Can I get a 300cf tank filled?

[scsmith42]

For the OP, about 50 years ago welding gas suppliers figured out that they would have a better revenue stream if they leased bottles to larger commercial customers rather than selling them, so over time they stopped selling the larger bottles. In most locations in the US, the largest bottle that you can buy new today is around 160CF.

If you buy older bottles and have a bill of sale, usually in any given market you can find at least one LWS that will fill them for you, as long as you give the a copy of your Bill of Sale from the bottle purchase. I've done this for 25 years.

One thing that is problematic though is that most of the places that actually fill the bottles are not set up to track owner bottles in the larger sizes. In the past twenty years two of my bottles have been lost by the refillers and had to be replaced. It also usually takes 1 - 2 months to get them back.

My owner bottles do not have a name on the ring, nor was one ground off. I bought my bottles in Chicago back in the mid 1990's, where there were a lot of larger owner bottles available in the 300CF sizes.

[Welder Dave]

Neck rings are never welded on. The cylinder would be scrap if they were. Some sleeves are replaceable or the neck ring with threads for the cap is.

https://www.americap-mfg.com/cylinder-components.html

[Mike_L]

I’d just like to say thank you to whoever resurrected this dinosaur, as it’s actually turned into an informative thread.

[danielplace]

will they refill it if the ring is ground flat?

It is total F'ing BS that you can't own a tank with a gas companies name on them. That is what they try to give me 95% of the time because they don't have any customer owned in the big sizes to give you. If you want gas today you take the thing. NOW YOU OWN THEIR TANK WITH THEIR NAME ON IT and it doesn't make a damn what they say. They did it. It is yousr when they do that regardless of who's name is on it. Happens every day. People end up with their tanks because they gave them out as customer owned and they damn well know they do it.

Everywhere in Florida treats grind offs as customer owned. Half or more of their "CUSTOMER OWNED" inventory is grind offs. Matheson, Airgas and Praxair all take in and send out grind offs as standard procedure. Very likely you might get a grind offs.

The easiest way is to take letters down flush with a carbide burr. Then use a 1" drum sander in a die grinder. You should see the nasty grind offs that are around these days OMG. I think I could do a better job with a cutting torch. Lol.

[Welder Dave]

Welding supplies that never sold the size of cylinder to be exchanged/filled will NOT exchange it if it has their name on it or the name of another supplier that does not sell their cylinders. Honor among thieves... or rip off artists. They have also been known to confiscate cylinders that were never offered for sale. That's the reason for grinding the name off. Most suppliers will require proof you bought the cylinder from them or a recognized welding supply. If they did sell the size of cylinder then they will exchange it as long as they know you purchased a cylinder that size.

[G-ManBart]

There really is no standard answer to this question...even within the same company, so the replies won't mean much unless you happen to live in the same area.

I bought a machine a while back and the seller included a 330 bottle of trimix that was empty, but in date. The bottle had an Airgas label on it, but the ring was from a company Airgas bought years ago. I stopped by the local Airgas, where they somewhat know me, bought a pack of contact tips as a token and then asked them if they would exchange the bottle for 75/25. Their response was "How do you have an owner 300? We don't sell those at all. In fact, there's no way to do an owner exchange in the computer, it has to be on lease...the computer won't even accept that." I didn't question them and just left.

I then called the next closest Airgas and told them what I had. They said "No problem, we can exchange it, but the manager has to approve it since it's been a while since we sold big bottles." They then told me the price, which was pretty ridiculous so I just gave them the old "okay, I'll try to stop by next week" and thanked them.

Then I stopped by my mom and pop LWS who looked at it and said "It's an X brand bottle, and they're no longer in business so I can get it filled but the date is almost up, so I'd like to get it tested, painted, replace the valve and then have it filled....call it $100". That's why they get almost all of my business!

Short version...it all depends, and the only way to know is to ask around. Around here at least two of the big shops will sell you a 300, but two others won't. I prefer to deal with the mom and pop shop since they're the closest and very helpful and usually have the best prices.

[danielplace]

Every gas supplier and location is different as mentioned.

Matheson in Ocala, Fl does not sell anything bigger than a 125 since their inception but they still deal in customer owned tanks in the larger sizes when they have them. When they don't they will still take your customer owned bottle and give you one with their name on it in order to get the sale and as long as you don't change suppliers or need to get gas elsewhere then they don't care and will treat any tanks you have customer owned or with their name on them as customer owned even though they never sold them because they know they do that all the time when they have no customer owned bottles which is most of the time. As long as you have an account and they see that size bottle exchanged before you will probably have no problem to get it exchanged again.