(Off Topic) Not Scrolled But Neat Idea

[kmmcrafts]

These came across on FB Marketplace and I thought they was too neat to not share with others.. They carved out old LP grill tanks for Halloween decorations.. I can't remember the price now I'm thinking they were selling for $35..

 

[Scrappile]

Well the nice thing about pumpkins, is you carve them out, use them for a short period and then they rot and you throw them away..... nothing to store,,,  AND, they are good to eat also.  My wife makes a delicious ground beef thingy that she bakes in the pumpkin,,,, very good.  Then there are pies, cakes,,,etc.

[Mark SW]

4 hours ago, Scrappile said:

delicious ground beef thingy

Always enjoy them at the holidays.

Those jack-o-lanterns are unique.

 

[CharleyL]

Carving old propane tanks is very risky business, if you don't take proper precautions to assure that there is absolutely no propane in them. I am a welder and also a retired fire marshal. Don't do this until after the valve has been removed and the tank filled with water, and dumped twice, then let dry upside down before attempting to cut them. A plasma cutter is fastest, but full body protection is required.

Charley

[OCtoolguy]

I was thinking he same thing Charley. Not something I would attempt.

[ChelCass]

33 minutes ago, CharleyL said:

Carving old propane tanks is very risky business, if you don't take proper precautions to assure that there is absolutely no propane in them. I am a welder and also a retired fire marshal. Don't do this until after the valve has been removed and the tank filled with water, and dumped twice, then let dry upside down before attempting to cut them. A plasma cutter is fastest, but full body protection is required.

Charley

Had a friend who worked with propane tanks, Did all the required precautions and the tank still blew up and killed him.  I saw that these little tanks cut into jack o lanterns are available at Home Depot.

[kmmcrafts]

I'm not certain how much they was charging, IF I was to make one and carved it out like these are.. I'd probably consider it a safer idea to buy a new tank that had never had LP in it yet.. maybe they are new tanks that they carve.. Personally I'd rather just "paint" old tanks like that and use the glow-in-dark paints or reflective paints or vinyl wrap etc.. Just don't do it with gas in them as I believe they legally have to be white with the stickers showing? If it's legal to have other colors then you could paint them.. and storage could be on your gas grille LOL.. 

[BadBob]

18 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

I'd probably consider it a safer idea to buy a new tank that had never had LP in it yet

How would you know it never had LP gas in it?

 

[kmmcrafts]

35 minutes ago, BadBob said:

How would you know it never had LP gas in it?

 

Open the valve to see if it smells? Obviously outside and away from anything that could spark.

[CharleyL]

The "smell" of Propane is Methyl Mercaptan (Sp) and not Propane, and it really stinks, even in very small quantities. There is no significant Propane smell without it. They add the Methyl Mercaptan to the Propane so a leak is easier to detect even with just your nose. Unfortunately, it doesn't vaporize at the same rate as the Propane, so smelling it or not may not give you a good reliable clue as to the presence of Propane. 

I'm hoping that whoever is making these decorations is either using manufacturing reject tanks that were never used for Propane, or they have some sophisticated means of rendering them safe before cutting into them. Pulling a vacuum on them to 29 or more inches of vacuum will remove the propane and the Methyl Mercaptan quite well. Filling one with water and draining it twice is a good method too. Removing the valve and then opening up the top area around the valve hole with a non heat/spark method will make them quite safe. If it does ignite, the large opening will prevent the explosion, but maybe not a small quick fire. They might be filling them with water and opening the top while the water is in it. If there is anything in it that will burn, the remaining volume above the water will eliminate a chance of explosion. You get an explosion when the fire suddenly expands the vapors and air within at a rate that exceeds the ability of the vent hole to release it. The pressure inside builds until the container ruptures. A large hole prevents the internal pressures from rupturing the tank.

My #2 son and I are certified refrigeration technicians. Some of the new refrigerators and freezers are being made using unscented Propane as the refrigerant gas. It's still very flammable, but sealed inside the pipes, coils, and the compressor of the unit, at least until a leak occurs. Then, it has been determined that the leak of this small amount will likely be so small that it will not be a hazard. However, a sudden opening and rapid release can cause a hazard, if there is an ignition point nearby. You only need 7% Propane mixed into the air for it to be ignitable, but it has a 270 to 1 expansion ratio when going from liquid to gas. Less than 7% of the Propane gas in the air will not ignite.

Many new refrigerants are being tried in an effort to replace Freon, which was discontinued 20+ years ago, because of it's hazard to the Ozone layer above the Earth. Even some of the replacements, which were temporary fixes until new refrigerants could be developed, are now being discontinued. Propane has always been a very good refrigerant, as was Ammonia, and Sulphur Dioxide, but we have been avoiding using them since it was felt that the Freon was so much safer to humans. Safer to us, yes, but not to the Ozone layer in the atmosphere. Ammonia, even in low percentages, is lethal, but commercial frozen food manufacturers and distribution centers are switching back to it because of the Freon problems and because Ammonia is so much more efficient and cheap. Sulphur Dioxide is toxic even in very small quantities, so just not a good alternative. Refrigerators made in the 1920's and 30's mostly used Sulphur Dioxide. My son is certified for Ammonia, and is maintaining the refrigeration systems at a 3.2 million sq ft frozen food warehouse, but he hates working with it because of the dangers. Household Ammonia is only a few % Ammonia. The rest is water. Refrigeration Ammonia has no water in it at all, so much more dangerous to living things like us.