ON topic (wow!) OA Welding tank problem

Allright already, I'm north of Dallas and I don't yet have an O/A setup (got TIG and plasma). What do you want for it? My budget is a bit dented of late due to SCUBA stuff...

Pete C.

Yea, Pete! Come on down and thanks you for playing!

How 'bout a hunderd bucks - tanks, torch, tips, hoses, et al? Or trade for good U.S. Diver mask and fins? Size 11 !!!

Well, it's a start?

Richard

Allrighty, sold. I'm afraid I don't have any SCUBA gear to trade, I just started SCUBA in January so I haven't built up a gear surplus yet. I also use size 10. I'll be down in the Dallas area on Wednesday afternoon. Send me an email (remove .DOH.) to coordinate.

Thanks,

Pete C.

Done done it, Pete.

I gotta get some fins and a mask. AND a good stiff brush.

The bottom of the little boat is getting kinda green... We have a couple of local divers that do that kind of stuff. They may be crazy, but they aint stupid. Not at all, considering what they charge!

Look forward to meeting you.

Richard

Pete, thanks for saving me from myself. I did not need a fourth torch.

Andy

--Andy Asberry--

------Texas-----

No problem :)

Pete C.

Me too -- I don't own a torch, and I would have been trying to talk my brother in law in Dallas into storing it until somebody next passed through. Wait a minute, my son will be visiting his grandparents in Ft. Worth on his way home next month (he's currently a co-op at JSC in Houston)... hmmm, maybe it would have fit in the trunk of his Mustang (on its side, of course) along with all his worldly belongings.... just as well. *Really* just as well.

OOOoooo....

That brings an ugly thought to mind.

Pete, do you have a way to transport the tanks safely.

I have laid them down on side before, but got properly rear reamed afterwords. Along with a scary explination of the hazzards involved.

I don't want to screw up the deal, but Im sure you don't want to blow up your car, either!

Richard

In a perfect world the cylinders are always transported vertically in an open stake-bed truck with lots of tie-downs - but life is rarely perfect, so you do the best you can with what you've got.

The important part is to take the regulators off, put the safety caps on the cylinders (if they have the threaded collars), and secure them very tightly with multiple straps so they can't shift or slide.

The acetylene really should be upright at all times, but if you can't you can't - if transported horizontally let it sit upright overnight before trying to use it.

And if you have to transport them in a car trunk leave the trunk lid wedged open several inches so there's plenty of air circulation and the tanks stay cool - Wedge a large cardboard box in the trunk lid gap and secure the lid down with a motorcycle strap. Park in the shade.

And sniff test around the trunk every time before you start driving

- Leaking acetylene smells faintly of almonds.

The Lower Explosive Limit on acetylene is something like 4% in air, meaning little leaks can have big consequences. The taillight circuit is enough. If you think there my be a leak, get away from the car and call in the Fire Dept. to check. Better safe then six feet under.

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As far as I know, horizontal is perfectly fine if the cylinders are properly capped and secured, and the acetylene cylinder is allowed to sit vertical for at least a few hours or overnight to allow the acetone to settle back down (rather like the compressor oil in a refrigerator). At any rate I've got a 1T pickup to put them in, just no ladder rack to secure them vertical.

Pete C.

The MSDS indicates a lower flammable limit of 2.5% (upper 82%).

Pete C.

Pete, he said "explosive limit". There is a difference. Like acetone, acetylene has an extremely wide range of flammability in air. Basically, there is no safe amount. If you can smell it, fear it.

LLoyd

The MSDS didn't include a LEL, only LFL.

Pete C.

Very well. Just wanted to make sure. The tanks are aleady capped.

Richard

2.5%, 4%, explosive limit, flammable limit, Whatever - My original point being (and it still remains) that it doesn't take much at all to make really bad things happen.

A little leak, one little spark...

And in light of that, a little healthy paranoia goes a long way in keeping you healthy. Treat it like it could go precisely because it *can* go if you don't follow the rules.

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Yep, I'm always paranoid, that's why I can spend a day working alone in the woods with a chain saw and a backhoe and no cell coverage and live to talk about it. My shop is also a separate building 80' from the house.

Pete C.

You know, that's one of the most useful things I've picked up from this newsgroup.

The (very) healthy attitude to ask myself, "how is this thing going to try to hurt me this time".

Richard

SWMBO has a cell phone for emergency use. Once the original contract ran out, I switched to "pay and talk" @ $10.00/ month. Her current balance is over $300.00 (15+ hours local call time) after yearly deduction of $40.00 for emergency road service which we carry for other vehicles - ours is already covered. OTOH second son maintains five cell phones - himself, current wife, two step children (one living 3000 miles away) and step daughter's ex BF. When his vehicle dies he calls dad to use mothers cell phone for rescue. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

You don't need a full ladder rack - just trim a chunk of 2X4 to fit snugly in the stake pocket, and strap them to that. Done.

Or make a simple "Goalpost" rack with two 2X4 uprights in the front pockets, one 2X6 cross-bar across the back window, and a few carriage bolts to put it together.

Might need to put a few D-rings or "Footman's Loops" in the side corners of the bed for a second strap, so the bottom of the cylinders can't kick out and slide out from under the top strap.

If these are the 5' or 6' tall full-size cylinders, secure with three straps - one at the top around the stake, one at the top of the bed, and one about 6" up from the floor of the bed.

Myself, I'm tempted to go get some Aeroquip Track for the commercial cargo straps and stick in full lengths all the way around (low and high) inside the bed. The utility bed already has a ventilated compartment sized for a B and 50CF set, but I might need to transport spares for a bigger job, or a set of "real" bottles. ;-)

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