Helium shortage???

[Brian Ski]

Any of you guys hear about a shortage of helium??? I know it can be used for Aluminum welding. We stopped by a store to pick up some balloons for my step daughters coming home party from the military. They said they were almost out of helium and don't expect to get refilled. I kind of was a little puzzled... Till the rest of the people showed up to the party with balloons on sticks because the other places were out of helium.

Anyone else see this???

[undercut]

Any of you guys hear about a shortage of helium??? I know it can be used for Aluminum welding. We stopped by a store to pick up some balloons for my step daughters coming home party from the military. They said they were almost out of helium and don't expect to get refilled. I kind of was a little puzzled... Till the rest of the people showed up to the party with balloons on sticks because the other places were out of helium.

Anyone else see this???

Apparently it's not just your area .....

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06...rices-soaring/

I didn't know about it but when I told the person beside me about the above article, she said, "Yeah, didn't you know?" Gosh, I feel like I've been living in a cave!

[Rodsmachineshop]

yes another thing we can blame on are stupid government

[redbeard]

There was a segment on a "Bang Goes The Theory" episode last spring that mentioned it. With my memory being what it is, I don't recall the details of why, but I do remember they said it was immanent and permanent. Guess that is a good excuse to go up a notch when you get a welder now that there will be no cheating on heat transfer with the smaller units.

[Winky]

I've been hearing this for a while now. I know with a lot of inert gases acquisition isn’t too tough … some gases can be made easily … I have no knowledge of how helium is acquired … I believe it is a natural process ... perhaps at some point we can figure out how to resolve the situation … I think I’ll do some searches to find out just how it is formed.

[Brian Ski]

I think I’ll do some searches to find out just how it is formed.

From the link above it is formed from radioactive decay. So there are pools of gas in the earth. That is where we are getting it from now, but the pools are getting smaller/used up. We can also get it from separating out of the air, but that seems uncommon and expensive.

[Winky]

OK ... I just did a little research and found some interesting facts ... helium is the most abundant element in the universe ... currently being produced as a bi product in the petroleum industry. It has an atomic weight of 2 and was found in a mineral containing uranium and released from it by a scientist in the late 1800's by exposing it to an acid (I don't remember which). Since helium occurs naturally there has to be a way to synthesize it ... when it occurs naturally most of it escapes into space ... if we can figure out a way to manufacture it we could capture it at the source and have more control over it's acquisition than we do when we harvest the naturally produced helium. There are a lot of smart people in the world ... we will figure this out. "Imminent" ... perhaps "permanent" ... doubtful ... there is money to be made ... someone will solve the problem.

[Winky]

From the link above it is formed from radioactive decay. So there are pools of gas in the earth. That is where we are getting it from now, but the pools are getting smaller/used up. We can also get it from separating out of the air, but that seems uncommon and expensive.

Thanks Brian ... there is actually a lot of info on the subject ... as I said in my last post ... something will be figured out because money is a good incentive and when there is a demand someone always finds a way ... I don't think there has been much effort to synthesize it at this point because there has been enough produced naturally that there was never a need ... but the times they are a changin' (as I plagiarize from Bob D.)

[Brian Ski]

something will be figured out because money is a good incentive and when there is a demand someone always finds a way ... I don't think there has been much effort to synthesize it at this point because there has been enough produced naturally that there was never a need ... but the times they are a changin' (as I plagiarize from Bob D.)

I agree... We are in lag time until companies figure out better ways of producing/retrieving it. Or the price goes up high enough to get more thinking about it.

[jakeru]

My local welding supply sent out a letter about the Helium shortage. I can see if I can find it and scan it in for you guys if you want. After reading it, I was thinking "OK maybe prices will be skyrocketing now"... but the conclusion of the letter was that prices on Helium products would be rising by a mere 10%.