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I Forge Iron

Cutting Tanks


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Depends on how it's being cut: Saw: safe, plasma cutter: safe, laser: safe, cutting disk: safe, bandsaw: safe, Oxy-Acetylene: NOT SAFE

Nitrogen is an inert gas and most of the atmosphere we believe consists of nitrogen, (78% in fact).  So what was/is inside is not an issue.  However unburned acetylene and Oxygen can build up in a closed tank during cutting resulting it an explosion.

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You've said that before Thomas but Nitrogen is far from inert. What applies in this case is Nitrogen is NON-flammable. 

Good advice re. cutting any tanks with oxy fuel torches. Don't do it.

Frosty The Lucky.

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You will probably get some folks telling you that it is safe and they cut them with O-A all the time.  It's true that people cut them that way and most of the time have no issues.  However it only takes once to ruin your day/year/life.

Frosty; it is considered an  inert gas under many definitions; however it is not a noble gas. For instance:

Purified argon and nitrogen gases are most commonly used as inert gases due to their high natural abundance (78.3% N2, 1% Ar in air) and low relative cost. Unlike noble gases, an inert gas is not necessarily elemental and is often a compound gas. ... They are referred to as noble gases or inert gases. wikipedia

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Boy, definitions have loosened up since I took high school chemistry. Nitrogen is actually used as part of the definitions I find now but so is "un-interesting". I can think of too many compounds that are made "interesting," energetic even by the inclusion of Nitrogen.

Okey dokey then. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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Yes "nitrates" were practically the definition of "bad actors" for a long time---Remember that Captain Nemo sank a nitrate carrying ship around 150 years ago, and of course Trinitrotoluene  so handy for the attempted eradication of Geococcyx californianus!

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Well if it's still "full" and so under pressure; opening the valve will empty it in a safer way than removing the valve.  Good idea to open the valve as a check before removing it.  (I have a bucket of welding tank valves  as there has been an influx of tanks to the local scrapyard after a bad fire in town.  All of them empty so far!)

Note that the bottom of welding tanks often make great dishing forms and so are prized by SCA armour makers.

So for me at typical tank goes: Valve/stem: nonferrous scrap, top of tank: bell, center of tank: shell(s) for propane forges, bottom of tank: dishing form.

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51 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Yes "nitrates" were practically the definition of "bad actors" for a long time---Remember that Captain Nemo sank a nitrate carrying ship around 150 years ago, and of course Trinitrotoluene  so handy for the attempted eradication of Geococcyx californianus!

Three google searches in there for me! :lol:

Not too familiar with volatile and explosive gasses but i do know anything under pressure should be worked with caution. Especially people.

Thanks for all the safety first pressure Y'all! 

 

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