All about putting stickers and decals on cylinders

[mgdive]

A tank is an air supply, nothing more. It isn't a billboard, and as such, shouldn't be used as one. Stickers cover up your tank, and seeing as it is such an integral part of your life support equipment, you don't want any part of it shrouded from view. Stickers can hold water close to the tank for extended periods of time, they can hide corrosion, they can hide surface defects, dings, nicks, scrapes (innocuous or not). Since they provide zero benefit to augment their task (air storage), they are unnecessary.

If you put stickers on there that serve a purpose (MOD decals, mix details, hypoxic warnings, etc) then go for it, but they are usually small, informative, and efficient in their display of information.

 

[wreckchick]

.... had to buy a tank...

I would have HAD to go somewhere else and rent a couple, but that's just me.

R

 

[Curt Bowen]

I recently had to buy a tank at Ginnie Springs, FL, USA. They were out of rentals. No big deal, it's cool having my own tank I guess. I'm curious though about why I don't see a lot of other tanks with personalizing stickers like "I break for Hammerheads" or "Salt water makes me horny". Are there reasons for not plastering stickers all over your new tank? I can imagine that of course you don't want to cover any static test indicators or VIP certification labels. Any comments?

Thanks,
JC

James

You can put anything on your cylinders you wish. I cant count the number of cylinders I own, but none of them have any stickers with the exception of OXYGEN. Normally because cylinders get beat up pretty bad and stickers just tear off after a short time.

 

[QuoVadis]

Too easy, must bite tongue. Too easy, must bite tongue...

Cylinders come in one color: Dull gray. As in the glorious sheen of a well used PST steel cylinder.

Anything else is just a tank.

With the exception of those dive-mag babe-wearing warm-water-weenie jelly bean Aluminum tanks. Those are simply eye candy that in my opinion are best left for wanna-be technicolor divers.

But what do I know.... Don't take anything I say too seriously.

Usually.

I hate tank stickers.

K

We usually don't.

 

[James299]

Getting beat up... I hadn't thought of that. Good point. I guess the stickers would take a beating. I've already put a DAN sticker on there and a PADI sticker too. I'd like to put a few others on but I hate to have other divers think I'm stupid for having put stickers on. I'm putting one or two more on though anyway.

Thanks for the advise,
James (PADI AOW only 25 dives)

James

You can put anything on your cylinders you wish. I cant count the number of cylinders I own, but none of them have any stickers with the exception of OXYGEN. Normally because cylinders get beat up pretty bad and stickers just tear off after a short time.

 

[Amy B]

My cylinder is yellow... The top is black and white... That's how they are in the UK... I'd have no objections to anyone putting stickers on their cylinder. It's THEIR cylinder! Have been considering putting a Seven Tenths one on mine... Or one of the IQ fish... My sister's cylinder looks EXACTLY the same as mine, and they use the same cylinders at my local dive school, just helps to avoid confusion!

 

[DandyDon]

Howdy!

Welcome to SB!! :happywave Put us in your computer's favorites and check in often. This is a great place to learn, compare, argue Look around our various forums - everything from New-To-Scuba to Instructors-Only to Dive Medicine.

don

BTW - it would really help if you'd complete your Profile...

 

[Wendy]

Getting beat up... I hadn't thought of that. Good point. I guess the stickers would take a beating. I've already put a DAN sticker on there and a PADI sticker too. I'd like to put a few others on but I hate to have other divers think I'm stupid for having put stickers on. I'm putting one or two more on though anyway.

Thanks for the advise,
James (PADI AOW only 25 dives)

James,

Please go back and read what mgdives wrote. This is very good information. Stickers can trap water and hide damage to your tank. I personally think it is a bad idea to have stickers on the tank, other than the VIP sticker.

Also there are 2 other dive shops within 5 miles on Ginnie. i don't see why you had to buy a tank to dive, when you could have gone elsewhere to rent one.

 

[CBulla]

Stickers... stickers.. naw.. not really a good idea for a few reasons... the same as why I am stripping my tanks of paint.

1. They can trap moisture under neath and create a spot for corrosion to start - this was noticed on my tanks and ironically I read a thread here about that very thing.
2. When you own your own gear and are pretty active, you tend to notice that your tanks start looking like the rental tanks do. All scraped up! This in itself says "Hey, I'm pretty active as a diver," but again, its a place to trap moisture and create pockets of corrosion. Stickers, like paint, will get ragged out pretty quick and you'll just end up stripping it off anyway.

Unlike some of our Neoprene cowboy cold water polar bear divers, those of us who dive the warm comfortable waters (where swimsuits are the norm) prefer that highly polished look of a nice aluminum tank with 1 current VIP sticker on it

 

[Mo2vation]

Unlike some of our Neoprene cowboy cold water polar bear divers, those of us who dive the warm comfortable waters (where swimsuits are the norm) prefer that highly polished look of a nice aluminum tank with 1 current VIP sticker on it

But you're right on about the 1 vip sticker, tastefully placed valve side (and aligned) so its not visible when diving.

The funniest thing are the poor guys that don't remove that giant round PST sticker until after a few dives - leaving a giant round glue print forever on their cylinders. The only thing funnier than that are dive shops that issue paper (not vinyl) stickers...only to have them fade and rub into more glue spots in a couple of weeks.

Stickers.... no thanx. Dull gray.

K