Welding gas bottles

[dom14]

Believe it or not but gasless mig actually works so much better using Co2 gas , that's why we had the bottle at TAFE but only used it as a demonstration , students never actually used it they used Argo shield .

There was a way to get hold of CO2 dirt cheap from soft drink bottle plants.
I'm not sure whether it's still a possibility.

[GQtdauto]

You'll be amazed at the difference .

[dom14]

You'll be amazed at the difference .

You mean the difference between gasless and gas MIG?

[GQtdauto]

Difference between gasless wire on its own and gasless wire with Co2 .

[dom14]

Difference between gasless wire on its own and gasless wire with Co2 .

I've gota a find a way to source alternative cheaper ways to get hold of some CO2 canisters.

[GQtdauto]

Also worth considering because you're a cheap bugger like me , see if you can get some helium , like what you use in party balloons , no idea how it would work in a mig but it was the first gas they used in Tig welding when it was invented many moons ago .
It is possible to use Co2 in a Tig for low carbon steel but Co2 is reactive so you will burn out your tungsten electrode in quick order .
When mig welding with flux cored wire and using Co2 the above is not an issue because your continually feeding the wire through and consuming it .

[dom14]

Also worth considering because you're a cheap bugger like me , see if you can get some helium , like what you use in party balloons , no idea how it would work in a mig but it was the first gas they used in Tig welding when it was invented many moons ago .
It is possible to use Co2 in a Tig for low carbon steel but Co2 is reactive so you will burn out your tungsten electrode in quick order .
When mig welding with flux cored wire and using Co2 the above is not an issue because your continually feeding the wire through and consuming it .

I most certainly can get helium but won't be any cheaper though.
Party suppliers have it but too dear to make it useful on MIG or TIG.
Argon is a by-product of some industrial process according to what I've heard and they are making a super fortune from it.

As a cheap bugger I beat you to it, 'cos I just built a 'massive' cage out of scrap. , but I made it look cool, except the weld tacks which looks like I've threwn up curries on it after having too much booze. , but that's the 'best' I could do with a stick welder and cheap electrodes.

I'm looking at all different types of welding as a long term serious hobby, so I gota source cheaparse ways to source the consumables, particularly the shielding gas.

My real aim is to be a damn good AC TIG welder, but so far it's only talk as I haven't got all the gear ready yet.

I gave up on the gasless MIG welder and was planning to turn it into a sheet metal cutter by attaching a gas hose to the nozzle from the compressor. Now, I won't do as it would be a good backup MIG welder if I learn to use it with a bit of parallel thinking, following your tips.

[billyj]

biggest problem you will have is you need different gas mixes for different metals and processes

is argon/co2 mix to mig steel, straight argon to mig aluminium or tig steel and from memory its an argon/helium mix for tig aluminium

[GQtdauto]

biggest problem you will have is you need different gas mixes for different metals and processes

is argon/co2 mix to mig steel, straight argon to mig aluminium or tig steel and from memory its an argon/helium mix for tig aluminium

You can use argon for pretty much everything Tig but generally the mixes are formulated to tweak the welding performance
As in the case of using an Argon /helium mix for aluminium gives a broader flatter weld profile and argon / Co2 gets a bit better bite on low carbon steel .
From what I've read and experienced these properties are more desirable in mig welding because you have more control when Tig welding .
Same as using the Ceriated tungsten electrodes in Tig , you can use the one type for pretty much all types of metal your likely to weld you only have to change the way you prepare the end of the electrode .

[paulyg]

Check Total tools, they also sell the gas bottles