Tilting cylinders

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I know Oxy/fuel cylinders should not be laid down while using, but what about 75/25 Mig mix. Can I lay it down or should I run the cylinder at a 45 degree angle?
Reply:You can lay any bottle down, just don't use it laying down.Oxy., 75/25, Nitrogen, ect. are actually a gas.Acetylene is dissolved in Acetone that is suspended in a filler material.  Older bottles actually contained asbestos.  Newer bottles are a combo of balsa and cellulose fibers.Acetylene bottles need to rest in the vertical for a period of time to allow the acetone in them to settle back down.
Reply:You can probably use a c25 bottle upside down perfectly fine. It's not in the liquid state. C02 might not like it... never try it with acetylene.Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Acetylene bottles should not be used after being laid down for at least 30 min. That is the best rule of thumb that i know of. using acetylene immediately after laying down can result in the acetone being released when used and creating a unstable condition for the remaining acetylene in the tank.L-tec Heliarc 306Miller 210Victor O/A rig
Reply:Originally Posted by MikeGyverC02 might not like it... never try it with acetylene.
Reply:Thanks guys. I'll probably lay the argon down and have the oxy/ace at a 45 degree. I'm just trying this for about a year. Hopefully have the money for a 1 ton by then.
Reply:Can you lay an acetylene down to transport?????I don't have a truck anymore and would consider using a small utility trailer.
Reply:I replyed to this SEVERAL times but had to keep erasing what I wrote..........no offense but there are just too many inexperienced people on a public forum for myself to personally answer this question..............kinda like replying to a "can I weld on a fuel tank" question..............it just opens up too many possibilities..6 Miller Big Blue 600 Air Paks2 Miller 400D6 Lincoln LN-25's4 Miller Xtreme 12VS2 Miller Dimension 812 4 Climax BW-3000Z bore welders Hypertherm 65 and 85Bug-O Track BugPair of Welpers
Reply:Originally Posted by BilldacatCan you lay an acetylene down to transport?????I don't have a truck anymore and would consider using a small utility trailer.
Reply:When it comes to C25 we have a mix of argon and CO2. Argon is just gas so you can use the cylinder in any orientation you want. CO2 however is both liquid and gas depending on temperture and pressure. A cylinder with 2200 psi of C25 only has 550 psi of CO2. If the temperature is over 40 degree F then all that CO2 is gas and bottle orientation doesn't matter. However if it's colder some of the CO2 will be liquid. If I calculated correctly at 0 degree F (poor bastard mig welding at that temperature) you will have about 14 fl oz of liquid CO2 in an 80 cuft bottle with 2200 psi in it. As long as you don't tilt the bottle enough so the liquid will come out of the valve on the cylinder there shouldn't be a problem. There is another reason though to keep cylinder upright and secure. That is to not knock the valve or damage the cylinder.PS. Regarding acetylene cylinders the acetylene is dissolved in the acetone. So while you can withdraw acetylen without getting the acetone you can't withdraw acetone without getting the acetylene. So laying the acetylene cylinders down and using them doesn't mean the cylinder will go boom. It just means that you might get acetone together with acetylene when you use it. In my opinion the real danger of acetylene and other gases is gas leaks. Imagine transporting acetylene inside a van, bottles standing upright and secure, but the valve is slowly leaking out acetylene. Someone lights up a cigarette and the van goes boom.Oxygen is also dangerous because a fire will be very violent with pure oxygen. Gases like CO2 and argon are dangerous because a gas leak in an unventilated enclosed space can make you go unconscious without noticing and then you suffocate and die if nobody sees it and helps you.Even if some rules can be broken under certain circumstances it's always safer to stick to them.Last edited by Pete.S.; 05-14-2014 at 09:28 PM.