Old steel tanks and backplates

[jchaplain]

I just inherited 3 old steel tanks. 2 smaller ones and one larger one. They are all vintage WW2 it appears and one was last hydoed in 1985, others in about 1966.
2 of the tanks have plenty of air, one is empty. All the tanks are rated at 1800 psi.
I also inherited a couple of aluminum backplates. ( I currently use a bc though..)

pictures of this stuff at...

http://home.comcast.net/~jcchaplain/oldstuff.html


What do you think the useful value of this stuff is? ( Not moneywise but useability-wise) assuming that the tanks pass hydro.

I was thinking I can use these tanks as either short shallow dive tanks off my boat, or maybe use one as an oxygen tank, or maybe use one as a pony tank. The 2 smaller ones are real small. I don't know how much ( time) air they would hold at only 1800 psi.

I already have a couple of aluminum, 80's, but I want to put these to use if it makes sense. I'm guessing not though...maybe good for the valves only?

John C.

 

[Don Burke]

They look like they might be fire bottles with bushings installed to allow the SCUBA valves.

I would get them to someone for a visual inspection before I tried to get them by hydro.

 

[Dapher]

I agree w/ Don, I would take them to someone who knows, like maybe your LDS? I am thinking that if they are that rusty on the outside they may look pretty bad inside. I dive a backplate which is nice because it removes some of the weight from my belt. You might be able to drill some holes and add a single tank adapter to the plates although they look rather flat.

 

[jchaplain]

They weren't that rusty on the outside, they looked that way after I stripped all the paint off. They have air in them so they should be ok inside.
I thought the hydro test included the visual, no?

John C.

I agree w/ Don, I would take them to someone who knows, like maybe your LDS? I am thinking that if they are that rusty on the outside they may look pretty bad inside. I dive a backplate which is nice because it removes some of the weight from my belt. You might be able to drill some holes and add a single tank adapter to the plates although they look rather flat.

 

[fishfood]

can you read the markings on the tank?

 

[oxyhacker]

Both have bushings to adapt them to the valves. A lot of SCUBA shop will not fill tanks with bushings any more - I have been told it actually against the law to fill them but not sure if this is just diveshop chatter or not.

An old dive gear collector building a Palley's homebuilt lung might love them, though, and a lot of old-steel-72-fanatics would love those taper thread valves.

 

[Don Burke]

They have air in them so they should be ok inside.

I disagree with that statement. While cylinders often look better inside than outside, it is not a hard and fast rule.

I thought the hydro test included the visual, no?

It does. However, if you get the visual first, if the cylinder fails the visual, you do not have to pay for a hydro, which is substantially more money.

I have done some looking around. The cylinder you show the numbers for was made by Walter Kidde and probably has a capacity of 38 cubic feet.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Seeing that they're 38cfs, I would almost guarantee the fire-bottle idea. Whatever they are, they're going to be too small for diving with, so unless you want them for a topside use I wouldn't bother doing any more to them. Even if you want to save them as antiques the only thing you might want to do is tumble them to slow down the rusting process a little.

If they were mine, I wouldn't fill them, due to the fact that the equation Old+Rust+Pressure=BOOM.

 

[jchaplain]

The more I think about it, I have to agree.
Besides, a new aluminum pony bottle is fairly cheap.
Guess I'll junk them, keep the valves.

Thanks for the feedback.

John C.

Seeing that they're 38cfs, I would almost guarantee the fire-bottle idea. Whatever they are, they're going to be too small for diving with, so unless you want them for a topside use I wouldn't bother doing any more to them. Even if you want to save them as antiques the only thing you might want to do is tumble them to slow down the rusting process a little.

If they were mine, I wouldn't fill them, due to the fact that the equation Old+Rust+Pressure=BOOM.

 

[Ontario Diver]

I believe that these are Walter Kidd tanks from 1943. I don't think that they are fire extinguishers but were compressed air tanks probably for aircraft landing gear. They have bushings installed and should not be used. They are 1800 PSI tanks which is very high for a fire extinguisher which would normally be around 700 PSI or less.