Wow have welding gas prices gone up.

[Sidekick]

I haven't bought gas since right before the pandemic. Last 80 cu ft tank of 75/25 cost me $39.00 out the door with tax. I haven't done any big projects so just basically fixing stuff made the tank last until now. Yesterday I stopped by to swap it out for a full one and it was $85.03 out the door with tax. Wow, what a shock. Does this sound right compared to what others are paying now? The fellow behind the counter said that's nothing compared to what happened to the price of helium when I complained.

 

[L35]

fellow behind the counter said that's nothing compared to what happened to the price of helium when I complained.

sounds like balloon prices will be rising due to inflation.

 

[fried1765]

sounds like balloon prices will be rising due to inflation.

LOVE IT !!!!!

 

[The Evil Twin]

8 ft or 80 ft?!?

For 80 that's par for the course around here for the general public. Contractor prices are a little less. Maybe by 20%

 

[Sidekick]

8 ft or 80 ft?!?

For 80 that's par for the course around here for the general public. Contractor prices are a little less. Maybe by 20%

Sorry 80 cu ft. Fixed it. It surprised me being over 100% higher then 4 years ago.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Thats the way it is here too.


I make my own "seltzer water" and get my CO2 from a local weld shop.

and like the "nut job" I am, I have kept all the receipts, just for "kicks and giggles"

Here is a copy of my first fill up in 2020 and the most recent fill.

It's worse then that. Bidenomics is only supposed to be 12% a year. This is over 25% a year averaged out. Just wondering if it's everywhere or a NY thing.

Nope, its a Michigan thing too.

and now for the same 20 Lbs ......

Edit: BTW the $12.95 on the second line of the most recent receipt is not other stuff, it is a new "haz mat" fee for the same CO2....

 

[Sidekick]

This is crazy. Basically works out to $20 an hour just for welding gas. Makes me wonder what empty tank prices are now. Poor kids getting started. Starting to sound like my father did when he used to say "right before the great depression the price of everything doubled".

 

[Yooper]

I use straight Co2 for both my hard wire and flux core. That’s all I have used since I started wire welding back in the eighties. Much cheaper than the mixed gases. At least it used to be. Its been a couple of years since I bought a tank of it

 

[The Evil Twin]

Sorry 80 cu ft. Fixed it. It surprised me being over 100% higher then 4 years ago.

Oh, it's steep no doubt. No clue what drives these gas prices.

 

[D2Cat]

Milton Friedman said. ".... too much govt. spending and govt. creation of money."

 

[Sidekick]

Milton Friedman said. ".... too much govt. spending and govt. creation of money."

I found an interesting article about how many of the same welding gasses are used for manufacturing housing products and right now new house building and renovation are in the worst shape ever with high financing rates. Things like windows are filled with argon and finishing everything takes inert gasses these days. With manufacturing gases being slowed as demand drops the corporations still need to maintain the bottom line causing increases in the pricing. The raw material price is still zero as it's distilled from air.

 

[fried1765]

Oh, it's steep no doubt. No clue what drives these gas prices.

It seems to be, whatever the market will bear.
We need to stop the..... " price gauging"

 

[WFM]

I deal with a 'regulatory compliance' charge and hazardous waste charge which is completely bogus. The gas company just dreamed them up to charge more. Order welding wire. $10. Hazardous Waste charge. Other companies don't charge these.
And yes the prices have gone up.

 

[barts]

The raw material price is still zero as it's distilled from air.

There are of course energy costs associated with such distillation.

Since my MIG welder is not particularly powerful, I tend to use my old Lincoln IdealArc and 6010/7018 for any projects with metal thicker than 1/8". A friend is currently repairing his wooden steamboat, which was damaged when his trailer's hitch came adrift due to (apparently flux core) weld failure by a previous owner. There's something to be said for stick welding; the rods have become more expensive, but there seems to be more competition in that market.

 

[Sidekick]

There are of course energy costs associated with such distillation.

Since my MIG welder is not particularly powerful, I tend to use my old Lincoln IdealArc and 6010/7018 for any projects with metal thicker than 1/8". A friend is currently repairing his wooden steamboat, which was damaged when his trailer's hitch came adrift due to (apparently flux core) weld failure by a previous owner. There's something to be said for stick welding; the rods have become more expensive, but there seems to be more competition in that market.

That flux core definitely doesn't give the penetration of argon/co2 mix. I have to start using my stick welder more also. I bought it 53 years ago and it's an old Montgomery Ward with a copper transformer that probably has 80 pounds of copper. I almost stripped the copper out for scrap when copper went over 5 bucks a pound .

 

[InTheWoods]

Straight CO2 is fine for me and my MIG...

 

[The Evil Twin]

All I can say is the price if a bale of straw hasn't gone up that much. Only a 70% increase over last year.

 

[Trimley]

I deal with a 'regulatory compliance' charge and hazardous waste charge which is completely bogus. The gas company just dreamed them up to charge more. Order welding wire. $10. Hazardous Waste charge. Other companies don't charge these.
And yes the prices have gone up.

Everything has gone up, immensely. About ten years ago while at a garage sale, a fella was selling MIG wire, among other relative welding items. I bought new, four/10 Lb boxes (2- .028 & 2- .035) for $15/box. Today's price for the same is $50+ a box. Back then I never had a MIG, but planned to get one eventually. I have one now.

 

[WFM]

All I can say is the price if a bale of straw hasn't gone up that much. Only a 70% increase over last year.

A old farmer here has a sign by the road
Bailed Hay $9ea.
I stopped and said someone is messing with your sign, they flipped the 6.
He laughed and said No
That sign is $9. Bucks
Way cheaper then others.

 

[The Evil Twin]

A old farmer here has a sign by the road
Bailed Hay $9ea.
I stopped and said someone is messing with your sign, they flipped the 6.
He laughed and said No
That sign is $9. Bucks
Way cheaper then others.

Wow. That's what the big box are selling it for here. Granted, it's Halloween season so all the Ken's and Karen's are sticking them on their porch for decoration. Still.... $4/ bale last fall when I did a ton of work to the lawn. $7 per just the other day.
Edit- that's straw. Not sure what hay is going for. Or if there is a difference