monkinetic the blog

If you had been in my welding shop a while back, you’d have seen a paper sign hanging on the wall that said “Do Not Set Yourself On Fire”. A sensible individual might see this as self-evident. I’ve had reason for reminder.

Today I decided over lunch to pursue a project I’ve had in mind for a long time, making a hanging bell from an old propane tank. Yes, you – being a sensible individual – can see where this heading.

Now, I’m not actually stupid, and this tank has been sitting with the valve open for probably 1.5 years in my side yard, which seemed a long enough time for the tank to be well empty (the foreshadowing is painful, isn’t it?)

So I cut off the collar that prevents the valve from being damaged, and – seeing as the valve is rusted in place – begin to use an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel to remove said valve. Thankfully this task id not come to an early and explosive conclusion, but about halfway through the tank began spewing foul-smelling propane into the shop. I put (read “threw”) the grinder down, ran and slammed the mains off at the electrical box, and opened the garage door. Unstrapping the venting tank, I scrambled to get it out front to finish emptying while I tried to convince my heart that I was not, actually, currently, ON FIRE.

A quick tour of YouTube reveals a few ways to go about emptying the tank properly, most would be easier if I’d left the collar on… back to the drawing board?