but it was still a problem getting it in and out

 

[finyuk2005]

Im fairly sure i have had that problem before, nothing wrong with it last time i used it, then gets left a year or so, and all of a sudden causes problems with the weld, a fresh new bottle and it was back to welding perfect again

 

[wyldman]

Problem solved..
Don't laugh, my old roll of wire was corroded so I bought one of those small rolls at harbor freight. I got 035 because I had new tips and the thinner 024 kept getting all caught up and tangled in the feed rollers. They didn't have 030. Anyways somehow an aluminum spool gun roll got mixed up with the steel wire. Oh man did I feel like a dumbass for not checking it. I ran over to the welding supply store and picked up a fresh roll of wire and some good tips. Now it's working like a chp again. I can't even tell you how much I love these old solar 2225 welders.

Thanks for the help everyone, once I knew the gas wasn't the problem it didn't take long to find the trouble.

 

[zeppelin builder]

Problem solved..
Don't laugh, my old roll of wire was corroded so I bought one of those small rolls at harbor freight. I got 035 because I had new tips and the thinner 024 kept getting all caught up and tangled in the feed rollers. They didn't have 030. Anyways somehow an aluminum spool gun roll got mixed up with the steel wire. Oh man did I feel like a dumbass for not checking it. I ran over to the welding supply store and picked up a fresh roll of wire and some good tips. Now it's working like a chp again. I can't even tell you how much I love these old solar 2225 welders.

Thanks for the help everyone, once I knew the gas wasn't the problem it didn't take long to find the trouble.

you tend to get that with aloominum