I got these from my dad after he died. They are at least 40 years old. Are they still legal and safe to fill and use?
Take them to a location/supplier that exchanges bottles. Some charge if they are out of date, some just exchange and swallow the retest, others do the exchange and charge you for the test. I would not say anything other wanting to exchange and see what happens. If they don’t exchange and only fill they may or may not look. hopefully the have a slight bit of product in them ..
As @jimmy six said , some places are sticklers for dates , inspections , regulations … blah blah blah . other places just want the the credit card to scan and get you out the door . IF they need and inspection , it’s not a stupid amount of money anyways. cheaper then buying or renting new bottles .
I had a set a while back that were last hydro tested in the 70’s. The mfg date was like 1946. I had to sweet talk the local welding supply guy. He swapped me out for a good set.
Hello, We used to live by the largest welding shop in all of Long Beach. They serviced the harbor giant businesses all the way down to the hot rod/speed shops nearby. It was a few blocks from our last house and very easy to go to pick up/exchange bottles as needed. Today, it is still in business, but the name is changed from the large corporation that owned it since the 70s. We bought our gas welding tanks and kit from them in 1959. Used it throughout our hot rod/drag race days and sold it to a friend when we were finished after our Willys Coupe build. It was a few years old and in great condition. But, if we had kept it until our mom was ready to move, that was 38 years. we would not have sold it after it had been sitting in our backyard garage. The place we would have contacted to dispose of the old tanks would be this place. Since you are in So Cal, perhaps you could call and if so, drive down the Long Beach Freeway from Pasadena for a short drop off and visit the shoreline while you are there. Jnaki Earlier this month, I posted the latest information on the old welding shop. Here is the post: So, what happens if one types in “welding” in a specific place for your area? Asking for the new YELLOW PAGES? Bill Williams Welding from those early hot rod days when we lived in the Westside of Long Beach to today. The shop building/yard area is still a welding facility that covers almost a whole block. The historic old hot rod/LB mural on the whole front of the blue painted main building on Santa Fe Avenue. Hello, My brother and I grew up in the Westside of Long Beach. We owned two different houses there from 1948 to 1998. We knew most of the shops and owners until we moved away. One of the mainstays along this busy corridor, the main street in the Westside Neighborhood, Santa Fe Avenue, was the huge Bill Williams Welding complex. It took up almost the whole block on Santa Fe Avenue and all the way deep into the next street over, Cota Avenue. In its prime, most of their business was welding for the myriad of industries in the area and into the harbor areas. They handled jobs no one else could do, due to the facilities and equipment. But, they also had a thriving business with the local community for any small to large welding projects. Fences to industrial frames and repairs. They made a custom tow bar for our 1940 Willys Coupe out of an oval shaped rod, bent at specific angles to make sure it had room to move up and down. Then the flattened ends fit the bumper brackets of the Willys Coupe perfectly. On the ball end, a standard ball cup was welded to fit the solid tow bar bumper hitch that was on our 58 Impala. Once that was finished, we could now tow our 40 Willys Coupe anywhere to get work done or when finished, tow to the dragstrip, nearby. Similar in looks… although it is a model year newer. Look under the front grille for a similar black tow bar on the ground. Jnaki When we were finished with our hot rod/drag strip adventures, they did some other welding projects we could not do with our gas welder. So, they were a mainstay along the busy street and continued to do so years after we moved away. In the 70s they were purchased by a big corporate company and was a new business. The welding portion was still in play for many years to come and the façade of the building looked as if it were the 50s, with the large Bill Williams logo and artwork completed in a bright blue paint. It stood out for blocks as most buildings were not painted blue. We always wondered who made the statue profile of a welder in a mask on top of the famous huge sign. But, as we got older, the company was purchased by a larger conglomerate and the sign changed. We never took a photo at night, but did see the outline of the neon glowing in the dark. In the day time, it stands out as a symbol to all welders, from the early gas torches to the present day works… We still call it the Bill Williams Welding Company and can be found in the new Yellow Pages...YRMV
Ive heard stories of bottles from the 20's and 30's still in circulation. The most interestimg one was German WW2 issue and still had the Waffenapt acceptance stamps, aka "dirty birds"
I’ve had ancient bottles before. Like WWII era. One even looked like it had a ******** in the code stuff, but I’m not sure.
If the tanks p*** hydro test, and an educated visual inspection, they should be fine. If we condemned them just because they're old, what would we say about original '32 front axles?
I understand that you don't want to get rid of old stuff just due to age. That is the an***hesis of the HAMB! However, safety rules are written in blood. Just like other things in modern life, the safe practices have removed the constant reminder that this stuff can maim and kill. Swap them or get them inspected, as already outlined.
The bottles normally last longer than you might expect. I do not know if they have a certain date for non-acceptance, but I never heard of any. Around here (KY) I get bottles inspected and certified for about $40 ea..........but they also refill the bottle so thats added onto the cert charge. In a general sense most of these bottles don't "go bad" unless they were in some adverse situation for a long time. They stamp a date on the bottle when recertifying them. In the picture below it shows a 98 certification. The + means its good for 5 years and the "star" means an additional 5 years. If you have the large industrial tanks like 300 cu ft.........you will need proof that your father purchased them "from the company whose name is on the tank".....not from an auction or individual. Generally the smaller tanks are sold to private owners and usually require no proof of ownership.......but that can vary with the company. Went thru a whole lot of grief over the large tanks I own and bought about 50 years ago. Companies change ownership and often have bottles with the name of the "bought out" company. In my case I switched to a different company that had opened near by me and was able to show them a computer picture from the previous company showing my ownership. 3 Years later they made a company wide decision not to service the privately owned industrial bottles any more.....for anyone. That company was Holston. I don't recommend them as a "go to" for any welding supplies. Luckily my old company still had my records in their computer and agreed to keep me refilled. Selecting a company that is friendly means a lot as far as I'm concerned. Luckily there is another very small company near me that certifys tanks. When my tanks expire or I buy a used tank from someone, they recert it for me and I don't have any problems getting them refilled. Notice on the tank above the 98 date and the + and star. Also notice that the label says "Welding and Therapy Service" for a company name but the neck ring has a different company's name. Thats due to one company buying another . Actually this original "mom and pop" welding store was sold about 3 times and is owned by a bigger company now......so whatever tag was placed onto the tank is probably where you need to go. As far as I know, the gas in the tanks is probably still good.
Just filled my bottles refilled,oxy was expired by a few months,extrab$40,, he didn't charge me the hydro,still, 160.00for both..ouch
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