Old oxygen tank.

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I thought some might be interested in this old oxygen tank I noticed today. It's not the first old one I've run across but I think it might be the oldest I've run across. I can't really remember what the date was on some of the others. Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Sorry for my ignorance but how do you determine the age of the tank?93 Bobcat 225GMillerMatic 135HF Tig 91811
Reply:that's amazing. at first i thought the date must be 2011 but then saw the 17 and 27 on the other column. i believe it's the oldest one i ever saw.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Originally Posted by Anthony83Sorry for my ignorance but how do you determine the age of the tank?
Reply:i'm wondering what the age/condition criteria is for putting compressed gas cylinders out to pasture?i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:I was fixing to roll it out for a customer this morning and noticed the neck ring looked funny. That's when I looked at the date. I decided to roll it to the side so I could get some pics.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Looks like built 1907! !!
Reply:Depends. Newer kevlar wrapped alum cylinders like what is often used for compressed air or Nitrogen as well as the Scott airpak cylinders had a 15 year total life when I sued to work with cylinders a lot. I believe there was an exemption in the works at the time to extend the life, but I don't know how that ever turned out.Steels were pretty much good until they failed either visual or hydro test. Even then some cylinders that "failed" might be still salvageable at lower pressures. The shop I used to deal with regularly got in older cylinders that "failed" and retested them for lower pressure use as CO2 fire suppression cylinders.I forget the test parameters for alum cylinders. However early alum cylinders in some cases used alloys that had some serious issues with sustained load cracking, and cylinders with those alloys either got pulled from service completely, or were subject to specialized testing like eddy current tests to look for neck cracks. Old Kidde alum cylinders are one I can remember off the top of my head that were pulled..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I was told at one time that an old tank like this that has the stamp in the upper lh corner that looks like a box with the plus sign inside was a swastika.  When WW II was over the stamped the corners together. This is what I was told, correct me if I am wrong.
Reply:I heard that one too.
Reply:I worked at a LWS in my younger years and from what i remember..... The numbers designate a test date that is good for five years but a star indicates a ten year test. The + sign you see on some means it was tested and passed at a 10% overfill. This is good information for people that are buying cylinders. Look at the dates before you leave the store. Most LWS charge i think $10 for the recert if you exchange out of date. Yeah its only ten bucks but thats almost a twelve pack. Something to look at.
Reply:PS. Seen alot of 190x dates still in service.
Reply:irish-fixitIn the pantheon of American welding history you may have a true artifact - 'the neck ring looked funny'. Linde formed The Linde Air Products Company in the USA in 1907.It may be a false positive, but if Linde didn't date their bottles uponfirst production, the '17' would be its first re-certification, and the bottle is as early as they get.I would purchase the bottle: strip 97/107 years of paint, and faux in a period green, pair it with an acetylene generator, Smith gages and torch, and it would be the 'raging new tool' in my blacksmith shop.Opus
Reply:Wow that's a nice find.Ya gotta spend money to make money!
Reply:Truly a lesson in history, I had no idea they were using compressed gasses that far back. Good find bud.93 Bobcat 225GMillerMatic 135HF Tig 91811
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWI know we used to get some old WWII  retest marked cylinders from time to time where I used to work.
Reply:This tank originally had a swastika stamped on it. The square box next to the first date was a swastika. Lots of cylinders had them before WWII. Nearly all of them where boxed in after WWII but on the rare occasion you'll run across one that hasn't.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Interesting. Since the Nazis didn't adopt the swastika until 1920, use of it prior to that date would just make it a mark used to identify the tester.1917 would put the date in WWI or when the Kaiser was in power in Germany and there would be no Nazis connotation to the marks. In fact the Nazis really didn't come to power until 1933, so cylinders wouldn't likely to have been test marked with the Nazis swastika before that date..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I can't remember what I would call a good explanation of why the swastika was used as a mark on cylinders. I do know it was used and that the symbol has been around for a very long time. It wasn't until the the nazi's that the symbol got a bad reputation.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Got one just a little bit older..Found it at the Hydro test place in the scrap pile..Do know the swastika was Native American used also....   and found this on Wiki.The swastika (卐) (Sanskrit: स्वस्तिक) is a symbol that generally takes the form of an equilateral cross, with its four arms bent at 90 degrees. The earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped is that each arm represents the processional equinox and solstice around the pole start.[citation needed] Swastikas have been used in various other ancient civilizations around the world including Turkic, India, Iran, Armenia, Nepal, China, Japan, Korea and Europe. It remains widely used in Indian religions, specifically in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, primarily as a tantric symbol that invokes Lakshmi - the Vedic goddess of wealth, prosperity and auspiciousness.The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" (meaning "good" or "auspicious") combined with "asti" (meaning "it is"), along with the diminutive suffix "ka." The swastika literally means "it is good." It is a common practice for Hindus to draw Swastika symbols on the doors and entrances to their houses during festivals, which is believed to symbolize an invitation to goddess Lakshmi.[1] The name "sauwastika" is sometimes given to the left-facing arms symbol, which is a mirror image of swastika (卍).[2]The symbol has a long history in Europe reaching back to antiquity. In modern times, following a brief surge of popularity as a good luck symbol in Western culture, a swastika was adopted as a symbol of the Nazi Party of Germany in 1920, who used the swastika as a symbol of the Aryan race. After Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, a right-facing 45° rotated swastika was incorporated into the flag of the Nazi Party, which was made the state flag of Germany during the Nazi era. Hence in many western countries the swastika is stigmatized as being associated with Nazism and related concepts like antisemitism, hatred, violence, death, and murder.[3] Notably, the swastika has been outlawed in Germany and other countries if used as a symbol of Nazism in certain instances. Many modern white nationalist and Neo-Nazi groups such as the Russian National Unity use stylized swastikas or similar symbols.Last edited by kevinacaron; 03-22-2014 at 01:38 PM.From the desk of Kevin CaronTrying to be the best me I can!www.kevincaron.comAHP Alpha Tig 200x MillerMatic 251Miller Syncrowave 200
Reply:The oldest oxy I've ever had was a first test date of 1916, I thought about keeping the old girl just on principle. But I was pretty busy at the time and needed refilled owner bottles bad. There were a whole lotta stamps on that relic : )Oxy cylinders have to be taken out of service after 99 years regardless.JTI should of kept it, cut the neck/stamps off and hung it as wall art. But I was busy feeding the kids and just didn't.Last edited by JTMcC; 03-22-2014 at 02:37 PM.
Reply:Oldest one I think I have ever seen at work was from the 1940's. Saw one a while back that the collar said united states air force oldest date on it was early 60's
Reply:Great find in the old O2 tank.  I’d like to have one for my collection of industrial junk; I mean artifacts.Just a comment about the swastikas . . . Did a demolition job a few years back on an older industrial plant circa 1929.  There were many Crane gate valves in the 24 to 30 inch range that all had a swastika cast into the housing.  These supposedly marked them as Crane’s top of the line valves.  Crane stopped using the swastika in the early 30’s when someone came to power in Europe. Paul
Reply:Here's an old Linde tank we had at the shop. Attached Images
Reply:Got one in that's even older.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htmIf you look at the transition from the body to the neck, newer ones have distinct "shoulder" where the older ones have a smooth transition.
Reply:Wonder what the odds this "American Made Tank" is around in 100 plus years, After all.. it most likely started life as rebar from an "American" interstate, shipped overseas, melted down, then shipped back...........LOLThey sure don't make em like they used to...
Reply:Don't laugh too hard.  I bought one of those HF argon tanks on sale ($40) and traded it in for $90 credit towards a filled 40 cf tank.        Dan----------------------------Measure twice.  Weld once.  Grind to size.MIG:  Lincoln SP100 TIG/STICK:  AHP Alphatig 200X
Reply:I think the first date is the age of the cylinder and not a retest date. How would you know when to test it without the original date? The other stamp is used to identify who tested it.
Reply:I have seen lots with their first inspection stamp in the 1940's.  They are usually easily spotted because the say "Shatterproof" on them.
Reply:Originally Posted by PavinsteelmanLooks like built 1907! !!