Question for the New England/MA members. Where can one get a refill on Argon gas locally in MA? The last time I had my tank filled was at Airgas in NH about 10 years ago and they had me buy a tank from them.

Appreciate any help.

Is there not a list of welding supply places in or on your local Yellow Pages ?!?!

If you are already leasing a tank, getting another one shouldn't be a problem at any welding supply store. What my local supplier told me when this came up was that a user never owns a tank, he owns the rights to a tank. When you get a new tank, the one you have is not refilled, you get another tank and you only pay for the contents. That way your tank goes back into the system for any necessary testing and maintenance before refilling.

Side note: My supplier was showing me an oxygen tank stamped with the German Maltese cross. He said after WWI, there were lots of tanks from Germany that made it to the states and now, over 100 years have elapsed, are still suitable for service and in use.

Yep, the fire extinguishers on the destroyer I was on needed recert, a lot of them had swasitkas on them, WWII booty. As long as they pass cert they get used.

When I went to get my small tank filled they said I needed to buy a new tank also. After that they would do a refill when I needed one. I don`t remember the exact reason why since it was a few years ago. I needed to finish my project so I did that. BTW, I have to say the new tank looked cheaper or lesser quality VS the old tank.

Don't know what to tell you. My MIG uses a Q cylinder of C25 and I've probably exchanged a dozen cylinders in my lifetime through three suppliers. Only bought a tank lease once.

i used to be a welding gas sub-dealer for a welding supply company. The cylinders should have a name around the top collar. Most welding gas companies only carry their own cylinders, if you switch companies, the new company may, or may not be able to accept the cylinder from the company to whom the cylinder belongs to.

In our area, cylinders 100 CF or smaller are all customer owned. The customer buys the cylinder and can get it filled at any gas supplier. Cylinders over 100 CF are all leased cylinders and have to go back to the company that owns them. Some companies require customer owned cylinders to be refilled rather then be exchanged, the reason being the cylinder recertification. Not all cylinder facility have the ability's to refill the cylinders on grounds, how the customer owned cylinders are handled will depend on the company policy. Usually leased cylinders have the recertification included in the lease costs, so those cylinders are exchanged. Customer that own the cylinders are often charged for the recertification costs.

Every welding gas cylinder needs to be recertified every 10 years. If you own that cylinder, the costs involved should be your expense, years ago that recertification fee was around $15, I have no doubt that cost has increased since then. If the cylinder can not be certified, the cylinder has to be replaced, also at your expense.

Some cylinders have been around a very long time. Often the cause of not passing certification is the cylinder valve itself. Those are not cheap to replace. each cylinder has a date stamp every time it has been recertified, look for the most recent date stamp. Some date stamps are in code, but any are not and may have a month and the last 2 digits of the year, or simply the year. Around here, the stamps are about 3/8" high number stamped into the cylinder on the bell shape or just above or below. I have a picture if I can get my computer to cooperate.

My new tank only had a sticker on the tank. Not like the old tank that had the name on it around the top. My new tank looked like it was a china made tank or something.

Maine Oxy in Hudson NH , up the road from the Walmart that's end of the byway from rt. 3 ... is that close enough ?

+https://www.mapquest.com/us/new-hampshire/maine-oxy-433820268

The place that I used to use on the BLVD by the Lowell/Dracut line closed a long time ago .

Is your tank cert still good ?

Awesome, thank you all for the replies! This helps a great deal. I appreciate the education on these tanks. I need to look at my tank and see if there is anything on it about being certified. This tank is the one I had to buy from AirGas about 10 years ago. I have a few other empty ones in the shop as well that I should look at. John, thanks for your input, that isnt too far away from me at all. I used to go to a place in Malden, MA about 20 years ago that has closed.

From the OP's last post he doesn't seem to possess enough general knowledge to be owning an argon tank. So I really have to ask: What are you using the argon for?

Well Stanton, if you must know, I was going to use it to fill up some balloons for my kids party this weekend, why what's the big deal? Apparently I had enough "general knowledge" to cut out and weld in about 50% of the sheet metal on my Charger when I restored it 10 years ago. Last time I checked, there was not a test to take in order to weld your own projects or to have the privilege of owning a tank so I think I will be just fine. Damn man, you must be the Sultan of welding, we all should bow down to you and your superior knowledge. F-off clown.

Thank you again to the folks that chimed in, for amateurs like myself that do their own resto work, your guidance is what keeps us motivated!

That's an expensive balloon filler. I'd use my air compressor, turned down at the regulator.

... you obviously missed the sarcasm in his reply ...

Trying to remember where you lived I could probably find a place closer to you .

As far as your reply ...

It appears mapquest is using old data , it looks like the store front is in Nashua between exit 4 and exit 5b , closer to rt3 and easier to get too than the Hudson location , which I remember the last time I drove by there I didn't see it ???

Using the location tab on their website ... which I didn't use the first time ... I came up with this https://www.maineoxy.com/locations/nashua-nh/

Hey there John, was hoping you would have chimed in since I believe you live or used to live near me. You came to my house a few years back and solved my steering coupler issue I was having after going back to power steering. Thanks again for the tip on where to go, the NH border is only about 15 min for me up route 93 and Nashua is even easier up Rt 3.

Thank you for that updated info as well! super helpful.

I Buy My Welding Supplies at AIRGAS in Auburn , Mass .

Yeah, I am literal like that

I'm curious what the OP is tig welding. Can't be serious about filling balloons!