Argon Tank Empty?

[Buggy Chief]

I am a hobbyist and been working on getting better at TIG welding aluminum.

With that, I bought a full tank of Argon a couple of weeks back and set the flow to about 15 cfm and it read 2000 psi full. It reads 1000 psi now.

The arc sputters and jumps even at high frequency AC like it is contaminated. Could I be out of Argon even though it reads 1000 psi?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Rambozo]

I am a hobbyist and been working on getting better at TIG welding aluminum.

With that, I bought a full tank of Argon a couple of weeks back and set the flow to about 15 cfm and it read 2000 psi full. It reads 1000 psi now.

The arc sputters and jumps even at high frequency AC like it is contaminated. Could I be out of Argon even though it reads 1000 psi?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Not empty until you hit the regulated pressure. (Usually 40-80 psi) But you could have a leak somewhere that is sucking in air. Also there is the possibility of a bad bottle of gas. Were things OK when you first got the bottle? Is your material really really clean?

[Buggy Chief]

Nevermind...Pressure doesn't tell the story. It's weight. I have a 80 bottle and it should weigh about 60 lbs full and it is weighing about 50 now, which means empty. Empty bottle weight is 50ish.

Answered my own question.

[Rambozo]

Nevermind...Pressure doesn't tell the story. It's weight. I have a 80 bottle and it should weigh about 60 lbs full and it is weighing about 50 now, which means empty. Empty bottle weight is 50ish.

Answered my own question.

There is a lot of weight variation between bottles, especailly the smaller ones. Unless you have the exact tare weight for that bottle, you can't go by weight. Besides there is no way an empty argon bottle will have 1000 psi. It is a compressed gas not a liquid like CO2.