397 cu ft acetylene tank?

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Picked up a few tanks the other day for $30, been sitting out back of a barn for quite some time.  Two of the tanks are standard 230 cu ft oxygen tanks, one is a standard 140ish cu ft acetylene tank, but the oddest one is a Holox 397 cu ft acetylene tank.  I had no idea you could get one this size, and have certainly never seen one.  I honestly thought it was a propane tank when I first saw it!  All of the tanks are solid, no soft spots, with working valves.  Haven't had a chance to check test dates, but imagine all will have to be hydro tested.  I've had good luck with local LWS companies swapping out tanks, so I am keeping my fingers crossed on these.  I'd really like to pick up a 230 cu ft tank of Argon, and need a tank of argon/helium mix for MIG welding SS.  Mainly, though, I am hoping I can get the big acetylene tank swapped out/filled....I'd probably never need another one filled!I'll likely clean these up best I can and throw on a couple coats of Rustoleum or Krylon.  I'll need to replace the tank shoulder "oxygen" and "acetylene" stickers, not sure if I can get them locally or not.  Anyone have any luck finding replacement stickers?
Reply:Check around with any place local that does hydros on large cylinders. If anyone is going to have stickers they might. Also if you are lucky enough to have any independent welding supply places they might be willing to sell you stickers..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:Great job ! I would NOT do anything to the tanks. Just take them in the way they are. Any NEW paint could be interpreted as you are hiding something on tank. Don't worry about stickers either, just try and exchange as is.
Reply:Fresh paint on a tank screams "hey, look at me I was a rusty pos yesterday but today I'm a shiny pos!!!"In all seriousness, just take them in as they are. They'll either accept them or say they need to be tested and revalved. At your expense of course (which really isn't that much in the grand scheme of things).
Reply:I have an act tank just like that, been the counter weight on the back of a cart with a lift boom on it for over 30 years.Yeah, I know, but it'll be ok!Lincoln Square wave 255Miller Vintage mig30a spoolgunThermal Dynamics Pacmaster 100xl plasmaSmith mc torchEllis 1600 band saw
Reply:Originally Posted by PipelinerFresh paint on a tank screams "hey, look at me I was a rusty pos yesterday but today I'm a shiny pos!!!"In all seriousness, just take them in as they are. They'll either accept them or say they need to be tested and revalved. At your expense of course (which really isn't that much in the grand scheme of things).
Reply:Jason280Were the valves - open or closed on acquisition?If closed - was there out gassing - of any bottles?Positive pressure is good - open valves are bad.Regardless of age - the Ox/? cylinders should have value - if not internally corrupted by a long periodof an open valve  . . . Next . . . 'I had no idea . . . and have certainly never seen one'.A '397 cu ft acetylene tank' was my first O/A bottlecarriage experience.  It was the standard bottle in all of the shop's portable O/A rigs - 20+.The gang-torch required - six on a manifold - to function.Keep the 'Rustoleum and Krylon' off of the bottles, and 'out of your pants' - it won't make anything 'cylindrical' more functional . . .Opus
Reply:If you paid only 30 bucks for all those tanks, you done good.Forget the paint and instead scratch up the missing valve caps. No LWS I've ever dealt with will accept them for swap without caps or will charge up to 20 bucks each for replacement caps...but that's my experience.As far as stickers, don't bother. The gas supplier provides those and applies them once he refills the bottles. They are usually not available to the public for that reason. If you CAN manage to get your hands on stickers take care not to mislabel the bottles. If you are concerned with identifying the contents while they are in your possession, apply stencils with spray paint, but don't fiddle with the stickers.Good find!
Reply:That 397 is sometimes called a "jumbo", there is at least one significantly larger size, usually used for the the big trailers all manifolded together, it is about 800 cf, I think+1 above about the stickers, let the filler handle thatExperience is something you get right after you need it
Reply:Using 397 tanks on the job right now. Used to be the norm. Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkLong after the price is forgotten, the quality will remain.Both of my Poppy's 1954 Short Hoods -Third generation to weld with it and teaching a fourthSA 2## - Bought and sold more than I can remember or care to list, 8 in the shop right now
Reply:Just to be curious, what does it normally cost to exchange your tank?
Reply:Originally Posted by Jason280Just to be curious, what does it normally cost to exchange your tank?
Reply:While we discussing your bottles and swapping and refilling and testing them, let's back up to square one and discuss if you can even get them accepted by anyone in your area.To start with, it all depends on ownership. Ownership is determined by what is stamped on the neck ring.... If them bottles been layin around for many years the odds are the original owner company is no longer in business...and if that is the case, perhaps there survives a company that bought them out and became owners of those bottles....Or perhaps a company local to you that bought out the guy that bought out the guy stamped on the bottle neck rings....Bottles with owners stamped on neck rings seldom get orphaned, but it does happen.So ok, you located the neck ring and determined the bottles were the property of ABC Welding Supply back in 1957 according to the last hydro stamp and they are out of date and empty...so you load them up and venture out to discover ABC went bankrupt in 1970...hmmm...so Ok, you tote them to Airgas and try to swap them expecting to pay just for gas and retest...but airgas sez, nope, we can't accept them bottles because they ain't not got our name stamped on them....So you drive farther and go into Red Ball and they say same thing...then next guy sez, yes we bought them out so we are the new owners of them bottles...just show me bill of sale where they were purchased from ABC and we will swap them for full bottles and only charge you for gas and retest....but if you ain't got that bill of sale, then drop them on our dock because they belong to us and go away.
Reply:I recently went through a similar exercise.  The LWS inspected them visually, and told me that the O2 they would fill, but not exchange.  They hydro tested it, and put a new valve on it.  $19 for the valve, and $20 for the hydro on the 250 O2 tank.  I had a 125 O2, which I wanted to swap for C25.  They hydro tested that and then decided that they would not add it to their inventory because the tank was not rated the same as theirs.  So they beaded it and painted it for a modest $5 charge, and I paid $19 for a new valve and $20 for a hydro test.  The other LWS, not locally owned, gave me all kinds of grief, so I am now shifting more of my business to the locally owned outfit that worked with me on the tanks.  BTW, the one they painted looks like new! and they even put my farm name on it in paint.  Again, because these tanks were not up to their "standards" they will fill them, but not exchange them.  That works for me.
Reply:I don't mind paying for a new valve, and certainly don't mind the recert fee, as I have paid them before.  I'm just hoping I can either get the tank filled or swapped locally, whichever the shop wants to do.  Ultimately, I want it set up in the shop with a pair of 230 cu ft O2 tanks and 50-75' of hoses.  That would fill my oxy/acetylene needs for quite some time...
Reply:Well, good news.  Finally got around to taking the tanks in, and was able to get them swapped without any issue at all.  Ended up swapping two 230 cu ft oxygen tanks and the 397 cu ft acetylene tank, total cost was $260.  Of course, the 375 cu ft of acetylene was the majority of the cost, I think it cost $169 + tax by itself, and the two O2 tanks were around $40 each.  No recert fee, just swap and pay...great thing is, I'll never have issues swapping with them in the future.  Now, I just need to find some stuff to melt/heat!!
Reply:Surprises me Airgas would exchange a "WK/#5" acetylene but good for man!
Reply:The local Airgas has become a lot easier to deal with, and as a result, I've been able to exchange quite a few tanks with them (that I otherwise would have taken to another LGS).  Maybe they realized they were losing business, but it is a lot more convenient for me.
Reply:It could be the need to increase the bottom line numbers at any cost because of the Air Liquide deal.
Reply:Your price for acetylene is a steal. In Alberta it would be at least double.