Shielding Gas

gary.h

gary.h

Active Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2013
Location
Colfax
Finally going to get started on my rock sliders. Got my steel ordered and now just need to figure out what to do about shielding gas. I don't have a tank at all. So i have a few questions. I did a search but there are no recent threads on this. First question, after a google search i see the topic of rent vs own coming up. Which is better? Second, i did a search on google and the only place i see that comes up for refills is airgas. This could be because i dont really know what terms to search. Hopefully you guys can point me in the right direction.
 
Forgot to add that im in the triad.
 
Roberts oxygen is in Colfax down the street that northern tool is on. I bought my tank from them. Its a smaller one maybe 3ft tall. Last a while with me just using it for my own stuff. I liked the guys there a lot more than air gas.
 
I'd own, no need leasing a bottle you'll need filling few and far between. Leasing works for people who use large amounts of gas and have several bottles. Math says that with 20 plus bottles lease or rent is cheaper in the long run and since its rented it's an over all expense rather than ownership and tax and right off stuff. As for who you deal with, check around. The big house dealers can treat the avg. joe as a nuisance. If you can strike up a good relationship you might get treated fair, maybe not. They tend to gouge the little man. For consistent pricing Friends have had good luck with NAPA and Tractor Supply. I've used Sunox, Holox, National Welders, and Airgas. In that order as they were bought sold and tranfered down the line as company identities. However with each change my service got worse. I'm switching my accounts this year to Praxair when I redo my company financial profile. Its a new to my area company and the initial quotes are great, best of all my rep is someone I taught to weld 18 yrs ago and has steadily advanced his knowledge and career in the related field. He's a territory manager out of Charlotte but he could lead you in the right direction for your area. His name is Shannon Matheson. I'll pm his number.
 
Just go get an 80ft bottle of C25 from Northern or Tractor Supply or whatever.

The clerks don't know what they're selling, but they're rarely assholes, and they're open after 5pm and on Sat and Sunday.

Last time I ran out of gas, it was in the middle of the night. Guess who got my business....
 
shawn said:
Just go get an 80ft bottle of C25 from Northern or Tractor Supply or whatever.

The clerks don't know what they're selling, but they're rarely assholes, and they're open after 5pm and on Sat and Sunday.

Last time I ran out of gas, it was in the middle of the night. Guess who got my business....
Click to expand...
good point, I have a few spares. But I remember when I didn't!
 
I just looked at northern and tsc website and the price of a 80ft bottle is 300. That's the size I have and I'm pretty sure I bought mine filled and everything for around 150. I was referred there from a friend with a commercial account with them some maybe I got a good deal.
 
Availability is def. worth considering.
Like many folks here... all my welding/garage work happens at night, often Friday nights are the long ones struggling to get something done... so when I suddenly discover I need gas, it's almost always means needing it NOW on a Sat or Sunday.

Buying a bottle aint cheap but it's goning to take a loooong time for an occasional DIYer to go through it. If you do the math on what that guy pays in gas over the course of a year or two... and consider the convenience factor... the price difference is jut not that big of a deal IMO.
 
When funds allow get a second bottle, that way you will always have a backup! I get mine locally from Machine & Welding Supply. They do have a location in Winston-Salem and in Greensboro. The store in Durham is usually staffed with nice people, but they are definitely only a M-F 8-5 kind of place.
 
I just bought a bottle recently. For purchase of a full bottle (80cf 75/25) it was about $279. Then $5X to refill after that. I would have got the 150 but it's more bottle than I need/can handle on my cart.
 
Try your local Napa or car quest stores they normally stock welding supplys ...their prices are fair when purchasing a bottle and refill prices are not that bad . I use a 160 bottle w/unimix and it will last a good while on my welder .
 
Lots of good info here. Thanks to everyone that responded.
 
get the large 150ft (or even the smaller 80ft) bottle and strap it to your wall. Get 50' of hose and tape it to the cord for the welder; its much easier to wheel the welder around the shop that way; no need to always push around 100lbs of bottle unnecessarily :)

Buy the bottle, don't rent. Lease options make sense for companies that use large volumes of gas and exchanges. A place that can service you on the weekends is a big plus; wherever that is, buy from there even if its a little more $.

What are you welding? You haven't asked about the mix ratio of the gas 95/5, 75/25?
 
I was gonna get 75/25. Just welding rock sliders for now and a tire carrier soon. Nothing wild just dom, rectangular tubing, and the likes. All steel.
 
I have had very good service from Keith at Machine & Welding Supply 810 Post St Greensboro for several years now. When I first bought my welder, Torch, tanks they had the best price. Service has always been excellent.
 
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