Recycling a cylinder

[UWDoc]

So here's a new one to me. A while back I mistakenly bought a used Walter Kidde Al80. I decided I didn't want to use it because of the 6351 issue so it sat in my garage for a while. The other day I was out running errands and brought the cylinder with me (devalved) to drop off at the local metal recycler. The guy told me that they couldn't take it unless it was cut in half - something about explosion risk. I asked and he said cutting more holes in it is not enough. I don't have access to one of those metal-cutting band saws and so now here I sit with it. I don't want to throw it in the landfill because that is stupid but I have no way to cut it up for recycling. I don't even want the $10 it is worth as scrap - I just want to get rid of it. Any ideas? Maybe dump it in one of those aluminum beverage collection bins under cover of darkness?

 

[JDMerk]

Nah those alum can recyclers probably aren't set up to handle them. Best bet is to find a local diver who has access to a metal shop or possibly gift it to a dive shop or hydro facility. They make cool trash cans for offices once you cut the top off...al100's are better tho.

 

[scubafanatic]

honestly, I wouldn't screw with it anymore...you made a good faith effort to recycle it, but don't make a career out of it....put it in the regular trash for regular pick up...or wait until your area has it's annual 'toxic'/special trash drive......my area runs those like annually where they accept all those dangerous/hard to get rid of items (used oil/car batteries/paint/etc.)...I'm sure they'd accept it then...and at least then it would BE recycled/handled properly. Also remember, sometime in the future, when natural resources/metals have been depleted and humanity is desperate, I predict landfills will actually be 'mined' for things like old metals, so even if you had it tossed into a regular landfill, it will eventually resurface, as it were, it's just a matter of time.

 

[crpntr133]

I had the same issue last year and ended up using a hack saw and a rotary tool. It actually didn't take that long. And since I had several tanks..CO2...it was worth it.
Aren't you at IUPUI? Do they have a machine shop that could cut it in half.

 

[Mitchell]

any scrap dealer will take it. they did mine.

 

[Skookumchuck]

Or do this..

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

I want one for a mail box... but otherwise any scrap metal facility should take it. our local one has a list of items they dont take like refrigerators but people just wait until the place is closed at night and they pile them up against the gate. That is always an option.

If you have any local welding/fab shops around just give it to them. I used to do fab work and a piece of 7" aluminum would have come in handy several times. We kept everything and I tried to organize it. you just never know when that stuff will be useful and it beats buying 20ft stick of material for a small project.

If your willing to split shipping with me I would take it assuming you have not drilled any holes in it.

 

[pafindr]

Or do this..View attachment 60389

I was going to say the same thing


You may be able to use a circular saw with a fine tooth blade to cut through the tank. Not sure how well it'll work though.

 

[crpntr133]

I was going to say the same thing


You may be able to use a circular saw with a fine tooth blade to cut through the tank. Not sure how well it'll work though.

Something else that I used was a metal cutting blade for a jig saw. They do make blades for circular saws but it would probably be more expensive than what he would get out of the tank.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

IN the fab shop we routinely cu aluminum of various allows with a skill saw. I experimented with different blades while working at a pontoon manufacture where I cut probably 50-60 thousand pounds of aluminum with a skill/circular/table saws and found that the dewalt carbide blades with 32 teeth worked the best. if you get to many teeth it cuts slower and the material heats up and gulls (turns to paste and plugs the saw) which wore the blade out faster. If you get to few teeth the blade has a tendency to catch and kickback at you.

Wear safety glasses and hearing protection. use some lube like WD40 or another light lube. I had a commercial one I preferred but the name escapes me. Make sure that tank is secured to a work bench or something solid, a ratchet strap on each end would work. And if you have long hair a good hat or a shower cap will keep your hair away from spinning objects but more importantly it keeps the aluminum shavings out of your hair.