Welding gas

Just wondered how many on here do or have done welding to their Scamps. Welding is something I've done a fair bit of over the years with a dozen or so kit cars plus trailers etc etc.

For thin steel and positional welding it's way easier to use a MIG machine than a 'stick' type and they are pretty cheap in the lower powered 'hobby' ranges. The expense comes because of the gas needed for shielding. The hobby welders tend to use little disposable bottles which cost a packet and don't last very long especially used outside where there's a breeze.
Any draught blows the gas away and leads to porous and weak welds. This means turning the gas flow up to compensate which uses the gas even faster.

Just thought I would mention that anyone using a MIG machine a lot could find it worthwhile to adapt their welder to use the larger 'industrial' type bottles. It means buying a proper regulator (about £20 on Fleabay) and finding a source for the larger bottles.
BOC are doing what's called the Volkszone deal. This is for a medium sized Argoshield bottle. The rental is £38.70 per year and the gas is £27.86.

May sound like a lot to lay out but if you're getting through a few of those disposable canisters it could soon work out cost effective.
If you're just doing a few repairs to your Scamp you may not be interested but if you use a welder on a regular basis could be worth while thinking about.
Just want to state I have no connection to BOC and have no axe to grind but having just signed up for the deal I thought I'd mention it on here.

I use Adams gas http://www.adamsgas.co.uk/welding/hobby-gas-welding

No rental fee, about £30 to refill.

Yes there are a few about and Barnet Welding have a good deal on their bottles but you need to check on the size, filled pressure and delivery (and return) charges if you're not close enough to collect.
The BOC bottles are 4.8 cubic metres filled to 230Bar pressure and most of us will have a BOC agent within a short distance to collect.
Still that yearly rental charge should be considered as most hobby gas suppliers just charge an initial 'right to use' fee. Some will refund the fee if you give up the bottle while others won't.
If you have an idea how much welding you'll do and do the sums you can pick the best deal for you.

Hobbyweld do no rental bottles of welding gas. Pay a deposit up front then you exchange the empty bottle for a full one and just pay for the gas. Not cost effective if you do a lot of welding but for semi-regular home use it can be a good solution. There's plenty of agents around so one shouldn't be too far away.

http://www.hobbyweld.co.uk/

As you say a really low volume user will do fine with them but do check the actual quantity of gas you're getting. The BOC 'Y' cylinder is 20 litres filled to 230 Bar which is 4.8 cubic meters of gas.
Some of the hobby gas sellers don't make it very clear what you are actually buying. Generally the bottles are smaller and fill pressure is less too.