Welding Tips and Tricks

always the way. I had no idea whether nasa used metric or imperial. I was just being a bastard to continue the metric/imperial argument. I just find it easier to go by 10's not fractions of an odd number to begin with....it simply confuses the living hell out of me.

Its mainly because i come from a machining background where tolerances of tenth of a millimeter where considered lax as hell. An inch is huge to me, so why would i divide that into fractions of whatnot when i can divide a single millimeter into hundredths.....

Whats easier to read, tolerances of 0.05mm +/- or tolereance of 0.00393701 of an inch or whatever that would be in a fraction????

When we used to do fabrication for GE, the drawings had decimal inches.... like 3.987-4.124 (very loose recollection, may not have existed) and you had to work out the mean, then convert to fractions to read it off the rule. Frustrating, to say the least.

3.987 = 3 63/64

Well, I didn't even realise I wrote a proper measurement. Lol

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I had to round it.

There's the issue, especially when we were young inexperienced kids. Plus those Ge drawings were the direct spawn of Satan ...

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I love bunnings

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I know this is an old thread (sorry for reanimating it) but for my fellow Aussies out there, who are your on-line go to people for welding supplies.

I live in rural SA and am 6 hours from my nearest bunnies store so don't get there very often. My local Home Hardware/Mitre10 stocks very little.

Interested in online because my local delivery people are great.
After rods for my stick welders and flux core wire for my other welder.

Thanks in advance.

Go to ebay type welding electrodes. Change the condition to used (theres a used but not used option) you may be surprised with what comes up. Postage is the killer.

weldin mike 27 wrote:Go to ebay type welding electrodes. Change the condition to used (theres a used but not used option) you may be surprised with what comes up. Postage is the killer.

Yeah, where I live postage is always a killer, Mike, but it's the price I pay for peace and quiet

Sounds like you're in the middle of the desert. Don't chase opals do you?

Have you tried Adelaide? Postage would be the cheapest. http://www.scis.com.au/ContactUs.aspx

Then there's Bob The Welder http://www.bobthewelder.com.au/home.php

Stay cool man. Bet its hot down your way.

doc58 wrote:I know this is an old thread (sorry for reanimating it) but for my fellow Aussies out there, who are your on-line go to people for welding supplies.

I live in rural SA and am 6 hours from my nearest bunnies store so don't get there very often. My local Home Hardware/Mitre10 stocks very little.

Interested in online because my local delivery people are great.
After rods for my stick welders and flux core wire for my other welder.

Thanks in advance.

I'm also in SA.

I have had great service from Hampdon Welding online (I think they are based in WA) and Tokentools in NSW are outstanding too. Postage is almost always free on stuff like Tig filller rods in small packs from Hampdons.

Mind you, I buy stuff like gas lenses, cups and even torch heads from offshore China suppliers and have no complaints either.


Kym

Currently 45C at the moment, approx 5 hours north of Adelaide.

Since it's not just 'down the road' I tend not to go visiting Adelaide much hence look forward to checking out the recommendations you guys have already posted.

My thanks.

I'm not sure how those little suppliers stay in business. I can only assume its through long term accounts held with local businesses. I'm sure they don't worry too much about competing with bunnings and the like as they are dealing with a different market.

I have a couple accounts with boc and as a plumber was using a lot of oxy ace at one time before crimping came along. I spoke to a rep and told him how much I needed and what I was getting it at through another supplier. I'm not sure what what discount off the base price I ended up but it was about $70 to refill both oxy and acetylene in the small sizes. Something like 25 and 45 or thereabouts.

I had him throw on similar discounts on other gases like stainshield and argoshield and straight argon. I only really use straight argon now but it costs me around $50 for an E size (4 cubic meters) to refill, Argoshield even less. I'm by no means a big account at all. Quite the opposite, but still substantial discounts on compared to walk in prices.

Best thing is to have an ABN and a business name, even if you never trade under it. You can use to leverage a good deal with a supplier. Tell them anything, say you buy X amount per month from another supplier but you aren't real happy with the service and ask them what they can do. Once the pricing is hooked up they won't really notice you don't come in every week to buy stuff. Not sure what you can haggle out of BOC on regular purchases but they offer a delivery/online store.

There aint no haggling BOC around these parts, Im using one of the new VIPR bottles(Ar) thats equivalent to an old G size... you wouldnt buy a pack of ciggi's with the change from $400

Harry72 wrote:There aint no haggling BOC around these parts, Im using one of the new VIPR bottles(Ar) thats equivalent to an old G size... you wouldnt buy a pack of ciggi's with the change from $400

$400 !!! wtf

Forget the counter guys. Ask to have a rep call you. Tell them you use 2-4 bottles a month and your current supplier is far cheaper cubic meter wise but you like the Vipr bottles. Let them know a mate in NSW put you onto them and act really confused as to why he is getting them for $110 and you are paying $350+ .... In other words just make up a plausible story lol. Once they set up gas rates they don't care about how much you actually use. See if they can lock in discounts for other gasses while you're at it. They still make a profit at the price below, goes to show how much margin is in it.

Here I was thinking that all those folks worried about argon usage were just being stingy. Had no idea it was that expensive

Brick and mortar is expensive these days. But my lws store is pretty price competitive for parts and filler. Gases are the exception. Argon has gone up 100% in the past 5 years. Still cheaper than the farm store. Odd that ~1% of the atmosphere is argon.

WOW

Can't believe the incredible gap between prices of gas.

I'm only learning at the moment so it will probably be a while before I need gas since I only have stick and flux core machines.

I will second what Rupes has to say - talk to a BOC rep.

I started out with Power 10 and then with Supagas. Working with Supagas was great, really liked them. Then one day very hesitantly got in touch with BOC (the Axis of Evil) and they had a rep call me.

Their first offer was a G size bottle for the same rent as Supagas was charging for an E, and the icing on the cake was the first fill was free.

So yes...forget over the counter and talk to a rep!




Kym

I bought a new packet of 312 stainless stick rods (weldalls) for 99 cents of ebay. They were new old stock and not clearly marked, so the astute shopper grabbed a bargain.

Mick

I've tried talking to a BOC rep because Im in a regional town with only one outlet they always tell just go into the shop... dont want to know us because Im not a commercial customer

I just rang the shop to comfirm my price(been a few months) and my current price is $358 per fill and $236 per year container charge... bunch of rouges I tell ya

Just went on their website even there they want $324 + delivery

I just bullshitted my way into a good deal.

I had an ABN though and told them that the plumbing business (had only been registered for about 3 months at the time) had about 4 utes on the road and as a side we did a lot of custom fabrication and welding in house for our bigger plumbing projects so I would also like pricing on Stainshield, Argoshield and Argon on top of the oxy/acetylene pricing.

ABN is handy for a lot of things though and is dirt to cheap to register and also to register a business name. Worthwhile in the long run imo. From then on you are a commercial customer as far as anyone knows, not just BOC.

The website pricing changes depending on the account that logs in though, that one I posted is my pricing online or in shop. I asked about those new tanks a couple weeks ago. I think they said around $17 a month which is about $2 more than my E size rental. Not much to be done about rental costs, I think they are pretty much fixed.

Harry72 wrote:I've tried talking to a BOC rep because Im in a regional town with only one outlet they always tell just go into the shop... dont want to know us because Im not a commercial customer

I just rang the shop to comfirm my price(been a few months) and my current price is $358 per fill and $236 per year container charge... bunch of rouges I tell ya

Just went on their website even there they want $324 + delivery

Ouch! As Rupes says, having an ABN is a big help.

(I have an ABN and run my own business, although it has nothing to do with welding).

From memory my 'G' size bottle is about $90 to fill and costs $21 per month 'rent'. But they got me in with their 'first fill free', no doubt about it.



Kym