Buying Oxy/Acetylene bottles in the UK

AFAIK you can only rent them. Nobody will fill bottles that are not their own ... Dave

No. It's not possible, and it's _really_ impossible to find the small ones.

You can pick up a set of bottles very easily, and a full set for not much more trouble. But unless they're kosher, you'll never get them filled again. For almost every one this means renting officially. Only the really big users, like construction or demolition companies, find it worthwhile to own their own bottles and persuade the thoroughly evil BOC to talk to them.

Or if you are cutting, use LPG/ propane for fuel. Get whatever oxy bottles you can get, and make a bottle to bottle transfer hose. Fill up your own bottles from rental bottle and return rental. Means you should only have to rent for a short period. Geoff

Don't know how the car breakers yard near me fiddles this but if you ask nicely they supply you with a full oxy and acetylene cyclinder for around £60, mind you this was a few years back. If they are renting the cylinders from air products i can't figure why they are happy to let them out of their sight, you'd think they'd be letting themselves in for all sorts of charges if they dont come back for 5 years or never get returned.

Jimbo

Please don't follow up one of my posts and then make any reference to direct filling loops.

In _NO_ way would I ever condone using such a thing. Any filling loop that finds itself anywhere near my workshop is going to find itself sliced in half.

I'm a semi-house trained gibbon, and I do all sorts of unsafe practices. But I'm having nothing to do with filling loops - that's just plain dumb stupid.

I agree filling loops are ideal for people with a death wish! Oxygen is nasty stuff if it gets contaminated.

Hi all,

I might try to get a set up for gas using Mapp gas.

It seems to have everything you need for hobby, car, household usage without the explosive qualities of acetylene.

I will be on the look out for a MIG and a Mapp gas set when I am over in the UK on a driving holiday early in June.

Regards Alan