Fake Hydro Stamp? Please look at my stamp and give opinions.

[JamesBon92007]

I'm no expert but I have gotten a few tanks hydroed in my time. Wookie already looked up the RIN number and if Ma and O2169 are in your area then I would think they are OK. Back in the old days they stamped between the dates with a logo and now it always seems to be the RIN number, which is a lot more helpful. If you still have doubts you should be able to verify that they were tested by contacting the company that Wookie found. Personally I like it better when they are nice and neat and legible but I don't think poor stamping in itself is that bad of an indicator.

If you follow Wookie's link it should also give you the phone number and name of the re-tester plus the expiration date of the license.

 

[2airishuman]

It is not unusual for the stamps to be uneven, misaligned, or amateurish. It is not unusual for the + symbol to be stamped using two strikes with a chisel. And it is not unusual for one of the numbers stamped to be sideways or upside down causing the retester's tech to re-stamp it below the mistaken mark.

If you have any doubt, call the retester and explain the situation, and give them the serial number of the cylinders. They'll tell you if the mark is genuine.

Counterfeit stamps aren't unheard of but it takes a good deal of audacity to do it. The fact that retesters log every test makes it trivially easy to prove a case in court, and there are all kinds of federal laws and regulations that apply. The penalties are large.

 

[Scared Silly]

Counterfeit stamps aren't unheard of but it takes a good deal of audacity to do it. The fact that retesters log every test makes it trivially easy to prove a case in court, and there are all kinds of federal laws and regulations that apply. The penalties are large.

FWIW when ever buying a cylinder on fleabay that is in FL one should verify the RIN. This really applies to any cylinder with a current requal stamp. A while back I was making it a game of finding mis stamped and/or fake hydro stamps. I had some very good conversations with several shops. They were none too pleased that their RIN was faked.