[TheForge] cutting propane cylinders, soap drums, gas tanks, etc

[Ron Childers]

Jeff, why would you weld it when you have threads in the cylinder?

I know several people who suffered severe injuries from cutting soap drums
with a torch- one of them was my welding instructor Emanuel Demetrelis (Mr.
Demi) and another was my auto mechanics instructor Dan Greene, so these are
not "myths" or "urban legends". A young man in Perry, Fl blew himself up
cutting a "cold" 1,000 gal gasoline tank with a torch. I paced off the
flight path of the end of the tank- 126 paces to where it hit a hawg wire
fence and stopped. The flame flash literally "burned his ass off", and he
had to have skin grafts on his butt. He was told by his boss the tank was
cold so he didn't check it. They had no explosion meter so "How do you
usually check it?" "Light the torch and stick it in the bung hole". Duh.
These guys are candidates for the Darwin Awards.


The explosion rattled windows a mile away and Ms Metcalf claimed she had to
take her poodle to the dawg psychiatrist. Said she had to get medicated for
her nerves. Ol Lady Anderson said her chickens didn't lay for days, and her
milk goats dried up.

Ron C  

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Barking Crow
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2005 7:34 AM
To: Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] cutting propane cylinders

When doing the fill it with water and then plasma cut thing on a cylinder,
can you plasma cut below the water level or do you have to cut just above
the water level?    Just curious down here in Tallahassee where I just
welded a 1/2 tee to the top of an old small propane cylinder that I hope to
turn into a portable tank for compressed air when I find the piece to let me
fill the tank, a valve stem set up I assume.

Jeff Valentine


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