Milt covered the fuel gas part quite well. Here is some info on
safety with the Oxygen tanks.
Always protect the valve from being hit or damaged. The high
pressure will send the tank flying like a torpedo if broken off.
That’s why tanks are chained and the big ones have a metal cap to be
on the tank whenever it is not hooked to a system and fastened.
Leak testing fittings, hoses etc. is great. HOWEVER be sure that
you do not use a petroleum based soap etc. Oils and Oxygen mix
explosively. Best to buy a soap bubble solution rated for Oxygen if
you use it on anything with Oxygen. Ever notice all those warnings
"use no Oil"?
I just want everyone to use common sense and have the knowledge to
be safe.
Dear Dan & All, One more note on oxygen tanks. If you look at the top
of the tank you will see a date stamped right into the tank. Maybe
several depending on how old the tank is. The oxygen supplier is
required to certify the tank and valve. I think for ten to fifteen
years. After that time a new valve is put into the tank and a new
date is stamped into the top. I owned my own tanks for a few years
which made filling them a chore, but now receive the rented ones. I
much prefer the oxygen company dropping new tanks and taking the
spent ones away. The delivery charge is more than the cost of the
fill for the tank. The supplier has to be responsible for the
condition of the tank that way. I’m sure there is a legal concern
also. That’s why most tanks are a lease and not purchased. I state
this all the time… This is how it works in my region and may not be
the same everywhere.
Here’s another tidbit. Many of the tanks are pretty beat up. You
never know what condition the filled tanks are going to be. If you
want the best tanks, request medical grade oxygen. The tanks are much
newer and the valve on the top is usually much better than the
industrial grade tanks. Now the oxygen supplier may not like it but
that’s tough. The only difference in the oxygen is that the supplier
will certify that the oxygen has been tested for medical grade use.
Same stuff though.
Wow, I am in California, a VERY law ladened state and I have only
owner tanks. My gas supplier will bring other owner tanks as needed
but they are still “my” owner tanks. If I ever move, I will ask for
tanks in good condition (I am on pretty good terms with my supplier
and staff so getting “good” tanks should be no problem. In CA there
is a “ser charge” for compressed tank delivery, $18.00 per delivery
not per tank. The tanks are tested and fixed as needed by the
supplier, no charge.
One other think on oxygen tanks and any other high pressure tanks,
open the valve all the was so it seats open. High pressure valves
seat in both open and closed positions. On fuel tanks, NEVER open
to the full open position. In case there is a need to shut the tank
off, you want to be able to do it FAST and as far as I know, fuel
tanks (propane and acyt. in particular) are low pressure and the
valves are not double seated.
Nice post on oxygen tanks I have been told that medical grade oxygen
is of a higher purity than industrial, and is more money to cover the
extra handling. We have a hypersensitive alloy with regards to
oxygen that proved how much air, therefore oxygen is in industrial
grade nitrogen. When certain customers ordered a higher grade of
nitrogen the oxidation issue went away.
The lesson is to ask your gas supplier what’s really in there by
percentage, so we can judge for ourselves. I have one client who uses
a LOT of oxygen, for about 50 benches plus a torch casting room. They
went to liquid oxygen, which was said to be what hospitals sometimes
use. Way too expensive for the small shop of course, but it made me
wonder how our oxygen is produced. If its one of those filter deals
it will be about 90% pure, if from electrolysis or liquid it will be
very pure about 99% or so I’m told. Hard to test for sure…
Daniel Ballard
PMWest Sales Manager
Director of Kraftwerks
Regarding the posts about oxygen tank safety, I am using a medical
oxygen concentrator and propane for two repair/fabrication benches
with Smith mini torches No tanks to exchange, works perfect for my
needs. I have oxy-actelylene, or oxy-hydrogen for casting.
I have been considering a concentrator for some time now but have
hesitated to get one. A casual aquaintance of mine has one and
showed it to me one day but we did not have time to get into
specifics about it. I have several questions…are they reliable?
I understand these are reconditioned units and cannot be reused for
medical purposes. Have you ever had any specific problems with
yours? Are they noisy? I work in a small shop and it is already
noisy enough. Do they supply enough 02 for your jobs? My friend
does lampwork and she says there is plenty of 02 for her needs. I
mostly use the Little Torch anyway and 5 to 7lb is plenty.
I am tired of dragging my 02 tank to the supplier only to find they
don’t have any tanks on hand and won’t till next week
sometime…that was what I encountered recently! Any input would be
appreciated by me and, I am sure, the rest of the group.
Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry! @coralnut2
Regarding the posts about oxygen tank safety, I am using a
medical oxygen concentrator and propane for two repair/fabrication
benches with Smith mini torches No tanks to exchange, works
perfect for my needs. I have oxy-actelylene, or oxy-hydrogen for
casting.
Interesting Idea. How do you hook it up? Are you plugged directly
into the handpiece, or are you going through a regulator?
Hey there, I have a oxy-propane set-up, just with the small tanks
that I haven’t gotten around to using yet. I have experience on
simply propane torches. During this time of my education they
touched a bit on oxy- acetylene for brazen and cutting steel, also a
little bit of bead work . . . a lot of emphasis was placed on eye
protection for the oxy- acetylene. I’m a bit nervous with the
oxy-propane because it deserves respect, but also I’m not sure of
the luminosity of the flame. Are a welders goggle type of thing
needed/recommended? I wear prescription glasses and am thinking of
picking up a new pair, does anyone handle prescription safety
glasses that would be up to the task?
Kindest Regards,
David Woolley
3rd Year Applied Arts Student
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
I have been considering a concentrator for some time now but
have hesitated to get one. A casual aquaintance of mine has one
and showed it to me one day but we did not have time to get into
specifics about it. I have several questions....are they
reliable?
Don,The unit I have is between two jewelers benches and I can just
barely hear it. My wife had lung damage from a chemo drug and has
several concentrators, some are noisier than others, but none are
loud. Some are a bit noisier because of a switch that I believe
cycles between two sieve beds, but like a fan on the back of a
computer, some you can hear, some you can’t. I have a tee that is
the same tee I used on my acetelyne tank, fits the output of the
concentrator. I have a two line splitter that has knobs for each
line, no regulator. I have been using mine for about a year, no
problems. When you first turn it on, it takes a few minutes to
bleed out the line, then it is steady all day long. There used to be
someone on this forum who provided them, if you want one contact
me off line. Richard Hart