Cost of Steel

[andy]

I've seen mention at RC that the cost of steel may be skyrocketing -- one guy has seen a 60% jump in a few weeks. I was thinking about a steel stand, but if the cost is going crazy I'll have to go with wood. Anyone know if local prices are going nuts, too?

[Nyles]

Of course, they have been for a long time, as a long time investor the place to have your money right now is steel and coal, you should be able to have a stand built for relatively cheap as the cost of materials is rather cheap, the powder coating is more than all the materials in the past, your dealing with labor as well. I built a stand for pennies out of wood last week, but if you have the time spend some extra and go mild steel with powder coat.

[andy]

Yeah, I'd love to except cost of material is a significant part of the decision for me. I can build my own wood stand no problem, and as you say wood is relatively cheap. If the cost of steel for a stand goes up by, say, a hundred bucks it's a deal-breaker for me :(

[Nyles]

Materials should be more like 20-30 for a stand, a 25% increase should not be a deal breaker. I deal in stainless all the time, you need to price it out, I think your WAY on the high side. My wood stand ran me $9, I would expect a non powder coated stainless stand to run me about 60, but I prefer stainless. Thats a 27" x 27" (for my tank. on a larger tank expect about $100-$150 but thats not materials, thats finished product, its all labor.

[impur]

$9? Just the 2x4s for my stand ran me 18 bucks.

[Nyles]

30' of 2x4 was 2.89 each (10 footers) I had screws and top sheet.

[andy]

Cool, thanks Nyles. From some of the RC threads, I was expecting materials to top $100. I'll keep an open mind as I finally close in on a tank-size decision.

[Nyles]

ya let me know if you have trouble, I can help out sometimes... no promises.

[andy]

Will do, but I'm still going back and forth between 4', 5' and 6' tanks (scratch) (nutty)

[Nyles]

I got a 6' in the classifieds! LOL, I cant say enough about these cubes, love it!

[impur]

Man i need to shop where you do!! (laugh)

[andy]

I saw your 6', but my eyes/brain can't handle bow fronts... I get dizzy :(

[Nyles]

ha ha ha, ya, there is a lot to be said about square tanks. I just look at the bow with one eye covered. LOL

[tidalsculpin]

Miles, he must have got the 2X4s straight from the mill down in the grove.

 

So, steel? Good for a garage, but how do you hide stuff if the stand sits in your living room? Glass with welded hinges?

[andy]

Skin it with plywood and finish.

[Sol]

At Waves there's a steel stand skinned with black acrylic. Looks really nice IMO especially for a more modern decor. With magnets or velcro, you can attach just about any covering you want to the steel.

 

-Sol

[tidalsculpin]

ahh magnets, neodynium no doubt. Acrylic facing sounds slick.

 

But on a budget , it sounds like andy has it right. Plywood is probably the way to go. You can get some nicer plywood veneer sheets for a fairly reasonable price.

[andy]

I really like this stand and canopy; I might try and do something similar. It depends on how the boss wants to refinish the basement, she hasn't decided on a style yet.

[biomekanic]

re steel prices - let me put it this way, I was talking to one of my counterparts at a local utility and thieves aren't just stealing copper cable anymore, they're taken to stealing downguys and anchors.

[Arsonmfg]

Sol, That stand was made by Scott aka Spectra on here. Scott just did a bunch of steel work for me and if anybody wants a steel stand he's the guy to talk to! Scott's an artist when it comes to metal fab!

[downhill_biker]

i was just browsing and ran across this. i dont know what you decided, but i am interested to find out. i may be wrong, but i would guess, if stainless, you would be looking at $150 to $200 in materials, without labor. i used to be a sheetmetal fabricator, and i know that cost can be expensive. 1" x 1" x .090 square tubing is almost $40 a stick now. i built a hex stand and canopy once, and it was very heavy, very nice, and very rusty. i would do it again, but i would powder coat and use stainless accents, paint just doesn't cut it.

[andy]

I decided I can't afford to upgrade, either way (laugh)

[Barelycuda]

As of Friday the cost of steel and copper is tanking. Scrap copper is about 50% of the cost it was 3 months ago and steel is dropping fast. Maybe there will be hope soon for reasonable prices.

 

Dave

[downhill_biker]

that is a VERY good thing. this will bring cost down for manufacturing and therefor allow companies that are on the rocks to stay in business. the cost of things needs to drop a little, since the wages aren't increasing very much. that said, steel is still expensive. i dont think it is a good option for people that want to build a inexpensive stand. wood is the way to go. if you want a good looking steel stand for a 120 gallon tank, i know you decided not to do the upgrade, but if you had, i would plan on $400 for the stand.