Which is the size of welding gas cylinder?

[lincy]

hi...
I am going to buy an Argon gas cylinder for MIG welding. can you give me a suggestion on which size of gas cylinder to purchase?

[Hunter55]

Buy the largest one You can afford. Those 60's and 80's empty quick.

[Dale M.]

Go big, I purchased a 125 cu-ft and it lasts a long time... At about 20 CFH it lasts about 6 hours (calculated) of continuous weld (or cumulative time of small welds) ......The bigger the cylinder to more initial cost... But that mean you spend less time carting it back and forth to welding supply for refills in future, which is time and fuel...

[Rangerhgm]

I know you asked about Argon, I didn't know if your talking about just Argon or Argon/CO2. If you are talking about C25, have you considered straight CO2? I've been using CO2 for mig welding and it works very well, and is CHEAP. I have a 20lb CO2 tank and get it refilled for $20, and a 20lb CO2 tank gives you almost 12 hours of welding at 15 CFH..........just a thought if you hadn't considered straight CO2.

[~0le]

I'd suggest buying the largest cylinder that your local distributor will sell. The largest cylinder that my local Praxair distributor will sell is their size "S," which holds 154 cubic feet. It weighs around 90 lbs when full of argon. The question is, do you have the physical strength to handle it, both now and in the foreseeable future. Every distributor will, of course, rent much larger cylinders. The cost of renting can add up quickly over time. Note, as Rangerhgm mentioned, MIG welding usually uses a mixture of Argon (75%) and C0₂ (25%). The weight difference is basically indistinguishable. ~0le