MIG welding gas

I just acquired a bottle of CO2 gas. Was used as propellant in a soda fountain. The tank is nearly full. Can this be used as gas shielding gas in a MIG welder?
 
Mark me as being among the welding hacks here but the short answer is yes, at least for steel. The action of the arc will be different than with 75-25 or other modern mix. 35 years ago CO2 was all we had in the shop.
 
Bought a similar CO2 bottle at a garage sale- took it in to get it filled- the guy at the gas outfit showed me a stamping on the bottom- "Property of So and So Bottling Co."

Gas guy said their deal with the bottling co. was that if I would just leave the bottle for return to them, that would be that, and company would not ask who had it. But if I insisted on keeping it, he would report it to the company, and they would prosecute for theft. I asked how he would know who to report, he smiled and said, "Well, I guess there are some drawbacks to living in a small town, Mr. xxxx."

Since he had my name right, and because the manager of the bottling Co. was a friend of mine, I decided I was in a hole, and better stop digging.

I did ask if they really did prosecute, he smiled again and said "Dunno. So far, everybody has taken Plan A, like you did."
 
Yes it will work, you will need a different nipple and nut for your regulator, Co2 and welding Argon are valved differently.
 
The welding shop at the local community college went to straight CO2 for GMAW (MIG) several years ago, mainly on account of the substantial cost savings over the price of C25 (25% CO2, 75% Argon). C25 is nicer to weld with than straight CO2---less weld spatter, gentler arc, things like that, but not so much as to make it totally unpleasant to weld with CO2.

The reason pure CO2 is less pleasant than C25, in case you're interested, is because CO2 is a poorer conductor than Argon, so it takes more energy to overcome its resistance. If you've been using C25 for your gas shielded arc welding, and you enjoy it, you might find that using straight CO2 makes you just want to get the job done.

Stan
 
I had my name stamped in mine, it was stolen years ago. You don't need paperwork for anything under 75 cubic foot, seems to me the person that posses it owns it. I'll bet mine has been filled!
 
yes straite co2 will work for welding steel....like mentioned you will have to run the co2 regulator or have your nipple changed on your regulator...
where I work we would trade you tanks if in test if not in test we would charge you a test $30 and the fill. then you would have a 75/25 mix 30 what we call it....it will have great penetration but more spatter is all with straite co2

kelly
 
It may or may not work, CO2 beverage cylinders have a dip tube that goes to the bottom of the cylinder to draw liquid . It will probably freeze the regulator solid. I have used Co2 to freeze water lines for repairs when the shut off valve wouldn't hold or no cut off valve in the line.
 
CO2 has more penetration than C25 but also has more spatter. If you have a dip tube cylinder, you'll have to have the dip tube removed and/or a new valve installed. C25 has a wider flatter bead and runs nicer. Also keep in mind CO2 is filled as a liquid and the cyl. pressure is much less than C25, 600 to 800 PSI max compared to 2000 to 2200 PSI.
 

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