Help deciphering tank markings

[dovii]

Hello all,

I'm having trouble deciphering some of the markings on a few tanks. The guy says he wants 200 for them all but these tanks are very old and I'm unsure of their worth. I know some of the old aluminums have had problems with cracking and that some shops won't even fill tanks this old. Any info on these tanks from some of the experts around here would be amazing!

Thanks!

 

[CptTightPants21]

I am not a tank expert by any stretch, but I wouldn't buy 30+ year old aluminum tanks regardless of price.

It depends on the alloy used, but I think you would have problems with at least the Luxfer and probably all 3. Best bet would be to call up 1 or 2 LDS and talk to them, maybe they will fill them.

 

[snowdog61]

Try this http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ta...made-bad-alloy-aka-al6351.html?highlight=6351

The Luxfer is out - Not sure about the Dacor. depends if it's the 6351 or the 6016 alloy. FYI I have an '89 Luxfer that just beat the alloy change and it's an adventure getting it filled or VIPed at anywhere other than my local shop without bringing paperwork . They have passed hydro but don't see the VIP sticker which is the trick. The Luxfer should have a VE stamp along with that hydro from what I gather too. Check your local LDS or whomever will be filling them - they're the ones who ass will be on the line if the threads let go during the fill.

 

[dovii]

I forgot to mention that all 3 tanks were hydroed and had their visual inspections this summer and were cleared.

 

[tbone1004]

hard pass on all of them. regardless of the recent hydros, and alloys used, many dive shops are refusing to fill the old tanks and they can refuse to fill on any reason they want. I try to pay about $70-$80 per tank, but won't buy a bottle more than 10 years old because of some shops not wanting to fill them. I would recommend hunting down some LP72's that won't have these issues. They are a much better decision than AL80's for recreational diving. Shorter, lighter, take 5lbs off of your weight belt, last longer, etc etc. Only setback is you have to adjust your cam bands for the narrower tank and they need a boot to stand up.

VINTAGE SCUBA DIVE SPORTSWAYS DOUBLE TANK SET UP W/ MANIFOLD STRAPS
These with new valves would be a much better buy. Probably talk him down to $100, another $100 for hydro/vip and a new valve and you're good to go. LP72's are much better tanks anyway

Steel SCUBA Diver Tanks, HP80, HP100, LP80, AL 80, dive, diving
If you're short, these are a good deal, just DIN only for the valves

 

[snowdog61]

most shops have a no fill policy if they are pre '90 AL regardless

 

[herman]

Unfortunately, those are worth the scrap value of aluminum. All are older than 1990 and it's rare for a shop in Fla to fill them and even if you find one, it's not worth the hassle. IF they were steel ( 3AA instead of 3AL ) then they would be viable tanks but not at that price UNLESS they had fresh hydos and vips. Even if they were newer AL tanks, that is too much, a new AL tank is in the $180 range. If you add a $50 vip/hydro to those tanks you would have $116 invested in each tank and may still have a valve that needs rebuilding. Also, around here the LDS gives you a number of free air fills to boot.

 

[Scared Silly]

Skip them all, they are all AL6351 alloy. Further, the hydro is fubar as no eddy current test was performed. These should not be accepted at any shop until a proper hydro is performed.

Further, I am going to say that the recent hydro markings are fake on all of the cylinders. There are numerous people in FL selling AL 6351 cylinders with fake hydro stamps. The lack of the VE is the first tip off, the second is month/year stamps being larger than typical, the third being that all of the hydro stamps are from the same hydro shop yet the month/date size all differ (at least on the first yellow Luxfer cylinder). Finally, the RIN number is from a hydro shop in Texas and you are in FL.

 

[dovii]

Looks like I am going to pass on them unless there is a drastic reduction in price. Dive shops not wanting to fill them would not be a problem as I have access to a compressor myself. They are both in current vis and hydro, and silly good eye on the Texas hydro. The tanks are currently in Texas but I would be picking them up to bring them back to Florida. I am fairly sure they are not fake stamps/ stickers, but I could be wrong...

How can people tell they are AL 6351 by the numbers? Also, I wasn't sure of the sizes of the tanks as I only have pictures to go by as well? The yellow tank looked to be an 80 but the other two look shorter and fatter. Shouldn't the capacity be stamped as well? These older stamps look different than newer tanks so I was a bit confused.

 

[CptTightPants21]

Looks like I am going to pass on them unless there is a drastic reduction in price. Dive shops not wanting to fill them would not be a problem as I have access to a compressor myself. They are both in current vis and hydro, and silly good eye on the Texas hydro. The tanks are currently in Texas but I would be picking them up to bring them back to Florida. I am fairly sure they are not fake stamps/ stickers, but I could be wrong...

How can people tell they are AL 6351 by the numbers? Also, I wasn't sure of the sizes of the tanks as I only have pictures to go by as well? The yellow tank looked to be an 80 but the other two look shorter and fatter. Shouldn't the capacity be stamped as well? These older stamps look different than newer tanks so I was a bit confused.

You're probably confusing the capacity number with one of its hydro dates