Blobby Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 i have been given four air bottles, two 3L 300 bar and two 10L 300 bar all with built in guages, I believe these were from a house clearance and were used for medical oxygen, can anyone tell me if these can be used as recharge bottles, or where I would need to take them to find out in the Doncaster area, cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 THe cylinder casings probably are suitable, but the valve sets are not suitable. The cylinders are the property of the gas company who's name is stamped onto the shoulder. If you can post some close up pictures of the stamping I will be able to assist. webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evo Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 these are oxygen bottles,not air,totally different,my son uses these and i was informed under no circumstance can you fill an air rifle with these,also do not smoke by them either just ring the company who,s number will be on the bottle somewhere and return them as you will find no one will touch them,,,hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 these are oxygen bottles,not air,totally different,my son uses these and i was informed under no circumstance can you fill an air rifle with these,also do not smoke by them either just ring the company who,s number will be on the bottle somewhere and return them as you will find no one will touch them,,,hope this helps In principle you are correct but the specifics of that relate to the contents and valves. The bottles, if they were emptied, if it was possible to fit the right valves and if they were in date, would be fine! Could be a lot of malarkey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 They are the property of the Oxygen company and the NHS (Oxygen company sub contracts to NHS). So ring them first, if they do not want them back open the cylinder up and vent all the oxygen outside. Can take hours so wait. Have a word with Adi at A&M Custom Gunsmiths, he will be able to help you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 I can't imagine that ANY reputable dive shop / air filling shop would fill these for you with air for shooting. If they did, then they could find themselves in a world of trouble. (My wife is an IDEST cylinder inspector, so I do know a bit about the subject) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 I can't imagine that ANY reputable dive shop / air filling shop would fill these for you with air for shooting. If they did, then they could find themselves in a world of trouble. (My wife is an IDEST cylinder inspector, so I do know a bit about the subject) I'm not following this, if they were sold, cleaned, emptied the right valve fitted and in test what is the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 (edited) Also you do not have to get them filled at an Idest station, several places will charge cylinders, A&M Gunsmiths charge cylinders! Just make sure they are empty first! Edited October 4, 2012 by secretagentmole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Right, a few points about the way dive/gun filling/medical oxygen/any type of cylinder is made, assembled and serviced/inspected. The cylinders are, as has been pointed out, identical in the 'base' metal. The coloured markings on the cylinder (paint, etc) tell a lot about what that cylinder can be filled with. This cylinder paint setup must NEVER be filled with air, for example, and should only be filled with pure oxygen. As has also been pointed out, the valve at the top would need to be changed. But it's not as easy as repainting the cylinder and swapping the valve. The cylinder as it stands is set up for pure oxygen. That means it has been fully O2 cleaned, and inspected to those standards. When it has the new valve installed, it will have to be re-inspected and tested, to be taken out of O2 service. As it is a pure O2 cylinder, it would need to have a full hydrostatic test (dive cylinders are 2.5 years visual, 5 yrs hydro). I believe gun cylinders are 5 years only. Now, this next part comes from my wife, she has said she would need to check to confirm, but ... as it has been a O2 cylinder, and as that causes more rapid rusting, she believes in must now have 2.5 year hydro tests forever. Oh, and I do know that lots of places can fill cylinders. However, any business that is willing to fill an out-of-test cylinder for you really doesn't give a damn about your safety. I've seen the aftermath of a cylinder failure. It involved a dead dog, one person losing an arm (and yes, the person was several feet from their arm, not just loss of use), another person losing an eye, and 3 other people hospitalised. A cylinder failure is similar to a grenade going off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Oh, one other thing. the greases, etc in your gun can quite easily explode if used with high O2 percentages. That is why divers have different cylinders for Nitrox and air, and that's why dive regulators are also nitrox serviced. The higher O2 percentages in nitrox can also lead to the same detonations, so that equipment is serviced to very specific requirements Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evo Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 well said rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Why the hell do you think I said empty it first? If it is vented and allowed to empty completely it will then be able to be filled. I did not at any point suggest filling a gun with the current contents! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blobby Posted October 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 thanks guys, seems to be a lot of grief attached to these bottles and a lot of moral searching, i tought i was on to a winner, but probably best to just call the company to come and collect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Why the hell do you think I said empty it first? If it is vented and allowed to empty completely it will then be able to be filled. I did not at any point suggest filling a gun with the current contents! If it was only that simple. It has to be emptied, new valve purchased, the cylinder has to have a full hydrostatic test (and as it has been O2 used, probably shotblasted internally) and have the new valve fitted, the cylinder has to be repainted and marked up. Only then could it be re-used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 It is the valve that is the killer, a hydro is only £25, the valve can be £70 or so, be better to see if someone made a DIN adaptor for them, use the existing vake and gauge if they were rated to 300 bar, but you would need new gauges! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkhawk67 Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 (and as it has been O2 used, probably shotblasted internally) Only then could it be re-used. If the cylinder has been charged with gas continuously I doubt it would need shot blasting. This is only usually required if it has been left empty. I am a diving instructor and mixed gas blender so I have some idea what I'm talking about. But I do agree that it's not really worth the hassle even though it's possible. Also I have three cylinders that are used for carrying 100% oxygen for decompression stops while diving and these require no more regular testing than cylinders used for normal air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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