Double AL80s metallic finish?

[SelkieDVM]

May be a silly question, but I have a pair of metallic blue AL80s that I was thinking about doubling up. Any reason why this finish would make them unsuitable? I've seen other painted doubles but never any with the metallic finish.

Thanks,
Lilla

 

[james croft]

This is life support equipment. If it ain't black you could die!

 

[SelkieDVM]

LOL .

Not sure I can be completely assimilated into the collective with these though.

 

[stairman]

There have been alot of discusion on painting tanks.Try the search feature to learn more.Personally Id leave em blue.The deco stop also had some talk about it a while back as well.

 

[SelkieDVM]

Thank you. I did try searching actually more than once but maybe my terms weren't the best and I grew tired of sorting through all the posts. I'll have a look over at TDS too.

Thanks again,
Lilla

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I hear you with regard to not wanting to try to find something with the search feature or wade through countless threads and posts on Scubaboard or the deco stop. A lot of the information is often also based on what someone heard or read verus any real world experience.

My $.02 is at least based on my experience. I bought a pair of metallic blue AL 80 doubles recently to break them up into stage bottles and use the manifold and bands on a set of X7-100's. Despite substantial salt water use over a 5 year period of time they were not really much the worse for wear - a couple slight rust stains from the not visibly rusted stainless steel bands.

If that is a concern, you can use a set of bands with slip on rubber covers that isolate the stainless steel from the aluminum and protect the paint or alternatively cut strips of rubber from an inner tube to go between the bands and the tank. Both approaches work.

But I would not be concerned with using them as is if the metallic blue paint is intact where it will contact the bands - just take some care not to scrape it off during assembly.

 

[Tom Winters]

A few years ago, there was a lot palaver regarding rubber strips under tank bands. The rubber idea kinda went away. I saw one stage bottle that had a rubber strip under the sling band that had enough pitting in a year to fail the external part of the annual. Big nasty festering pit.
You can go ahead and double up over the paint. Just check the tank surface thoroughly every year during the annuals so no pitting gets started.

 

[captndale]

I put a couple of tanks together as a doubles set once. One of them developed a sustained load crack at the neck and started leaking. I am sure that it was because they were painted blue.

 

[ppo2_diver]

My doubled up pink AL80's seem to be holding up fine. But the gas always tastes like cotton candy for some reason.

 

[Hoosier]

A few years ago, there was a lot palaver regarding rubber strips under tank bands. The rubber idea kinda went away. I saw one stage bottle that had a rubber strip under the sling band that had enough pitting in a year to fail the external part of the annual. Big nasty festering pit.
You can go ahead and double up over the paint. Just check the tank surface thoroughly every year during the annuals so no pitting gets started.

Steel or AL? Salt or Fresh water?

I can see the point that the rubber strip under the band cause the problem though. I have never heard about any case on he rubber strip with AL tanks....

My AL set has a rubber strip under the band as well.