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  #1  
Old 10-02-2014, 12:44 PM
ed l ed l is offline
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Default help needed getting supplies

can anyone tell me the best place to refill my tanks 02 argon etc near daytona area also the best place to buy all my metal too i moved to palm coast florida about a year ago thanks ed
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Old 10-02-2014, 01:59 PM
weldtoride weldtoride is offline
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Ed, if nobody chimes in with specific suppliers, I used these guys back when they were a paper resource, now they are web based.

http://www.thomasnet.com/

Do your own search for steel suppliers from the home page. I narrowed down the tank part a bit for you, :

http://www.thomasnet.com/local.html?...ytona+Beach|FL

The more important question is who did you get the tanks from Originally? Airgas? Linde? Praxair? If from any of those guys, they will just swap out a full for your empty, as long as they see it's one of theirs.

If they are from an independent, or long gone source, you will have to keep trying. Around here there are a couple places that refill your tank, and gives you back the exact same tank. Periodically they will charge you for testing, and that's another delay. Not everybody will do that, generally not the major suppliers mentioned above.

I've purchased all my tanks used, and several were out of date, or from a closed company. I was able to swap each out eventually for a current tank, which is then simple to rotate thru the system. So much depends on who is on the loading dock that day and what his particular understanding or policy is. For example, I had one guy tell me "no way" on a tank, drove to another supplier in the same chain and had no problem at all.

Good luck, Daytona is a big place, ought to be somebody willing to work with you.
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Last edited by weldtoride; 10-02-2014 at 02:05 PM.
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Old 10-02-2014, 05:15 PM
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Ed: If you have Praxair tanks, the closest location to you is in Palatka. I am in Ocala and have to drive to Gainesville to replace my tanks.
I had in my shop a big WW2 vintage oxygen bottle. It had a signal corps neck collar. I had it for over 40 years just sitting in my shop. A gift from my dad. On one of my trips to Praxair, I asked about whether I could have them hydro the tank and convert it to a argon bottle. They said yes and I took the bottle up on my next trip. They sent the bottle to Jacksonville and I waited. After a few weeks, I remembered to check on it and they tried to track it down. I called back a couple of weeks later and they informed me that they couldn't locate it. So they had to give me a tank from their exchange system. In the end that really worked out best for me but I suspect that that vintage tank is on display somewhere. It was pristine with all sorts of war time information painted on it. Locations dates insignias etc.
I would have been married to that tank otherwise. Sixty miles round trip to take the empty to them and sixty miles to go get it after it was filled. Now I just go and exchange for a full one. And I didn't have to pay for the hydro. Never will with exchange tanks.
Bottom line, check with Praxair in Palatka. If the bottles have a Geo. W. Fowler collar, Fowler was bought out by Praxair many years ago. They will exchange those. I still see the Fowler bottles from time to time.
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Old 10-02-2014, 08:33 PM
Overkill Overkill is offline
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Default Clean collar

Having made the mistake of buying tanks with a particular welding supply house's name on the collar, and then having it go out of business, or in another case, I moved, I ALWAYS request a "clean collar" when I exchange tanks. That way I'm not locked into a particular supplier, and can go to who is close. So far, I haven't had any problems with this, but recently heard of a bar coded tracking system that some welding houses are trying to use.
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Old 10-03-2014, 10:16 AM
weldtoride weldtoride is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Overkill View Post
Having made the mistake of buying tanks with a particular welding supply house's name on the collar, and then having it go out of business, or in another case, I moved, I ALWAYS request a "clean collar" when I exchange tanks. That way I'm not locked into a particular supplier, and can go to who is close. So far, I haven't had any problems with this, but recently heard of a bar coded tracking system that some welding houses are trying to use.
Great tip on the "clean collar".

Around here (greater Milwaukee-Chicago) they've had bar codes for a while. Due to my previous explanation I actually have 3 gas suppliers, but because of my location, I still don't have to travel very far, only to remember where I'm going with that particular tank(s). Some docks use the reader, some don't. I can see where a bar code can speed up the refilling process as it could instantly read empty wt and DOT date, etc.
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Old 10-03-2014, 11:39 AM
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I would think that the bar code would be important to give an instant identification of the tank to be used in regard to things like certification. A tank could sit in a shop for years if infrequently used. When that tank gets returned, there is a very good chance that it is out of certification. That tank would then be sorted out to be hydroed and recertified. That is one of the benefits of the tank exchange system. The end user never has to worry about tank certification. The gas supplier is responsible for that.
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Old 10-03-2014, 07:30 PM
ed l ed l is offline
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hey guys thank you for all the info my tanks are airco and linde but some have my old suppliers name on it which is airweld from ny my tanks are just a couple years old when i closed my account i just bought a couple of the bottles that i had in my shop im running low on most of my gases and when i made a few calls about getting them refilled they said they wouldnt refill another suppliers bottles may be ill take my chances just taking the bottles there and see if they will exchange them thanks again ed
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Old 10-03-2014, 09:51 PM
longyard longyard is offline
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In over 30 years of using the same supplier, National, now AirGas, I've never been asked about the origins of the tanks I've shown up with, and they've come from all sorts of different places. After reading this thread I realize how lucky I've been!
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Old 10-04-2014, 10:21 PM
ed l ed l is offline
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hey bill in 20 + years dealing with the same supplier in different locations around my area in new york i never realized that when i moved to florida it would become a problem getting tanks filled anyway i ordered your book its supposed to arrive oct 9 cant wait to read it take care ed
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