Editing Argon gas

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===Argon gas===

Argon gas lasts in storage indefinitely. Keep the tank dry and clean, sheltered. If not in use, leave the transport cap on the bottle. Never transport pressurized gases (argon or otherwise) without the transport cap on the bottle. If the bottle falls without the cap on, the valve may break off and the gas escaping at very high pressures will turn the bottle into a rocket, launching with tremendous force, you wouldn't want to be on front of it, it will destroy everything around, think of it as a land torpedo.

Rusted tanks are very dangerous, do not refurbish them yourself. If the bottle is in good condition, nearly any of the "pure" gasses (oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, etc) will remain usable for many years (though hopefully, you're using them up more often....otherwise there isn't much point in paying the lease and maintenance fees on the bottles) Helium mixes in tanks seem to be a bit problematic - the helium tends to separate if the bottle is left still for a while and seems to always find its way past the seals in the valve, leaving the mix in the bottle helium starved. Given that you usually wouldn't have a helium mix on hand unless it was for something special, having a helium poor mix when you need it can ruin your whole day.

It's interesting to note that acetylene is not stored as a gas in the bottle - it is dissolved in acetone. In very old bottles, it is dissolved in asbestos (yes, really).  Without this, an acetylene bottle would be EXTREMELY hazardous and would likely explode with a minor shock. Because the gas is dissolved in the acetone, extracting the gas too quickly from the bottle will carry acetone with it into the gas hoses (think of the gas coming out of solution like carbon dioxide comes out of a glass of soda) which rapidly becomes a very serious hazard allowing undissolved gas to build up in the bottle. Never, ever, hit an acetylene bottle with a hammer or strike an arc on the bottle. 

Acetylene is very unstable at pressures over 15 psi. that is the reason for the acetone in the tank. as well there is fusible plugs it the tank that allow the acetone and acetylene to leak out in case of a fire. not sure of the melting temp. 

Treat compressed gas bottles with respect. Acetylene bottles doubly so.  

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