Thread: Mapp gas cylinder safety heads up

I have seen a redesigned ( squatter ) bottle on sale at bunnies.

I never leave the torch on top of the bottle when not actually in use.

Hi Graeme,

Thanks for the warning, I use MAP fairly often, The thin cylinders dissapeared from circulation a year or so back. I'd be surprised if the newer (squat) cylinders haven't fixed the production/quality control problem by now. All the claims originate from production prior to 2008..

It's interesting that the call the "lock button" a design defect..

Regards
Ray

That website seems typical of the ambulance-chaser type site organised specifically to troll for litigants in a US class-action suit against a deep-pocket defendant (Ca-ching!!)

The tanks have an apparent flaw. I'll have to be careful to run away if I ever drop mine. And to look out for a re-designed version come replacement time.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. One more incidence of the MBA school profiteering causing a potential harmful flaw in a consumer item.

I knocked over about the second or third tank I bought and it fell off the bench onto the shed floor. The neck of the tank was bent so tthat he torch stood about 20º away from the vertical - it was an almost full tank and I didn't think of not using it up. Maybe I was lucky or maybe there's a beat up going on.

Anyway my latest tank is one of those squat ones and I agree the new design looks to be a lot more stable than the old tanks.

i think if you go to supa gas its about half the price

Originally Posted by DavidG

I have seen a redesigned ( squatter ) bottle on sale at bunnies.

I never leave the torch on top of the bottle when not actually in use.

I find I am using an electric heat gun more and more - it gets to over 600°C and silver solders just fine for me.

Grahame
Thanks for the wake up call on the MAPP gas issue.
The results of the accident were very disturbing to say the least.
I just took a run up to Bunnings & they now stock "Fat Boy" gas containers.
They did have the TS4000 model mentioned in the article, but not the Turbo Torch.
I had a good look at the gas containers & think they should be treated with extreme care,
You prompted me to also check my old Primus brand LP Gas torch (about 40 yrs old) & all seems in order.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, gas should always be treated with caution.
regards
Bruce

The FAT BOY cylinder( its a wonder the Stanley trademarks mob has not jumped on that one with Fat boy tapes and levels and god knows what else) )


There was some comment about the new gas which has different make up - possibly to avoid an foot fireball if the bloody cylinder neck breaks off.

It is my understanding that the new replacement Fat Boy cylinder shape contains Max Power Propylene Gas, not Mapp gas which has not been manufactured since 2008. Yes! Mapp gas had proplyene as an ingredient but also had 43% acetylene as well (source Rothenberg Australia)
Max Power Propylene burns at 3,600F, Mapp burns at 5,301. I purchased a FAT boy with a green key, fitted to dump the gas for ultimate cylinder disposal

I have one of the 75 mm diam Mapp gas cyls for 12 months waiting for the gas to run out. .

The neck on this one has a hair line crack around it. I have done lots of work with that torch and it has fall over /off the bench so many times. I am surprised to learn I have been using the same cylinder for nearly 5 years.

It lead to an interesting question.If the cylinder has to be removed because of a cylinder fault and gas can't be bled off,what is the safe method of disposal.
This was where the green key thingy comes came in.The key is inserted only before the cylinder is disposed off. Its not clear after that as I spilled something on my FAT boy that wiped out that part of the the instructions. This means you will have to look at your own fat boy for guidance.

Its too easy to push responsibility off to someone else but in the end we are the users of the gear and like everything else it needs regular inspection and maintenance like everything we use.


Hope this helps

Grahame

thanks for the warning
i also have accidentally knocked my torch off the bench see results
Attachment 185058

i have found it a very useful tool

very interested in the "supa gas" azzrock referred to

Grahame,
I'm also waiting for my old thin MAPP cylinder to run out before I use the new fat style one I bought from Bunnings. I'm disappointed to hear that they are using a cooler burning gas. Have you tried the new gas to see how it compares?
Chris

Had a look at the Fat cylinders today. Big weld right round the neck so looks like the problem has been modified.

Still got one full thin cylinder of the old map gas left. Might hide it for when I really need some heat.

Safest way to dispose of gas is to put out in the paddock and shoot it from about 100m away. I have thought about buying a fat boy system. An interesting point about that web page is the comment about the trigger lock that allows the operator to hold the cylinder instead of the torch handle which can stress the vulnerable portion of the cylinder

If you hold the torch handle the vulnerable joint has the full weight of the cylinder acting on it. If you hold the cylinder only the weight of the torch stresses the joint. I think this is an indication that the comments made by Greg Q may be close to the mark. Somebody did not think that one through properly.

Dean

mmm just did a stock take...15 or was that 16 of the things floating around here

and I have not heard of it disappearing from the shelves..gonna be a lot of disappointed fridgies if it does........why bust your guts to get your d size oxy/acet gear onto a roof for one or two small joints (no not the whoopie weed type), when a air/mapgas burner or small mapgas/oxy kit will do .....

Fine home building recently had a tip how to handle map gas cylinders:
Make Your Blowtorch Safe - Fine Homebuilding

Christian