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Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / bbq smoker
- - By tompit9 (***) Date 02-26-2010 03:01
could I get the proper way to go about cutting into an empty propane tank, please. Thnx
Parent - - By KFab (**) Date 02-26-2010 04:33
fill it with water..
Parent - - By tompit9 (***) Date 02-26-2010 13:31
will there be any reaction?
Parent - By JeremyW83 (***) Date 02-26-2010 14:49
What do you mean by reaction.  By putting water into you are essentially pushing all of the remaining gas and oxygen out.  And those are two of the three things you will need for combustion(fuel & oxygen).  Also make sure that you remove any plugs that would make you lose water.
Parent - - By shorthood2006 (****) Date 02-26-2010 21:29
tom, fill it with water and make your first cut....it needs to the brim when filling it with water.  dump the water out and you will be fine...i build alot of smokers and there is nothing too it. if i was near boyd...i would do it for you.call me if you have any questions
580 748 0445
Parent - By tompit9 (***) Date 02-27-2010 00:14
Thnx Darin
Parent - By fbrieden (***) Date 03-01-2010 19:52
The inside will get wet!
Parent - By jwright650 (*****) Date 02-26-2010 15:28
Not knowing the size it's hard to say, but possibly use a cold cutting process like a band saw.
Parent - By Metarinka (****) Date 02-26-2010 18:15
rinse it with water several times, fill it to right below the line your cutting at.  usually does the trick.
Parent - By low_hydrogen (**) Date 03-01-2010 21:19
9 out of 10  times the filling it with water will work, the exhaust fumes is a horrible way to do it, your just loading the tank with combustable gas.  The only 100 percent safe method is to purge it with nitrogen. IMO

I know I'll hear a lot of comments about, I've been doing it this way with water for years, no problems or I have been hooking my power stroke exhaust to gas tanks before I weld on them and nothings happened to me.
And that great but the reason no one comments on how it didn't work for them is because they are dead......  cubic feet times 2, nitrogen that's my two cents
Parent - - By raftergwelding (*****) Date 03-04-2010 03:51
convince the customer to pay for some big diameter casing and start from scratch i will not build bbq pits out of propane tanks.
Parent - By Metarinka (****) Date 03-04-2010 23:31
My second welding job was working for as a sheet metal welder for a company that made restauraunt hoods tables etc. We also made smokers and BBQ's and repaired them as small gravy projects.  Everyone wanted a 55 gal or propane tank BBQ.  Much easier to just make one out of a rolled piece of stainless (and it will last longer) 

Any metal shop that has a shear and a three ring roller should be able to roll a piece of thin gauge stainless or even mild steel to whatever diameter you want.   Wouldn't even be that expensive. 30 mins of work tops.
- - By JLWelding (***) Date 02-26-2010 22:45
Would someone tell me why this wont work? Fill with water then flush. Take your lawn mower of your sa200 and pipe exhaust into tank, one inlet. Let it run while you cut.
Yes no maybe
Parent - By waccobird (****) Date 02-26-2010 22:50
JLWelding
If the engine burns all the combustible fumes from the fuel it is burning it might.
I have done a many that way when I was younger also used co2
Marshall
PS I am older now and the thrill is gone. So I will have the plate rolled for mine.
Parent - - By DaveBoyer (*****) Date 02-27-2010 02:23
You are blowing MORE OXYGEN into the tank when You cut with a torch. Any unburnt fuel from the engine exhaust, and You are right back where You started.

Having said that, it probably won't blow. How luckey do You feel?

I met a guy who scrapped condemed propane cylinders for a living. He just torched holes in them, no water, no purge. He said on ocasion one would flare at the cut. He did this for several years without incident. Personally, I think He was nuts.
Parent - - By Bob Garner (***) Date 03-01-2010 18:36
What I've seen happen:  Tank to be cut has been well cleaned out and is empty.  Burner starts cutting through the tank and partway around his cut, the torch goes out.  Burner keeps his torch near the cut and reaches down for the flint.  By the time he flints the torch, the air in the tank has cooled and sucked in some gas from the unlit torch.  Burner flints his torch, puts it back on the cut, and BOOM.  So fill the tank to displace any volume that could trap gas.
Parent - By JLWelding (***) Date 03-01-2010 23:15
Several years ago there was a man that had a shop over near Taylor Tx. and he was welding on a fuel trans port tanker he had done this a lot from what I was told. He went to lunch came back turned on argon and let it run a while and began welding then boom. He's not with us any more. I worked for a lime co. and we where building pontoons for a water pump suction line. I dont know who the geniuss was but they decided to use varsall barrells for the float. They were welding on this for a while then went to lunch, same thing came back and struck a arc and boom. All that happen to him was is he took a 90mph ride across the shop. Lucky
- - By Fritz T Katt (**) Date 03-04-2010 22:07
I don't see why taking the valve completely off, rinsing with water and then letting sit for 24 hours wouldn't work?

All of the LPG should be washed out by the water, then any fumes SHOULD evaporate in the 24 hours. If not, is a nitrogen/argon purge so hard?

Isn't Liquid Propane Gas an oxymoron?
Parent - By Superflux (****) Date 03-05-2010 02:35
BBQ smoker? My only question is, wouldn't the scent (Mercaptan) that is added to the propane foul the smoker? Perhaps if it were well seasoned through several cycles of say a good hickory, apple or mesquite fire with bacon fat before actually cooking on it.
On the other hand, a clever light weight and cheap way to go if it doesn't impart any extra aroma.
Up Topic Welding Industry / General Welding Discussion / bbq smoker

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