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Old 10-02-2014, 05:15 PM
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mr.c mr.c is offline
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: N. Florida
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Ed: If you have Praxair tanks, the closest location to you is in Palatka. I am in Ocala and have to drive to Gainesville to replace my tanks.
I had in my shop a big WW2 vintage oxygen bottle. It had a signal corps neck collar. I had it for over 40 years just sitting in my shop. A gift from my dad. On one of my trips to Praxair, I asked about whether I could have them hydro the tank and convert it to a argon bottle. They said yes and I took the bottle up on my next trip. They sent the bottle to Jacksonville and I waited. After a few weeks, I remembered to check on it and they tried to track it down. I called back a couple of weeks later and they informed me that they couldn't locate it. So they had to give me a tank from their exchange system. In the end that really worked out best for me but I suspect that that vintage tank is on display somewhere. It was pristine with all sorts of war time information painted on it. Locations dates insignias etc.
I would have been married to that tank otherwise. Sixty miles round trip to take the empty to them and sixty miles to go get it after it was filled. Now I just go and exchange for a full one. And I didn't have to pay for the hydro. Never will with exchange tanks.
Bottom line, check with Praxair in Palatka. If the bottles have a Geo. W. Fowler collar, Fowler was bought out by Praxair many years ago. They will exchange those. I still see the Fowler bottles from time to time.
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