DO NOT USE. I spent many years in the business and assure you those tanks
ARE NOT SAFE. You can take the high pressure (Oxygen) tank to a larger
supplier and they should be able to have it hydrostatically tested and it
may be ok, but until it's been tested DO NOT put any pressure in them.
One time I saw a high pressure cylinder that had split (I have seems lots
of bad cylinders, my father owned a bottling plant, and through college my
job was to run the hydro tester, but this one split along the length) not
a pretty sight, and no, you would be surprised just how thin that steel is,
only slightly more than gauge metal on newer tanks and less than a 1/8"
inch on the oldest.
There is no good way to salvage the acetylene tank and some even are loaded
with asbestos.
----------
> From: George Procyshyn <geopro@cyberdrive.net>
> To: shop-talk@Autox.Team.Net
> Subject: Rusty Welding Tanks
> Date: Thursday, March 20, 1997 4:39 PM
>
> I picked up a set of welding tanks real cheap. Problem is one of them has
a
> good amount of rust on the bottom six inches or so. (ie. good size flakes
> of rust.) My first thought was to just wire brush it real good, tape off
> the bottom foot or so and spray it with rustolium or some such.
>
> But as I think about this, questions come up, Is this tank still okay? or
> has it's integrity been jeopardized by the rust to a point where it's
> unsafe to fill? Will the welding gas guys refuse to fill it? The walls
of
> these tanks ARE a couple of feet thick, ... aren't they?
> any suggestions?
>
> George Procyshyn
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