Cutting Gas Cylinders Open Safely - HELP

[Parm]

Just one thing to think about if welding them afterwards, they are Zinc plated in UK so watch out for fumes.

Good tip

 

[500e]

If they are so worried they would accept any competitors cylinder back to remove temptation try giving an old Shell or Flo-gas cyl to a Calor dealer
If you try & take one to scrappy they want a hole cut in it before accepting
Trying to get money back from any of them for old cylinders

 

[qwakers]

my flo gas dealer will happily take calor cylinders...

the number of flo gas cylinders ive had with the paint flaking of leaving interesting lettering and logos underneath....

 

[James1979]

If they are so worried they would accept any competitors cylinder back to remove temptation try giving an old Shell or Flo-gas cyl to a Calor dealer
If you try & take one to scrappy they want a hole cut in it before accepting
Trying to get money back from any of them for old cylinders

Thats how cutting them in the bandsaw came about - won't take a whole cylinder? Well, have two halves then!

 

[Memmeddu]

I think they're only any good on flat surface, really.
At least that's all mine can deal with!

All the Best,
CJ

The operator makes the difference
If you don't have a flat surface you simply make one
A piece of C channel iron secured to the bottle will provide a flat surface for the mag drill

 

[doubleboost]

they smell of gas for a very long time after but it is hard to ignite a smell!

I used a couple as extra air tanks for blasting some years ago, bet they still smell,

I have had a 47 k bottle as a "buffer tank" on the plasma table .
If i put a blow gun on to it still strings of propane smelly stuff
It must have had tens of thousands of litres of air through it
It was washed with water as well

 

[gordon stephenson]

This topic has been discussed a few times here, I have cut lots, Must admit the first one is "exciting", I used to fill with water, leave over night ,empty then cut, As mentioned the smell remains for ages but its not gas, What I have now done for a long time is, open valve and vent off, Remove valve "very tight" lay it on its side on a bench outside, poke a thinnish air line all the way to the bottom and purge with compressed air for a couple of minutes and then straight into cutting with an angle grinder while the air is still running, Never any problems what so ever, saves messing about with water etc. Simple,effective and safe. Its surprising how dirty the interior is, Also as previously take care when grinding the galvanising off before any welding.

 

[James1979]

This topic has been discussed a few times here, I have cut lots, Must admit the first one is "exciting", I used to fill with water, leave over night ,empty then cut, As mentioned the smell remains for ages but its not gas, What I have now done for a long time is, open valve and vent off, Remove valve "very tight" lay it on its side on a bench outside, poke a thinnish air line all the way to the bottom and purge with air for a couple of minutes and then straight into cutting with an angle grinder while the air is still running, Never any problems what so ever, saves messing about with water etc. Simple,effective and safe.

turning it upside down may help also as propane is heavier than air.

 

[gordon stephenson]

No point turning upside down, the compressed air purge does a great job,

 

[ranchero]

as he said. a lot less hassle than trying to get water out of a petrol tank

 

[doubleboost]

as he said. a lot less hassle than trying to get water out of a petrol tank

Soldered petrol tanks years ago we had a pub co2 bottle used to give it a good blast then run a purge line while the work took place.
Did loads of stupid things then.
We once had a vacuum cleaner sucking a used race car petrol bag tank flat so we could get it in to its side pod .
You could smell the petrol fumes the bag was covered in talcum powder to help it slide in .
The very old vacuum cleaner blew in half sending talk every where .
Our ears rang for days after that .
Got home smelling like a pox doctors clerk the wife was not amused

 

[pedrobedro]

I just knock the valve off and leave them stood upside down for a couple of days before I cut them, never had any problems.

 

[brightspark]

meaning me? Just putting up a bit of information. Suggest you read this...

https://www.calor.co.uk/news-and-vi...ing-gas-cylinders-could-land-you-in-hot-water

no need to read it im not interested. if they were so intent on people not doing it why don't they come and collect them when people ring up and say they have them and need to dispose of them. end off

 

[Screwdriver]

This topic has been discussed a few times here, I have cut lots, Must admit the first one is "exciting", I used to fill with water, leave over night ,empty then cut, As mentioned the smell remains for ages but its not gas, What I have now done for a long time is, open valve and vent off, Remove valve "very tight" lay it on its side on a bench outside, poke a thinnish air line all the way to the bottom and purge with compressed air for a couple of minutes and then straight into cutting with an angle grinder while the air is still running, Never any problems what so ever, saves messing about with water etc. Simple,effective and safe. Its surprising how dirty the interior is, Also as previously take care when grinding the galvanising off before any welding.

That is a damned fine idea. I had considered a gas purge with argon but I don’t value my life that highly. Gas is expensive. Air is not.

My take on this topic is that cutting up gas cylinders is dangerous so while there is no “safe” way to do it, compressed air is now on my list of things to try next time I need to chop one up.

 

[brightspark]

course there is a safe way to do it . fill it with water I made 4 air tanks out of propane bottles 48 years ago there was no one then I could ask how to do it . its just common sense same as welding gas and stick self taught .nowadays its a doddle because you can be shown how to do stuff and overcome any problems without harm

 

[badabec]

Got home smelling like a pox doctors clerk

One of my favourite expressions

 

[Parm]

no need to read it im not interested. if they were so intent on people not doing it why don't they come and collect them when people ring up and say they have them and need to dispose of them. end off

The local hardware shop in Stony Stratford is a Calor agent. He gets so many orphaned cylinders it’s unbelievable

Costs him a fair packet to dispose of them.

Works a treat for me, I can have as many as I want as often as I want. Often get lucky and get cylinders with gas.

Haven’t paid for propane and butane for years

 

[brightspark]

I say pox doctors assistant

 

[Parm]

As an aside, this is Odell’s, was on the BBC News

Two Ronnies 'Four Candles' sketch recreated in 280-year-old shop https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-51578535

 

[Screwdriver]

course there is a safe way to do it . fill it with water I made 4 air tanks out of propane bottles 48 years ago there was no one then I could ask how to do it . its just common sense same as welding gas and stick self taught .nowadays its a doddle because you can be shown how to do stuff and overcome any problems without harm

OK I’ll bite. You fill it with water and cut it while full?. If you empty then cut it, there is the possibility of a small amount of remaining gas building up again inside the bomb casing. I am familiar with the stenching agent which is not dangerous, I mean small pockets of liquid propane can also be left behind, even after flushing with water.