Decipher these tank stamps please.

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Junk tanks
Aluminum does not have the resonance needed for a chime or bell
Steel Great for Chimes

Suggestions
Cut length wise to produce a Bar B Que
Cut top off for a lamp
Cut under stampings
~~~top - display for collector regulators
~~~bottom - Umbrella stand
~~~bottom - non spillage dog dish
For additional ideas see my threads and post of a year ago
~~ Re-purposed condemned SCUBA tanks ~

SDM

I was noticing that when I thumped it. I'm getting an A sharp with the length. Higher and of a shorter duration than I would like. But for a first attempt... It took a couple attempts to to actually cut inside the tank. That bottom is about an inch thicker than I guessed!

I laid the 2nd tank next to an aquarium I'm working on, planning on doing a lion tank. With a little work, it might look pretty good inside. Anyone have a trashed out and unusable regulator they might donate? :)
 
I laid the 2nd tank next to an aquarium I'm working on, planning on doing a lion tank. With a little work, it might look pretty good inside. Anyone have a trashed out and unusable regulator they might donate?
What is a lion tank? How is the regulator used?
 
I was noticing that when I thumped it. I'm getting an A sharp with the length. Higher and of a shorter duration than I would like. But for a first attempt... It took a couple attempts to to actually cut inside the tank. That bottom is about an inch thicker than I guessed!

I laid the 2nd tank next to an aquarium I'm working on, planning on doing a lion tank. With a little work, it might look pretty good inside. Anyone have a trashed out and unusable regulator they might donate? :)
Don't put anything large made of metal in a SW aquarium for any length of time. It will poison the tank.
 
If Luxfer made a tank for someone else, it could be stamped sp6498, and is still the bad material, could not/should not be used.

Nothing wrong with them if they are properly hydroed, inspected, and someone will fill them. I don't bother with them because it's more expensive to keep them up, traveling I may not be able to get a fill, and Al tanks are cheap anyway.

And any chance the old valves are useful/sellable or are they just more scrap weight?

I'm still using older valves than those tanks, depends on how good a shape they are in and whether you can service them.

it took a couple attempts to to actually cut inside the tank. That bottom is about an inch thicker than I guessed!

I cut up a bit higher and turned a couple into dog bowls. The weight makes a bit harder to move around.


Bob
 
And any chance the old valves are useful/sellable or are they just more scrap weight?

Most older valves are worthless, but there are exceptions.

Older J-valves can be made to work but on the ones I've seen, the J mechanism is on the tank side of the valve seat and therefore always pressurized. They are a fruitful source of leaks even if you're not going to try to get the reserve mechanism to work. In many if not most cases the reserve mechanism will require service and the parts just aren't available. If you're lucky and you have one that was lightly used and in good shape, you can maybe get it to work with the addition of some O-rings (not the standard SCUBA ones, you'll be hitting McMaster-Carr or similar).

Anything with a pin gauge on it (pressure gauge using a piston and spring mechanism with a visible pin showing approximate amount of air left) is going to leak a little unless it is in fantastic shape, because even a tiny scratch in the pin is going to cause a leak. Here again service parts are problematic.

You can get really good valves at DGX (and several other places) for $39 with (usually) free freight. These are combination DIN-yoke valves. A valve parts kit and burst disc assembly, from DGX, to overhaul an existing valve costs $24. Therefore, there is an upper bound on the value of a "needs overhaul" valve of around $15 if your time and fiddling are worth nothing.

If you like to dive vintage gear, well, great, use a vintage valve, they're cool.

There are a few configurations of valves that are either no longer made, or expensive, or hard to find, and those are worth hanging onto. This would include oddball stuff like valves for triples, and valves for tapered threads or 7/8" UNF or M18 cylinder necks. I've never seen an aluminum dive cylinder with anything but the now-standard 3/4 NPSM threads, the oddball stuff was all used on steel.
 
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There are a few configurations of valves that are either no longer made, or expensive, or hard to find, and those are worth hanging onto. This would include oddball stuff like valves for triples, and valves for tapered threads or 7/8" UNF or M18 cylinder necks. I've never seen an aluminum dive cylinder with anything but the now-standard 3/4 NPSM threads, the oddball stuff was all used on steel.

M18 threaded DIN valves are quite easy to find. I just bought one actually.
 
There are a few configurations of valves that are either no longer made...

The only valve I couldn't find being sold new today is a 1/2" NPSM, but in truth there were never many made to begin with as the standard went quickly from 1/2 NPT to 3/4 NPSM.
XS Scuba Valves — XS Scuba

The M18 is a European standard and not seen on this side of the pond often. It can be improperly screwed into a US 7/8 neck and result in a casualty when the valve exits the tank under pressure.


Bob
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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