2 Old 3AL's Hit the Scrap Yard Today - Tanks for the Memories!

[WB2GLP]

After reading many, many threads on Scubaboard and talking to a few people at the LDS, two more Luxfer tanks circa 1985 hit the scrap yard this morning. Adding everything up, it seemed like the right thing to do.

My LDS was talking about $106 each to get them current with a visual, hydro, eddy current etc. Once that was done, there was no guarantee that another shop would have touched them.

So, the scrap man was happy to take them and even left the boots on for gross weight. I'm still not 100% certain that these were manufactured with the bad alloy.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

to bad I would have paid for them to make things out of. I am trying to find one of those short fat 80's for a mailbox now.

 

[wedivebc]

. I'm still not 100% certain that these were manufactured with the bad alloy.

That e6498 stamped on the tanks says they were. You did the right thing.

 

[divenutny]

The DOT site is http://hazmat.dot.gov/pubs/reports/cylinder/3al_advisory.pdf
It sucks that shops/hydro facilities are refusing to touch these tanks. If memory serves me well, only abused/ignored tanks had issues. I understand the concerns, however, if the tank pass the eddy test and have no visable cracks, why do they need to be junked? However, my opinion may change if I was doing the hydro test.
My LDS will continue to vis and eddy test these tanks until the hydro expires. Some shops are refusing to look at them or fill them. I'm switching to steel.

 

[james croft]

They were made of the 6351 alloy and a lot of shops won't fill them, right or wrong, but $106 for testing is out of line. You can buy new tanks for just a little bit more. The LDS was hosing you.

 

[WB2GLP]

I'm use to getting hosed at this particular LDS which is close to my work. The other DS I have written about in another post is NOT the one wanting to hose me. I frequent the shop that is close to work because it is convenient for training classes and it's where I started 23 years ago.

Interesting enough, the guy at the LDS also told me that the valves were too short and not in spec for today's standards. My reply got him to burst out laughing..."Never try to BS a BS'er." He obligingly offered to sell me a couple new tanks and dispose of the other two.

 

[Stu S.]

That's a $30 job around here. And it includes an airfill.

I was able to get my 1973 aluminum tank filled in Central Florida, and South Florida, too. But... it appeared that the end of local fills was getting near. (Plenty of posting on that topic.) So, it has a new happy owner in Tennessee. I sold it about a year ago.

Did you keep the valves? Somebody always can put those to use.

 

[WB2GLP]

I kept the valves to play with in the future....even though my LDS said they were "too short."

I think they also need a new disgronificator and a tarocivit adjustment.

 

[wedivebc]

I kept the valves to play with in the future....even though my LDS said they were "too short."

I think they also need a new disgronificator and a tarocivit adjustment.

What he means is the valve is too close to the shoulder of the tank and hurts his widdle fingies when he has to move them so you have to buy new tanks.

 

[offroaddiver]

one of my neighbors had some oxyacetylene tanks that he couldn't get filled so he cut the bottoms off welded up an eye on the top of the tank plasma cut some designs into them and now has gongs for his wife's garden. I think a set of pony bottle wind chimes sounds good to me.