Question about oxy/acytelene torch...

[jimnickol1986]

Im gonna be buying a set of torches this weekend of CL, and was wondering how to transport them home? i have a full size truck but i heard somewhere that you arent supposed to lay the tanks down...is this true?

 

[WSMC633]

You can lay them down for transport. But you need to stand they acetylene tank up for a few hours before using it. It's generally better to transport them vertical. Regardless of how you transport them, make sure the caps are on and they are secured very well.

 

[jimnickol1986]

Ok thanks, and another quick question, I spoke with the people at my local gas supply store and they said as long as I have a bill of sale that they are able to swap the tanks or fill them up, anyone e had any issues with getting used tanks filled/swapped?

 

[coldfusion21]

It depends soley on the company that is filling/exchanging them. Also makes sure they are not leased bottles. If your local shop said they would fill/exchange then your good to go

 

[risinoutlaw]

I inherited a set of torches that hadn't been used in well over a decade, and the tanks were practically empty. Local welding supply exchanged them no questions asked.

 

[dr_clyde]

Acetylene is stabilized in an acetone solution, which is suspended in a dense, porus sponge-like ceramic. Without this, acetylene would explode, as it becomes unstable over 15 PSI. When you lay the tank down, the acetone pours out into where the acetylene gas is drawn off in the top of the tank. It takes a couple hours for it to settle back into the ceramic. Otherwise, you risk running acetone through your regulators, which doesn't do them any good.

All other gases do not use this method of gas storage. They are stored as high pressure vapor, save for propane.