Will cutting brass with steel cause a spark?

[hosspuller]

I also found out recently that there is no approved way of getting rid of all of those disposable propane tanks I've thrown out over the years. Apparently they don't want them in trash incenerators... go figure.

22 LR from a pistol does well to perforate the little tank. One swing of the 8-pound sledge conditions the remainder enough for the steel recycle yard.

 

[BlueKnife]

I have some old propane tanks I would like to get rid of but they have to be opened. I am thinking of cutting the valve off with my Sawzall, but really don't care to blow myself up.
Another option is to perforated them with my .308, but that may not go as planned either.

Thank you

Old propane tanks are useful. I wouldn't go shooting holes in them myself. Just unscrew the valve and take it out. Once the valve is unscrewed you can turn the tank upside down and light the propane. It'll burn for a surprisingly long time (it won't blow up) and then you can use the tank.

I made a used oil tank out of a 20 lb propane tank. I cut about a 3 inch hole in the center of the bottom of the tank and then cut the whole bottom off and turned it upside down so that it was like a funnel and welded it in place. I used a piece of expanded mesh to cover the hole and then welded three legs on it. Then I put a ball valve in place of the propane valve. Works great to dump the pan of used oil in there and set the used filter on it to drain. The ball valve makes getting the oil into containers easy and clean.

There are lots of other projects that those tanks are handy for too. Making a lawn roller/ roll roofing roller, small wood stove/rocket stove, fuel tank, parts washer trough etc. etc. Definitely worth keeping around.

 

[CliffordK]

I also found out recently that there is no approved way of getting rid of all of those disposable propane tanks I've thrown out over the years. Apparently they don't want them in trash incenerators... go figure.

I asked about it at the local waste transfer site.

They have a bin near the metal recycling for the little propane tanks.

I suppose I didn't look closely enough to see if they differentiate between propane and oxygen from mini welders.

 

[fruitcakesa]

I unscrewed the valves on a couple of 100 pounders, let them sit for a while before sawzalling them in half and then scrapped them at the local yard.
No drama just that funky smell they put in the propane.

 

[alexpops]

After unscrewing the valve, you can fill with water to displace the propane. Then an angle grinder can be used on the tank body. Like Blue knife said. Lots of good uses (including a cheap DIY forge) so don't just junk unless you have absolutely no use for it.

 

[pmsmechanic]

No drama just that funky smell they put in the propane.

Mercaptan is the odorant used both in natural gas and propane.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Smells like potato starch to me, I always enjoyed the Eau De Propane.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I made a couple of burn barrels from a pair of old 300 gal tanks. I laid them on their sides and held them in place with my FEL bucket. I used a 36" Stillson wrench with a length of pipe on the handle to unscrew the valves. I then filled them with water and cut the ends off with a cordless Sawzall.

The smaller tanks I use on the shooting range. After a couple of years, they are so full of holes, they just rust away. I throw the brass valves in the recycle bin.

 

[bcp]

propane tank lego man - Google Search

www.google.com

Bruce

 

[tacticalturnip]

That is excellent.