Which LP72s have liners? (And which are more desireable)

[DDKL]

Is there any pattern to which LP72s have liners? I have the opportunity to pick up a couple cheaply and was wondering if there are any that I should definitely avoid.

I won’t have the chance to open them up on site so I through I would check if there are any brands or years to avoid.

I do have a few already and have been lucky so far but it would be good to know if I should really avoid any in particular.

Are any particular ones (manufacturer/year) more desireable due to coatings / buoyancy characteristics? They’ll likely be used for sidemount or as backmount doubles. The reason I want to avoid liners is that I’d like to Oxygen clean them and replace the valves with clean handed ones...

Thanks,

D.

 

[DDKL]

Secondary Question:

What is the average scrap value of an LP72? I might just buy these anyway at the current offer price...

 

[Caveeagle]

I ran into a lot of them (with liners) that were reported to have been sourced from a military dive training site in the keys. I don't have any details beyond that, but this seller seemed to have several of them all from the same sourc, and all with liners.

Perhaps not conclusive, but you might screen for tanks that have a Hydro stamp within the last 10 years. Or look up the Hydro stamp origin. I don't think they will test and clear the. With the liner any more.

 

[Caveeagle]

Secondary Question:

What is the average scrap value of an LP72? I might just buy these anyway at the current offer price...

No idea on the scrap value, but you could probably sell them to people looking to repurpose them. Seems like a common request people asking about purchasing "failed" tanks for wind chimes, BBQ grills, or even Trojan helmet. ...really

 

[Bryan@Vintage Double Hose]

Liners can be tumbled out if you have the patience. In my experience they clean up nicely and hydro failure rate is near negligible if your tester knows what they are doing.

 

[captain]

Probably about 5 or 6 cents a pound.

 

[Ghetto Diver]

I stay away from painted tanks. Galvanized exterior, with no paint = no liner in my experience.
I have one that is galvanized but was painted/coated over at some point and has a liner.

 

[DDKL]

Turns out there was only one 72 in the available tanks so I now have another Sportsways 1/2 inch thread tank. The steel is in good shape and should pass hydro and I have a couple of spare valves in that thread size so even if it’s worn it won’t be an issue (although I now have a reason to try to find a vintage manifold). Definitely worth what I paid for it.