European Style Argon Bottle

[cbmkr]

Noticed this Argon bottle at my friends house also, it had a protective cap and built in regulator with a male quick coupler already installed .Hose from his Metabo mig plugged right into the bottle.

[DaveO]

Does the shroud thread onto the cylinder cap threads? I'm trying to figure out that flattened up shape on top, thought maybe a lifting handle but probably not if the shroud is plastic.

[Brian Ski]

That is really interesting... I have never seen anything like that. Built in regulator??? Wonder how they fill it??

[DaveO]

I was thinking the regulator and the shroud belong to the customer, and that they fill and ship bottles as you'd expect but that the user / owner attaches that... thing... when he gets it to his shop. But when I look at the photo, that barbed nipple sticks out a little, and it looks like in a bad enough roll-over accident the nipple could be bent, and isn't that what the shroud is trying to prevent?! So I don't think I'm getting it.

[redbeard]

I don't think that shroud is user installed, it looks like the valve handle would get in the way of unscrewing. If that is a carrying handle on top, it sure looks handy.

I wonder how the guy gets it filled over here.

[X83]

It appears to be a two piece bolt together shroud similar to the ones used for oxygen tanks in the medical industry.

[jakeru]

Europeans always get the good stuff. I've seen some awfully nice looking European flowmeters that have a knob for adjusting pressure in addition to the usual knob for adjusting flow. Wish we had that style in the US, but all I've ever seen around here (and that fit our bottles) are single adjustable flowmeters.

[cbmkr]

Europeans always get the good stuff. I've seen some awfully nice looking European flowmeters that have a knob for adjusting pressure in addition to the usual knob for adjusting flow. Wish we had that style in the US, but all I've ever seen around here (and that fit our bottles) are single adjustable flowmeters.

The bottle comes like that from the distributor, He had an extra one in his shop. It is the protective cap and handle together.

[performance]

If a regulator ever "blows" it is definitely a smart idea. Also if the cylinder ever falls over, unchained, it'll keep the cylinder from becoming a V-2.

[X83]

They're several different types of gas cylinder protectors available in the US market but none seemed to guard the regulators too well.

[Rambozo]

It is somewhat understandable with all the different types of regulators. You would have to go with a standard like that German cylinder, or each regulator manufacturer would have to make their own style guard. If you follow proper safety rules by only attaching regulators to secured cylinders, the falling over risk is reduced, but things could still fall on the exposed regulator and break something. I'm sure that would defeat some cylinder securing methods I've seen used. But most should contain the tank as it empties. The one constant is that there is no guard for stupid. I'm sure there are some people that would find a way to make that German cylinder fly around the shop.