Oxy/Fuel bottles - Buying, renting, exchanging, etc.

[biker55]

I was in a similar situation like you recently. but I choose propane over acetylene because it's easier to obtain propane, and it's cheaper. the only issue is that you can't weld with it supposedly. I only need it for heating and cutting. went to my local welding place and purchased a 80cf 02 tank for $200 and it cost me $36 to exchange it at the same place that I purchased the tank. tractor supply has oxyacetylene stuff, but you have to purchase their tanks also. their prices were higher than the local welding supply shop that I found.

[monckywrench]

some larger O2 bottles can only be leased due to imposed laws and regulations.

Citation needed. When making a statement of legal fact, hearsay doesn't cut it. Show us example laws or regulations (government regulates, companies have policies) directing mandatory leasing. Not every franchise knows their shit. I want to see paper when they tell me something questionable.

What's proven is company policy (not to be confused with "law" or "regulation") varies and varies by franchise. For example I have had "customer owned" "rental size" cylinders with blank neck rings hydro'ed and filled via Airgas, but it took a while because mine don't fill onsite. They were blank neck ring military surplus nitrogen cylinders. Now most of them are argon or 75/25 cylinders. (I keep a couple of nitrogen cylinders for pressure testing auto ACs. Beats the crap out of a vacuum gauge and wishful thinking!)

After even more research (I have many cylinders because at the prices I buy them there's no reason not to) I found the official RIN locator which anyone can use to locate DOT approved cylinder requalifiers. They also service cylinders so next time I'll go direct for hydro and initial servicing, then exchange locally.

This app shows your local requalifiers and could be handy on the road if you need a refill.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...a.RIN&hl=en_US

https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/pre...r-requalifiers