Choosing the correct size of welding gas cylinder is important to ensure that you have the proper amount of gas necessary to finish the welding job you are currently working on. This is not so much of a problem if all of your welding work is done at your shop; however, if you are a welder who travels from location to location it is important that you always carry enough gas to finish the job you are there to do. There is nothing worse than having to leave a location in order to purchase more welding gas.
To choose the correct size welding gas cylinder you need to complete your welding job, you will have to calculate how long it will take you to complete the weld. When calculating time you should only take into consideration the actual time you will spend welding and not the time you need for preparation. You will need 20 cubic feet of capacity for every hour of welding you will be doing. Properly estimating how long it will take for you to successfully complete the welding project you are working on will help you ensure that you have enough gas to make it to the end.
When choosing welding gas cylinders you should also know what the workspace consists of. Some areas may be smaller than others and will allow you to only carry in smaller size cylinders. It is important that you always know the size of the area where you will be working. This rule should also be followed if you are going to be working on scaffolds or other high areas. These types of areas often require that only “B” sized tanks be used. If your work area is large and open you may choose to use a larger capacity gas cylinder that will allow you to have room to work and enough gas to complete the job.
The next thing you need to know about determining the proper size gas cylinder to use is to also calculate how much oxygen you will need as well. If you are using acetylene and oxygen the oxygen will be used at a two-to-one ratio. This means that you will need to take twice the amount of oxygen to the amount of acetylene that you will need. If you follow these guidelines, you will be able to properly determine the amount of gas cylinders you will need to complete any welding job you are working on.
If you need any welding accessories or supplies be sure to check out what Bakers has to offer here.
