Speaking about oxy/acet stuff...

Ultradog MN

Well-known Member
Location
Twin Cities
The posts below about guys needing to get a torch and tanks reminded me of this.
I went to get my acetylene tank filled (exchanged) a couple of weeks ago. Owner there knows me and gives me a better price than retail.
We got to talking and I told him I'd been buying my welding stuff from that place since 1978 when his parents owned it. He bought them out about 20 years ago and is now looking long term at retiring himself.
It made us both feel old.
By the way, you guys who are looking to start out with a torch/tank set.
When I first bought my set I got the small tanks and over the years have upgraded them to a larger size a couple of times. The initial cost was more expensive but dealing with an established company has allowed me to upsize for not much money each time.
That is preferable to buying a set off amazon or some such where you own a little set of tanks that no one will exchange and they won't let you trade them in on larger ones.
 
When I started in the business I got a 10 year lease on a set of cylinders for about $150.00. A big bottle of oxygen was $7.00 and an acetelene was $12.00. Now the lease on what cyliners I have runs over $2000.00 for 5 years not 10 and a bottle of oxygen is $50.00 and an acetelene is $48.00 for a 125 cu ft. Argon is close to $100.00 a cylinder. Welding rod that used to cost 50 cents a pound is now $2.50 and MIG wire is well over $2.00 a pound. I have close to $30.000 tied up in welding machines, there has been 4 steel price increases since November, and people want to know why we have to charge so much to do a little welding job.
 
(quoted from post at 08:43:15 02/06/21) When I started in the business I got a 10 year lease on a set of cylinders for about $150.00. A big bottle of oxygen was $7.00 and an acetelene was $12.00. Now the lease on what cyliners I have runs over $2000.00 for 5 years not 10 and a bottle of oxygen is $50.00 and an acetelene is $48.00 for a 125 cu ft. Argon is close to $100.00 a cylinder. Welding rod that used to cost 50 cents a pound is now $2.50 and MIG wire is well over $2.00 a pound. I have close to $30.000 tied up in welding machines, there has been 4 steel price increases since November, and people want to know why we have to charge so much to do a little welding job.

And here I thought welders charge a lot because of their skill, ability, craftsmanship, inventiveness, and fabrication ability. I knew some welders who could make about anything someone dreamed up. I'm sure you can too from what I've read. Just joking here with ya.
 
U.D.,

This makes me feel even older. I bought my first arc welder (Lincoln 225 tombstone) and my Smith airline series torch set from his competitor located between Nelson roofing and the Grain Belt Brewery in 1968. The arc welder is now in my daughter's farm shop in South Central MO and the Smith set is still my go-to torch system. I did buy my Century 160 MIG from your guy about 1990, as the other guy had gone out of business. My go-to supplier is now Toll Welding in Plymouth, as it is close to me. Location is convenient.

Yup.... times, they are a changing.

Good Day to All.

Paul in MN
 
Industrial supply house here used to lease you a set of large tanks for $100. It was a 100 year lease and it was transferable so you could sell.
 
This thread got me to thinking, my wife bought me an acetylene welder from Sears for Christmas in 1968. ( Still have it and use it).

When she bought the welder, she didn't realize it would cost me another couple hundred for the tanks.
 
(quoted from post at 10:59:04 02/06/21) U.D.,

This makes me feel even older. I bought my first arc welder (Lincoln 225 tombstone) and my Smith airline series torch set from his competitor located between Nelson roofing and the Grain Belt Brewery in 1968. The arc welder is now in my daughter's farm shop in South Central MO and the Smith set is still my go-to torch system. I did buy my Century 160 MIG from your guy about 1990, as the other guy had gone out of business. My go-to supplier is now Toll Welding in Plymouth, as it is close to me. Location is convenient.

Yup.... times, they are a changing.

Good Day to All.

Paul in MN

So how much did you buy from the Grain Belt Brewery? Back in the day I went skiing a lot and always planned a stop at the Coors brewery in Golden, CO to get the free beer at the end of the tour. Budweiser added a brewery up around Fort Collins and stopped there a couple times but they had a 2 beer limit. Toured the Miller brewery in Milwaukee about 5 years ago and all they gave was 3 small samples of your choice of beers. I don't care for the taste of beer anymore but their apple beer is something a guy could get hooked on. May try the new Bud Zero to see how it tastes. Wish I had a penny for every beer I drank back in the day.
 
Did you have to take the full tour of the Coors brewery each time or did they have the "shortcut to the tasting room" available then?
 
Our tanks are up to 600.00 a pair,you own them. Sell them Give them away just tell us the new and old name on the paperwork. I dropped off a skid of wire Thursday, and the tow motor driver told a kid standing there to sign the ticket. He about feinted when I pointed out he had just put his name on a $10,000.00 ticket. :)
 
bc

I spent all my loose change at the welding shop, no G.B. for me at that time, but things are different now. While the G.B. name still exists, the company and brewery were bought by a corporate raider and sold for scrap prices for the copper kettles and the value of their real estate. Now the breweries I have seen the insides of use stainless steel for the kettles.
 
(quoted from post at 15:06:15 02/06/21) Did you have to take the full tour of the Coors brewery each time or did they have the "shortcut to the tasting room" available then?

I think they did have a shortcut maybe bypassing the those big rooms of barley and hops soaking and doing their thing. This was in the 70s and 80s. Last skied in 91. Went out and they had 8" of powder at Vail. 4 year old daughter threw a fit cause of the extra struggle involved in going through powder. Never went again. By then the prices were going through the roof anyway. Used to drive out on Friday after work. Get to Denver at 2 am and stay. Then hit the slopes the next morning. Drove back Sunday at 4:30 and got home about 2 am and then back to work at 8. Couldn't do that again even if I wanted to. They killed the market with their prices. Back then every other car on the interstate had ski racks. Schools didn't have spring break but so many kids were going anyway when the colleges had their break, that all the high schools did the same. All kinds of bus charters back then to. Now you never see a ski rack or bus headed to Colorado. The other thing we did was always stopped at Casabonita in west Denver on the way back for the mexican buffet with the cliff divers, musicians, gun fights, etc. Last time I was there the food has really gone downhill.
 
(quoted from post at 20:30:29 02/06/21) bc

I spent all my loose change at the welding shop, no G.B. for me at that time, but things are different now. While the G.B. name still exists, the company and brewery were bought by a corporate raider and sold for scrap prices for the copper kettles and the value of their real estate. Now the breweries I have seen the insides of use stainless steel for the kettles.

Probably just as well. Grain belt was one step above Schlitz and one step below Old Milwaukee if anything could be below Old Mil.
 

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