99% Recycled Propane Tank!!

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Hey guys and Girls, thought you might be interested in the latest project the leave the Fletcher workshop. Its a small pot belly camping stove (wood burning) that I built for my brother. It started out as a 17Kg propane tank. The door and the hot plate were cut out with the plasma cutter that I got second hand off eBay for my birthday. How much easier are things when you have on of those!! Most of the metal is (as always with me) pulled out of a skip. The only new stuff is the twisted steel for its rather spindly legs and the three sections of stainless tube that my Bro had made up for the chimney. Might make a few more of these and sell them on, not sure how much to charge for them though?... Attached ImagesFletch
Reply:More piccies!!The initial burn to test it, get rid of the remnants of paint and see how long it takes to boil a pan of cold water. Five minutes.....thats how long!! Attached ImagesFletch
Reply:I see a red tank and I want it painted black....No colors anymore I want them to turn black....The finished article that me brother is picking up this weekend. Attached ImagesFletch
Reply:Nice work. Looks like you've done/got a couple cooker projects there.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:very nice job. well engineered. only thing i can see it might need is maybe some cross braces across the bottom of the legs. they would not only keep the legs from spreading but help it not sink into soft dirt, sand or mud when out camping.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:Now I'm going to show my ignorance.  How do you cut the tank without blowing yourself up?(I know that caption below my username says Journeyman, but that's not the case!)TonyMiller Maxtron 300Miller Spoolmatic 3Victor Journeyman II"Twern't my ignorance done me in, but what I knowed that wasn't so."  Uncle Tom's Cabin
Reply:How did you make it safe to work on propane tank.
Reply:Interesting item.  I would say to add some cross-braces between the legs, and also some grab handles (maybe on the sides of the tank) to make it easier to pick up and move that beastie.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Originally Posted by Old DougHow did you make it safe to work on propane tank.
Reply:Originally Posted by Old DougHow did you make it safe to work on propane tank.
Reply:Have cut a couple myself. Pulled the valve and turned upside down and left for a week ( propane heavier than air ) then filled with water and cut open with die grinder and cut off wheel .  last one I cut pulled valve  flipped up side down for a week then stood it next to a small pile of brush  I was burning . left it there till fire was done . No Boom , paint burned off  then safe to cut .
Reply:I used water heater tank to make stoves.The flat top was not welded on because some stoves were use to boil off maple sap to make syrup.The piece cut out of the top was flattened by driving over it with a Ford station wagon.Door was hinged at the side to make loading wood easier.
Reply:Water and acid works tooTA PAK 5XRTA 185Lincoln Wirematic 250
Reply:Originally Posted by Old DougHow did you make it safe to work on propane tank.
Reply:Originally Posted by forhireI always add some bleach to the tanks to neutralize the Methyl Mercaptan odorant. Simply add a bit of bleach, slosh around, and it forms a orange  precipitate (solid) that is inert (it's more orange than rust).
Reply:Another way to neutralize the odorant is with a bit of baking soda and household hydrogen peroxide plus a touch of detergent/shampoo.  Which also works as skunk scent remover.    Don't try to bottle/store/contain it, as it releases oxygen gas (which is what is going to oxidize and thus neutralize the mercaptan or skunk smell).  Mix up and apply right away (keep out of eyes, don't drink, etc, etc, etc).But for a tank, bleach is quick and easy too.  (note, the mercaptan odorant is also flammable in and of itself.  A tiny bit clinging to the inside walls of a tank is -probably- no big deal, but if you have a tank with a bunch of 'liquid' odorant inside, watch out!)  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Originally Posted by MoonRiseAnother way to neutralize the odorant is with a bit of baking soda and household hydrogen peroxide plus a touch of detergent/shampoo.  Which also works as skunk scent remover.    Don't try to bottle/store/contain it, as it releases oxygen gas (which is what is going to oxidize and thus neutralize the mercaptan or skunk smell).  Mix up and apply right away (keep out of eyes, don't drink, etc, etc, etc).But for a tank, bleach is quick and easy too.
Reply:so you say camping stove... How do you get a 50+lb stove to the campsite?  Is it a permanent fixture at a private site?miller syncrowave 250hobart handler 140home made 400 amp engine driven in progress...
Reply:Originally Posted by forhireMaybe one of the chemistry types can tell me what forms when CH3SH (methyl mercaptan) and NaClO (sodium hypochlorite, bleach) are combined?
Reply:Hi guys and Gals, been away on a course but back now.With respect to making the tank safe for cutting, I burned off the last of the gas using my camping stove and the correct adapter. I then unscrewed the valve and vented  the tank by filling it with water. No bleach but I'll definitely do that next time as the front of the house smelled real bad for weeks after and the wife was not a happy bunny! After three fillings of water i sat it upside down for a week or so while i gathered the rest of the bits together to build it. then it was out with the plasma cutter and the rest as they say is history!good idea about the cross bracing on the legs, it will be implemented.thanks for all the replies..Fletch
Reply:Oh and sorry, the camping stove bit.... it sits in the back of my brothers landrover series 2 and gets taken out when set up at the site.Fletch
Reply:Nice buildWe are on our way to being farmers! Our site is always under construction so check back often for updates.  http://www.philosophyfarmstyle.com/
Reply:water makes it worse  it can make it a bigger bomb use exhast from a gas engine  not dieselOf course I don't look busy.....I did it right the first time!
Reply:Not saying I would do it... but a scrapper friend cut up about 300 out of code tanks a few months ago... all he did was pull the valves and torch away... they would shoot flames out the hole for the valve but there was no explosions to report. Propane is less volatile than gasoline, i think the octane rating is like 110 or so.I really wouldn't advise that method... but apparently he has been doing it for years.