Gas bottle identification

Smoochy916 · Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:08 pm

I recently acquired a gas bottle from a friend who got it at an estate sale. He didn't want it but had to take it, and knowing that I weld... So here I am with the bottle of mystery gas, ummm, yeah... Anywho, here is a pic if anyone can help me figure this out I would be eternally grateful. Thanks

Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:23 pm

Hey, In Australia or Europe it might be chlorine gas but in the USA it could be Acetylene (though I would think acet would be a short fat cylinder) . Any stamps or marks on it, besides those stickers. What does the valve look like?

Thu Jan 08, 2015 10:38 pm

No "neck ring" label?

How much pressure is in it? If it's empty, it can be anything you want it to be. Or you can dump it, and THEN it can be anything you want it to be.

That's a high-pressure cylinder. Could be almost anything.

Check the recertification date. There will be several, stamped into the steel on the neck.

A recertification date (for example) of 12-12 with a "+" will mean the bottle is certified to 12-17. If there's a "+" and a "*" together, the bottle would be certified to December of 2022.

Steve S

Braehill · Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:10 pm

Color coding is not standard in the US, although most times the CGA number on the valve will tell if it was in Flammable, Oxygen or inert service. Usually if it's inert it will have a CGA580 valve, flammable will be CGA350 (LH Thread),and Oxygen will have a CGA540 valve, CO2 will have either a CGA580 or CGA320 if it's 100% CO2.

Neck ring will tell you who the bottle likely belongs to (likely it's company owned and leased) and stampings will tell if it's within test dates and able to be filled without recerts.

Let us know these things that I've mentioned and we can go from there. Take a close up of all the stampings and the name on the neck ring (casted raised lettering).

Len
P.S. Please don't just dump it until you know what's in it, could be some God awful specialty gases in a high pressure cylinder.

Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:14 pm

I have one at work stamped (neck ring) Army Air Service Baloon, with an original certification of March, 1919.

Braehill · Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:57 pm

I just looked at the photo close up and judging by the colored dots on the bottle, I'm guessing it's some sort of Tri-mix gas for Mig, but that's just that, a guess.

Len

Artie F. Emm · Fri Jan 09, 2015 12:31 am

Welcome, Smoochy. If you'll twist the cap off and post a photo of the valve and especially the outlet, that will go a long way toward telling what it's for. What kind of welding do you do? If you have any regulators, do any of them fit?

dirtmidget33 · Fri Jan 09, 2015 2:00 am

Wow mystery gas

What could it be

hmmm toxic

Snorting gas

Let's see if it burns

The suspense is killing me

Seriously be safe please just don't dump it, take pic of valve, if gas can not be identified maybe even take it to your gas supplier see if they can empty and change it over for a gas you do use

Mike · Fri Jan 09, 2015 9:47 am

Welcome to the forum.

jwright650 · Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:35 pm

Looks like the ring has raised letters that say "OXYGEN"...but who knows what is really inside.

WerkSpace · Tue Jan 13, 2015 2:07 am

It looks like your bottle has 'Oxygen' stamped near the top of the cylinder.
It could be a bottle for refilling Scuba tanks. http://www.nuvair.com/storage-storagetank.shtml

Smoochy916 wrote:I recently acquired a gas bottle from a friend who got it at an estate sale. He didn't want it but had to take it, and knowing that I weld... So here I am with the bottle of mystery gas, ummm, yeah... Anywho, here is a pic if anyone can help me figure this out I would be eternally grateful. Thanks

Artie F. Emm · Tue Jan 13, 2015 7:29 am

Many welding supply places have "oxygen " in their name; when it's stamped on the neck ring that's tthe owner ID.

Still nothing from the OP. We may never know the outcome!

Smoochy916 · Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:22 pm

Thanks so much everyone for all the help! Apologies for taking so long to get back to you guys but I got really busy for a bit there. Anyway, the mystery gas. Well I put some in a balloon and filled it to what looked like one cubic foot by volume.
No odor, no color, the balloon felt heavy, and when I dropped it hit the floor with a thump, albeit a small one but a thump nonetheless. Didn't bounce either, I thought that was weird. The balloon felt cool but not exceptionally so. I had but one last test to perform, was it flammable?? Found a bit of time delay fuse with the odds and ends and I'm of to the back yard! After making sure my cat Kato was inside (he kills balloons on sight) I lit the fuse and made a hasty retreat. The six inches of fuse burned for exactly 30 seconds and! Nothing... It was disappointing to say the least. Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks again everyone! Leif

exnailpounder · Fri Jan 30, 2015 9:53 pm

Dump it and take it in for a refill. I buy used bottles all the time and Airgas is the only one that wont take a bottle with a competitors name on it...my other LWS will take anyones bottle..just have to pay for a new hydro.