going rate for argon and lease rates

[Brian Ski]

Seems there must be a few different materials used in cylinders because I found one where the same cylinders sizes were a bit heavier.


I don't think I'll be doing much TIG'ing so I'm wringing my wrists over buying an inexpensive and very small 20cf tank on sale now at HF and pocket the savings to refill at expensive rates or buying a much bigger 80cf and paying 4 times the price for the cylinder but getting refills cheaper. It will really depend on much I think I will use in a year (which of course I have no idea!)

Weld time should be a simple exercise in math, right? 20 cf tank / 15 cf/hr flow rate = number of welding hours (must take into account any pre/post flow) ??

Not as much as the tanks are different materials as they may be a bit thicker with manufacturing tolerances and different manufacturers have a slightly different shape of the tank. Just like if you but a sheet of 1/4" 4x8 one sheet to the next will be a couple lbs different.

Almost all my tanks are 125s easy to move around and not real heavy. (largest I can get around here without a hassle) Most of the price to fill tanks is labor. So the price for a smaller tank is about the same for a larger. That is why a larger tank you get a better bargain. Unlike a gas station where you pay the same price whether you are filling a large or small tank.

[Rambozo]

0.11135 pounds per cubic foot @ 1 atm for Argon. So 13.9 pounds for a 125 cuft. cyl. full.

[everlastsupport]

0.11135 pounds per cubic foot @ 1 atm for Argon. So 13.9 pounds for a 125 cuft. cyl. full.

Writing that down. 13lbs on something that is 100+ is better than 10% and does not help in moving it around.

[undercut]

Writing that down. 13lbs on something that is 100+ is better than 10% and does not help in moving it around.

I'm going to have to look for something smaller. Space is at a premium and I'd have to move the tank around from where I would store it to where I would use it. If things are too much a bother to do, I might fall into a bad habit, get lazy and not weld. Can't have that!

[everlastsupport]

I'm going to have to look for something smaller. Space is at a premium and I'd have to move the tank around from where I would store it to where I would use it. If things are too much a bother to do, I might fall into a bad habit, get lazy and not weld. Can't have that!

The bigger the tank, the better price on the gas. Keep that in mind.

[undercut]

Yeah, thanks. I started a spreadsheet to try to figure out how many refills a bigger tank will need to break even to a smaller, cheaper tank. The big unknown is how much TIG'ing I'll do in a year. I have no idea so it's making me go a bit crazy!

[Brian Ski]

Yeah, thanks. I started a spreadsheet to try to figure out how many refills a bigger tank will need to break even to a smaller, cheaper tank. The big unknown is how much TIG'ing I'll do in a year. I have no idea so it's making me go a bit crazy!

I am a fixit guy... I use a 125 tank and don't have many build projects... Just roll it out to weld something back together. The tank will last me the better part of a year... All depends on if I get the bug to weld and get a big project going... then it is several tanks in a year.

BTW if you buy a tank and swap them... If you start with a small tank you can pay the difference plus gas and bump up to a larger tank if you find yourself going through a lot of them. I did that with my Oxygen and acetylene tanks. If I didn't have much money I would get a fill. If I had a few more bucks I would bump up larger. It is not the most money efficient way of getting a large tank, nor is paying more money for less gas.

[azsprint6]

Todays Phoenix, Az owner bottle exchange prices. 55cf $32.00 80cf $39.00 125cf $52.00. I have a 55cf and want to keep it and buy a 125cf but it's $207.00 full. I figure for now I can refill the 55cf 6 times and get 330cf for less then the $207.00. (Is my math right??) I don't need to exchange that often but even when I do the welding supply is just a few miles down the road.

[sportbike]

Wow, most of you guys get raped on gas prices...

[performance]

91+ for an 80???Some guy slipped the extra into his pocket and went out and bought him and his wife AND his kid a steak dinner at outback along with an appetizer and dessert.