Anyone know how to cut open an empty disposable propane tank?

[plmitch]

Did a search and came up with a graphite crucible for $45 shipped might be cheaper than a ride to the hospital or worse to the morgue.

Thats some sound advice right there. Take it.

[Springfield]

I've got a bunch of cast iron cornbread moulds, why don't you just buy them and save yourself a whole lot of trouble?

[MBTcustom]

People who try to get everything for free are a problem. Sometimes a self correcting problem.

[plmitch]

I've got a bunch of cast iron cornbread moulds, why don't you just buy them and save yourself a whole lot of trouble?

There you go.

[jonas302]

Depends on if you have the area to do it if it was me I would put a small hole in it with maybe a 22 or pellet gun throw it in a bonfire and let it roast pick it out the next day and do as you please

[letsmeltlead2693]

Wouldn't one of those cast iron cup things work? The things with three legs and has a handle on it. Here is the link to understand what I am talking about https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefro...idProduct=3966.

[Cadapult]

If you have a welding supplier near by check the cost of an oxygen or acetylene cylinder cover. My son used one as a crucible and melted down about 20 pounds of soda cans in it before a pinhole burned through it. I welded up the hole and he's kept going. It should last longer than the propane tank, be pretty cheap, and not subject you to stern comments from forum members. ;^)
Cadapult

[nelsonted1]

My brother has a body shop and has tried welding leaky gas tanks. He'd always take them off the car and fill them with water. He had one blow up from flat to round. He said it scared him witless and won't do it anymore.

We had some upright propane we used in the 1960s for the kitchen stove. they were about 31/2 feet tall. I decided I needed a cauldron to melt wheelwieghts in. I stared at the chosen tank for a long time before I started on the project.

First I shot a hole through it with a rifle. Then hooked up the air compressor and ran air through it for quite awhile. Then ran water through it. Finally got Dad to stand a ways back and watch me cut it in 1/2 with a sawzall. He stood back so if it whoomped and blew my seams Dad would be the witness to my demise. Worked fine but I was very unsettled doing the deed. Those tanks hadn't had propane in them 35 years at least and i was still scared.

I had a tremendous amount of fun telling the guys in the neighborhood I was going to cut a propane tank that hadn't been used in 35 years in 1/2. Man, the explosion of "Don't you dares!" I got from people.

[Longwood]

I used to live where I could make good money here in California.
I spent nearly every weekend camping out somewhere to escape the madness.
I made several "Tree's" with two stove connections and a light connection on top.
All of the connections were the threaded screw on tops from the little portable bottles.
The first ones I cut in a big fabricators band saw that had a hydraulic cylinder that would let me set the feed rate.
I would set it with the blade about an inch high and walk a short distance away as the saw slowly lowered and cut the bottles. That saw ran at many feet per second faster than I could ever duplicate with a hand hack saw

[Blue Hill]

Unscrew the valve out of the cylinder. Fill with water until over flowing.
This displaces all the gas.( Add some detergent to reduce surface tension.)
Cut with an angle grinder (cutting disk).
That's how I hid mine, and nothing went bang.

(my tank was a refillable propane tank)

Rollmyown has it right. That's all you need to do. The valve will be brass, so no sparks. Empty the tank, unscrew the valve. I left mine sitting upside down in the sun for a day just cause I'm anal. Do the water thing. I dropped a lit match in mine after all of the above. No issues.
Blue

[adrians]

Rollmyown has it right. That's all you need to do. The valve will be brass, so no sparks. Empty the tank, unscrew the valve. I left mine sitting upside down in the sun for a day just cause I'm anal. Do the water thing. I dropped a lit match in mine after all of the above. No issues.
Blue

just did another one this weekend...... no honeydoos , old empty tank, plenty of time to mess around
i use an angle grinder with a cut-off wheel,,,, took about 10 minutes .

[zxcvbob]

Don't those little disposable tanks have a Schrader valve in the top (not the main flange, but off to the side for a vent)? Unscrew the core and you can fill the tank with water. Then cut it however you want.

[Longwood]

Don't those little disposable tanks have a Schrader valve in the top (not the main flange, but off to the side for a vent)? Unscrew the core and you can fill the tank with water. Then cut it however you want.

Actually,,, There is a schrader valve in the top.
There is a plastic tube pressed in after it.
That valve on the side works in the opposite direction.
Safety pop off.
It can be pulled to release trapped air when refilling the little tanks.

[orry]

ok just from what im hearing , ill tell ya this much , its a lot simpler than you are making it ,

like all flammable substances it has an enemy ,, water

take a punch/railroad spike/ hunting knife/ect

punch a large hole in the tank , allow it to fill with soap water , empty , repeat.


then while its still soaking wet , hit it with a grinder.

i did this with a 20lb cylinder to make a crude charcoal furnace for melting brass , it worked , but not for long as it was run over with a triaxel.

so yes , punch a hole in it fill with soap water , and cut . also try to ignore the rambling grammatical errors of one who posts advise at 0130hours.

[Blue Hill]

Ok Orry.
I'd be a little careful about punching a hole in a steel propane tank with a steel anything, thinking of the sparks I might create and any propane residue still left in the tank. If it hasn't went poof by the time you got a hole punched in it, you likely don't need the water.
Just my humble opinion, likely worth about what you paid for it.

[MarkW]

As has already been mentioned, the 1 pound bottles are perfectly safe to cut with a hacksaw.

If you still do not believe me, toss one of them into a fire and notice that it does not look much different when the fire burns out. About teh only thing I would say is to run a drywall screw into the valve to get it to purge, but even that isn't completely necessary.

[dnotarianni]

As has already been mentioned, the 1 pound bottles are perfectly safe to cut with a hacksaw.

If you still do not believe me, toss one of them into a fire and notice that it does not look much different when the fire burns out. About teh only thing I would say is to run a drywall screw into the valve to get it to purge, but even that isn't completely necessary.

Before you toss that tank in a fire please leave all your reloading and casting stuff to me in your will.
Thanks
Dave

[Blue Hill]

+1 to what Dave said and since he asked first, yeah leave all your RL and casting stuff to him in your will, but if you have any nice guns...
Blue

[bullethead]

Do you have an idiot brother-in-law?

[letsmeltlead2693]

I cut a hole in the tank last week, no explosions and the tank is ready to be cut.