On Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:40:39 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

That reminds me...I just got 6 C02 bottles a week or so ago. Guy claimed
he fished em out of the trash about 18 yrs ago. Aluminum bottles..seem
to be in good shape, paint is badly faded...but the $35 Deposit stickers
are still readable.

What should I do with them? Hang on to them after sufficient
cleaning..turn them back to CC or? The guy they came from is
trustworthy as can be and I know he didnt steal them...if he said they
came out of a dumpster..they in fact did.

I do use Co2 for mig.

Gunner

Don't worry about getting Coca-Cola to pony up on the deposits - they
are worth more than that nowadays, it would be a sucker lowball
payment. Consider them owner cylinders.

With the prevalence of Cryo CO2 Dewars in the market, they don't
have nearly the demand anymore in the soda biz. They can run for
decades on what they have, now that they only get used as a backup
supply most places.

And consider that the cylinders may have been in the trash because
they failed Hydro. Not likely, because they would drill a hole in the
side to make sure they cant be used again, but you never know.

I would clean them thoroughly and check the head-stamps for clues.
If they XXX'd out the registration numbers, that might be a fail sign.
And if they are beaten up too bad they would fail on visual - remember
Aluminum likes to fail catastrophically by developing fractures...

Then take the cleaned up bottles to a welding supply and send them
through for a Hydro and CO2 fill - you'll get them back, or you won't.

The big question being - if one or more fails Hydro, do you get it
back? And do they stick you with the test fee? And is the recycling
value higher than the test fee? (Probably is, they use a high-grade
forging alloy...)

I would be VERY wary if they don't send the failed cylinder back and
try to bill you for the test anyway - they might be trying to get paid
twice for the same job (by you and by the recycling center) which is
always nice IF you don't get caught...

I had an old Coca-Cola tank like that, and my Refrigeration house at
the time just did a straight exchange for the fill cost, they didn't
worry about it's parentage.

-- Bruce --