Mig Welding gas.

[Dave Hopkins]

Can anyone advise me where and what mix of Argon gas I should buy for general mild steel welding. I have a R Tech 180 Mig welder. I am in Stroud, Glos and am new to Mig welding. any advice would be good.

 

[Spectric]

You want an Argon / CO2 mix, pure Argon is not needed and is expensive so wait until you use a TIG.

 

[Sideways]

When I went for Tig, I opted for a rent free cylinder. My supplier in Manchester are agents for Adams gas. Those guys are not at all local to us so I guess they have agents all over.
I also understand that an Argon CO2 mix is standard for MIG.

 

[ajs]

British Oxygen, or BOC Gases as they call themselves these days. Still have a reasonable national network.

There is a welding forum at Welding - The DIY Guide at which you might find a better resdership, this site is primarily woodworking.

 

[Spectric]

BOC Gases as they call themselves these days

They are now part of the Linde group since two thousand and something but keep the BOC bit to make us in the UK feel it is still British.

 

[Fergie 307]

And their standing charges are ridiculous, £200 a year for a small oxy acetylene set. Your local motor factor will usually be an agent for mig gas, much cheaper as once you have paid your deposit on the bottle you only then pay for the gas.

 

[Oldman]

Adams gas is local to me, I paid £50 returnable deposit 15yrs ago and have only refilled my Argon mix for MIG twice in that time. I dont use it much these days
Look on Adams gas site for your local agent.

 

[clogs]

for mild steel ONLY, I just use CO2.....if u have a friendly publican, it's used to pump beer.....
used to pay 10 quid a bottle.....my pub was always happy for the extra cash.....
For fancy gas inc Accetalene I used the Hobby Gas Comp.....they were easy to get as most big hire shops keep stock.....
My gas bottle originally came from Manchester but was easily able to get a refill in Cornwall......
Forget BOC and Linde if it's just simple welding......they are robbers.......

 

[Adam W.]

I went for a rent free argon mix and bought the cylinder, it's much cheaper in the long run than renting BOC bottles, which is what I was doing with the oxy lead burning stuff.

 

[Johnwa]

We used to use 80/20 Argon/Co2 for manual mig and Argoshield 95/5 for automatic machine welding. As has been said CO2 is fine for manual mig but isnt as forgiving ofpoor teqnique so if you are just starting use 80/20

 

[Daniel2]

Can anyone advise me where and what mix of Argon gas I should buy for general mild steel welding. I have a R Tech 180 Mig welder. I am in Stroud, Glos and am new to Mig welding. any advice would be good.

Hi Dave,
As has been said, if you're starting out, then really an Argon/CO2 mix
is the best to have.
Another terrific resource for learning and asking about mig welding,
is the Mig Welding Forum
They have a very active and friendly forum, and very welcoming to
beginners.