I got some supposedly HO scale oxy-acetylene welding sets from Shapeways but they seem awfully small to me. The oxygen tanks measure out to be three scale feet tall not including the valve at the top. IIRC, full sized oxygen tanks are much taller than that.
The reason I’m asking is because I have asked Shapeways to honour their money back guarantee and I want to be able to quote facts instead of guessing.
So, how tall are full sized oxygen tanks?
Please understand that I’m not looking for guesses or estimates. I have already done that myself. What I would really like is for someone who has access to the real thing to throw a tape measure on one and tell me what the actual size is.
Just walked out to my “Tractor Barn” and measured 59½" to the top of the valve wheel. That’s a standard 300 cu. ft. “T” cylinder. Diameter is just a bit over 9". Acetylene is 36" to top of stem and slightly larger diameter.
Gidday Dave, totally ignoring your plea for no guesses or estimates, [:-^] unless Shapeways categorically stated that they were selling you a “full sized” oxy/acetylene welding set, then I’m afraid you won’t get your money back.
I had a set and when exchanging empty bottles never necessarily got the same size or shape in return, I’ll refer you to this chart….
As the bear says, it varies. If its a small job, you dont want to grab a full size bottle for it, when a smaller one will do. Also dont lay the acetylene bottles on their side, ever.
My Oxygen & Acetylene tanks are both the same size…59/1/2//60’'. They are mine, I have them filled, not exchanged. Must have them certified/checked every yr. and have a tag on them, before anyone will fill them and also must have the steel cap that is screwed on over the top to protect the valve. They will not fill them without inspection tag or cap. Also empty and filled, I transport them in My pick-up laying down separated by 4 X 4’s with steel cap on…no way can they move.
There are also small portable tanks and 3/4 tanks of which I think You have, around 48’’ tall.
OK! Thanks guys for giving me the true facts. I had no idea that there could be so many different sizes.
However, what I’m hearing is that if you have a ‘full sized’ oxygen tank it is going to be somewhere around five ft. tall, not three feet. I think it is safe to say that the Shapeways models are clearly not full sized tanks. If they decline my request for a refund then so be it. Hopefully the 1/64th welding sets won’t be too oversized to do the job.
I will wait to see how this all turns out, but if they decline my request for a refund I will be hard pressed to order from them again, that is until they decide to provide more facts with their offerings.
I’m feeling like a real whiner right now. I had high hopes for the Shapeways products.[:'(][banghead][:(!]
Thanks for the kind words! I’m spending my time working on layout structures and bits for various scenes until my yard dries up and I can move a bunch of crap (is that word OK Steven?) out of my layout space in the garage and into out new shed. I wanted to install a walkway to the shed but the pavers that we used in the rest of the backyard are discontinued[:(!][banghead][|(] so I haven’t made a decision on how to proceed re the walkway. That means that for now we are walking across the grass which of course doesn’t work in the spring.
“PROTECT ALL CYLINDERS FROM FALLING OBJECTS. AVOID ROUGH HANDLING, DROPPING, OR KNOCKING OF CYLINDERS TO PREVENT DAMAGING THE CYLINDER, FUSIBLE PLUGS, RELIEF DEVICES, CYLINDER VALVES OR GAUGES. STORING ACETYLENE CYLINDERS ON THEIR SIDE MAKES THE ACETYLENE LESS STABLE AND LESS SAFE, AND INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF SOLVENT LOSS AND RESULTANT DECOMPOSITION. ACETYLENE CYLINDERS SHOULD BE STORED AND USED IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION AND FIRMLY SECURED TO PREVENT FALLING OR BEING KNOCKED OVER.”
They might have a piped system that travels to different locations in the roundhouse. They also might not due to the implications of one of the pipes getting hit by something.
I think that having several welding sets distributed throught the roundhouse would make for much more ‘entertaining’ scenes. From a practical point of view that would reduce the number of hoses running everywhere which would logically reduce the number of potential accidents. Severing a live oxy-acetylene line could get pretty exciting if there was a spark!
MHSA talks about that at the bottom, the LFL is 2.5%, and explosive decompression can happen at 100%. It also states that static sparks caused by walking on carpet are 1700 times what is needed to ignite…
You’re right, Dave, the tanks on wheeled dollies would be more interesting than permanent stations, especially in a roundhouse setting.
In one of the mills where I worked, the process there involved slitting slabs and scarfing defects out of them. The slitting stations had pipes coming out of the ground, with the valves and regulators to which the hoses were connect. Around this area were protective posts made of very sturdy structural steel and that was mostly clad with plate steel. This was mainly to protect the area if a slab were dropped nearby.
The torches there used oxygen with natural gas, with pressures around 120/130psi. Interesting to see when everything was running (although some days you couldn’t see much for the yellow/green haze created when some grades of steel were being scarfed).
A set-up with hose stations wouldn’t be very interesting in a roundhouse scene unless you could animate it…not that I’m trying to plant a seed here…[:-^]
Just to let You know where I have My tanks filled is 3 miles from My house…for that distance problem’s are minimal. Also part of the testing/certification of a welding tank includes laying down, with steel cap protecting the valve. Starting welding in 1960, also worked for a truck line that transported oxygen & acetylene tanks full/empty…also I was Hazmat certified for every type there is…also was a certified handler of US Army Nuclear ordinance for 8’‘/175mm rounds in US/Vietnam 66’ to 68’, although they were not used in Vietnam when I was there in 67’. Many rules and Hazardous warnings are designed/worded for use in large quantities, put in perspective common sense is needed when using and handling…which seem’s to be lacking in a lot of situations. A Hazmat warning on small quantities of paint/lacquer thinner has people worried that they will die
Many years ago I bought a Scale Structures Roundhouse Interior Detail Kit. It had all kinds of hand tools as well as power tools, workbenches, welding tanks, shelving and a lot of locomotive parts.
I do a lot of casting and I made molds of as much as was possible. I just looked up the kit and just like everything else the price is way up there now. The detail parts are cast potmetal and very well detailed.
I checked my molds but after 15+ years the molds are pretty far gone, if they were usable I would make you some castings.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
I had that kit, used a lot of it in a Suydam Diesel house kit…but I never cast My own. Yours looks great! I also use a similar lighting arrangement as You with incandesant blubs. Looks so much better then having wires hanging everywhere.
I went looking through my many many parts drawers and I found the originals from the kit. Well everything but the welding tanks. I kinda remember using the original tanks in my service truck (40s Dodge Power Wagon).
The kit has quite a few more tools than in my picture, the tiny tools were too hard to make molds of so I used many of the original tools in my roundhouse.
I don’t think the roll top desk was part of the roundhouse detail kit. It’s a SS LTD kit too.
Thanks for the good words Frank!
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
I really lit up my roundhouse, four grain of wheat bulbs per stall. 20 12 volt 60ma bulbs operating at 8½ volts, nice realistic incandescent lighting. Just like I remembered the El Paso SP Roundhouse from my teen years in the early 1950s.
This picture was taken during a mass overhaul when I added my new turntable about 10 yerars ago, I built and lit the origanal roundhouse in the early 90s.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
