Refilling Propane Cans - Save Money On Engine Repairs

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I like and use Bartlien barrels and Jewel triggers and I install and time my barrels here and install the triggers as well and everything is of course bedded as well.

I know one of the guys who works at Bartlein, they make absolutely top quality barrels. You build, load and shoot way above my league, I do a lot of my own rifle work, and I load a whole lot better than factory, but not to the level you load.
 
Years ago when I lived in Cleveland (long time ago), Welders Supply on Train Avenue caught on fire and it was spectacular to say the least. Bottles were going every which way, some straight up like rockets. 2500 psi even on a non flammable bottle equates to some serious force. Nothing much left of the place afterward. I keep my spares inside but always tethered to the wall with restraining chains. My greatest fear is having one fall over and break off the top. They look harmless but lots of dangerous energy inside, especially the acetylene bottles.

It's always best to remove the gauges and put the HD cap on that protects the tank valves
 
Be ready to get your wallet out... I'm good with the Annealeze actually. I've used it so much over the years that I don't bother with Templac either. I can tell by the color of the case mouth when they are annealed correctly ( I turn the lights out to observe) and I can load multiple cases in the machine and walk away and let it do it's thing once I have the dwell time set correctly. The issue I have with any induction annealer, besides the price is, you can only anneal one case at a time and I like to load up at least 50 cases at a time, depending on caliber of course. I even custom machined feed rollers to run smaller straight walled pistol cases., which I do because the heavy crimp on the magnum cases causes the end of the case to work harden and split and big brass, like everything else today isn't cheap.

1400 bucks for the AMP and that don't include the necessary pilots which are extra is almost 5 times what I paid for the Annealeze. Haven't a clue what they cost today as mine is at least 8 years old.

When I'm done processing brass (and I only use John Whidden FL and NS bushing dies, custom machined to the individual chambers on my long range rifles) and anneal them, they look just like factory made cases, right down to how far the annealing process travels down the case body,

My last step prior to sizing them and loading them is annealing them

I only buy (at least in 223 and 308 flavors, OFMB and I always get them uncleaned.

First thing I do is remove all the primers,

I use a reloading press primer tool, none of my dies have primer punches anyway.

Then I tumble them in STS wet media and when dry (I run them through an RCBS case tumbler) to remove the pins and get most of the rinse water out of the cases. Then it's off to one of the lathes and I length resize all of them to SAMMI spec length using a Rotary case trimmer that chucks a 2 flute end mill.

Then I cut the burrs from inside the cases (only Norma, Nosler and Lapua gun drill their flash holes, everyone else including Lake City, punches them and it leaves a burr inside the case and I remove and the burr removal tool I use (in the lathe again) also reams the flash hole when removing the burr, then I chamfer the pockets (all of them whether they are crimped in primers or not don't matter).

Then they get ran in STS once again to remove any and all swarf and remaining powder residue. Then I resize all of them in bushing dies and keep in mind that I inspect each case carefully as I perform the various operations and I toss any and all suspect cases in the scrap bin and that is a continual process that I do with every operation. Any severe dents in the case body or any dent in the shoulder datum equals a toss. If the case mouths are deformed and I cannot insert my deburring tool, they get a quick trip over the appropriate sizing button in a blanking die.

Then they get ran through the Whidden dies for whatever rifle I'm loading for and I set the neck tension from experience and I machine my own die bushings here from oil hard drill rod.

After sizing, I set the primers using a hand primer tool (RCBS) because I can feel when the primers are correctly seated and then I load them with the appropriate propellant and pills and put them away for the eventual 'rainy day' use.

I seat all my bullets with an RCBS micrometer front load bullet seater and I machine all my own seater stems (for whatever bullet I'm seating).

I only use Federal or CCI primers and only Hogdon propellants.

I probably toss about 25% of the cases I buy, sometimes more, depending on how mangled they are. Always buy uncleaned brass in bulk. I don't need the cleaned or 'polished' as they like to refer to it as. They get cleaned here and I'm not paying some outfit to clean them and charge me extra for a needless operation.

On the extreme long range and match loads, I check and correct the concentricity using a Hornady concentricity jig with a dial indicator. Like my match and long range loads to be within 0.002 concentric.

On the long range large bore loads they also get checked for concentricity and corrected as required.

Finally, other than the .223's I never load to SAMMI specs, I always 'jump' the bullets most times 0.005-0.010 off the lands and that requires Wyatt boxes and magazines for all my LR sticks as the standard box won't accept a jumped pill and all the rifle stuff with the exception of the 223 varmint loads are loaded with Berger pills and in the case of handgun rounds, Sierra hollow points.

One thing I NEVER do is advise anyone on propellant loads or tell anyone how much of what I use. Lets just say I usually load well in the excess of what a reloading manual suggests because I jump the bullets, I can do that without fear of anything blowing up in my face.

I build all my loads using my own private 350 yard range and I chronograph every shot as well and record everything, always.

I like most of my loadings to be around 2000fps and not much more because excessive bullet speed erodes the rifling lands and custom barrels are expensive. I like and use Bartlien barrels and Jewel triggers and I install and time my barrels here and install the triggers as well and everything is of course bedded as well.

Guess I do something right as everyone I hunt with (there are 4 of them), only shoot my handloads and they have dropped a ton of large game as well. Between the 4 of us, we have hunted every where except Africa and Europe.

You certainly do a lot of reloading and have experience.

Curious about the 2000 fps loads. That is pretty slow in many/most CF rifles, especially if destined for any long range work.
 
I know one of the guys who works at Bartlein, they make absolutely top quality barrels. You build, load and shoot way above my league, I do a lot of my own rifle work, and I load a whole lot better than factory, but not to the level you load.
After 35+ years I do have experience but like everyone else who fiddles with guns, you have to crawl, then walk before you can run... One thing for sure and that is, the price of components, propellant, primers and even quality brass has went through the roof, not to mention the tools to do it with. Just bought a Harrell Culver measure to replace my old and well used RCBS powder dispenser and it was over 330 bucks. and the stand was extra. I've wanted a Harrell for a long time because it don't matter which propellant it is, stick, granular or odd shaped, the Harrel throws a very consistent charge. One of the guys I hunt with swears by Kreiger barrels and he had a very custom 300 WM built for him with a Swarovski scope and a custom carbon fiber stock but I do get to build his loads for him, won't let me shoot the rifle though....lol

You can dump big bucks in a long range stick real quick.

My go to rifle is is a 308 with the Bartlien and the Jewel and a carbon fiber stock that McMillan custom built for me, waited almost a year just for the stock and I had it hydrocoated in Kuiu. The gun, scoped and loaded weighs 7.5 pounds. It cost a bit more than any chainsaw I ever bought, way more actually. Took a lot of Mulies with it as well as Michigan Whitetails, but for the long range stuff, it's a tricked out Savage 11-111 long range hunter in 338 Lapua. Always got a charge out of the Savage ad for it. The gun that can shoot into the next zip code. Pretty much says it all actually. I usually load 250 Bergers in it and with the way I load them, the round stays supersonic past 1000 yards. problem is, it's heavy but it's a shooter.

I do magnum handguns as well. 44 mags and a 460 long barrel (with a brake on it) 460 XVR out of the custom shop. it's a wild hog handgun or Michigan Whitetail gun and it's good for 125 yards, no issue. problem with handguns and straight wall cartridges is, I really cannot custom build them, wish I could but as you know, you cannot.

All fun and something I like doing.
 
I don't do that with the in service bottles but the extra's are always capped and tethered. The in service bottles all ride on welding carts, tethered to them.

Same here, the in-use cylinders are chained to the welder/torch cart/wall of the booth. Anything not in service, empty or full, is capped. The CO2 and propane cylinders don't have a provision for a cap, but have the protector around the valve.
 
Be ready to get your wallet out... I'm good with the Annealeze actually. I've used it so much over the years that I don't bother with Templac either. I can tell by the color of the case mouth when they are annealed correctly ( I turn the lights out to observe) and I can load multiple cases in the machine and walk away and let it do it's thing once I have the dwell time set correctly. The issue I have with any induction annealer, besides the price is, you can only anneal one case at a time and I like to load up at least 50 cases at a time, depending on caliber of course. I even custom machined feed rollers to run smaller straight walled pistol cases., which I do because the heavy crimp on the magnum cases causes the end of the case to work harden and split and big brass, like everything else today isn't cheap.

1400 bucks for the AMP and that don't include the necessary pilots which are extra is almost 5 times what I paid for the Annealeze. Haven't a clue what they cost today as mine is at least 8 years old.

When I'm done processing brass (and I only use John Whidden FL and NS bushing dies, custom machined to the individual chambers on my long range rifles) and anneal them, they look just like factory made cases, right down to how far the annealing process travels down the case body,

My last step prior to sizing them and loading them is annealing them

I only buy (at least in 223 and 308 flavors, OFMB and I always get them uncleaned.

First thing I do is remove all the primers,

I use a reloading press primer tool, none of my dies have primer punches anyway.

Then I tumble them in STS wet media and when dry (I run them through an RCBS case tumbler) to remove the pins and get most of the rinse water out of the cases. Then it's off to one of the lathes and I length resize all of them to SAMMI spec length using a Rotary case trimmer that chucks a 2 flute end mill.

Then I cut the burrs from inside the cases (only Norma, Nosler and Lapua gun drill their flash holes, everyone else including Lake City, punches them and it leaves a burr inside the case and I remove and the burr removal tool I use (in the lathe again) also reams the flash hole when removing the burr, then I chamfer the pockets (all of them whether they are crimped in primers or not don't matter).

Then they get ran in STS once again to remove any and all swarf and remaining powder residue. Then I resize all of them in bushing dies and keep in mind that I inspect each case carefully as I perform the various operations and I toss any and all suspect cases in the scrap bin and that is a continual process that I do with every operation. Any severe dents in the case body or any dent in the shoulder datum equals a toss. If the case mouths are deformed and I cannot insert my deburring tool, they get a quick trip over the appropriate sizing button in a blanking die.

Then they get ran through the Whidden dies for whatever rifle I'm loading for and I set the neck tension from experience and I machine my own die bushings here from oil hard drill rod.

After sizing, I set the primers using a hand primer tool (RCBS) because I can feel when the primers are correctly seated and then I load them with the appropriate propellant and pills and put them away for the eventual 'rainy day' use.

I seat all my bullets with an RCBS micrometer front load bullet seater and I machine all my own seater stems (for whatever bullet I'm seating).

I only use Federal or CCI primers and only Hogdon propellants.

I probably toss about 25% of the cases I buy, sometimes more, depending on how mangled they are. Always buy uncleaned brass in bulk. I don't need the cleaned or 'polished' as they like to refer to it as. They get cleaned here and I'm not paying some outfit to clean them and charge me extra for a needless operation.

On the extreme long range and match loads, I check and correct the concentricity using a Hornady concentricity jig with a dial indicator. Like my match and long range loads to be within 0.002 concentric.

On the long range large bore loads they also get checked for concentricity and corrected as required.

Finally, other than the .223's I never load to SAMMI specs, I always 'jump' the bullets most times 0.005-0.010 off the lands and that requires Wyatt boxes and magazines for all my LR sticks as the standard box won't accept a jumped pill and all the rifle stuff with the exception of the 223 varmint loads are loaded with Berger pills and in the case of handgun rounds, Sierra hollow points.

One thing I NEVER do is advise anyone on propellant loads or tell anyone how much of what I use. Lets just say I usually load well in the excess of what a reloading manual suggests because I jump the bullets, I can do that without fear of anything blowing up in my face.

I build all my loads using my own private 350 yard range and I chronograph every shot as well and record everything, always.

I like most of my loadings to be around 2000fps and not much more because excessive bullet speed erodes the rifling lands and custom barrels are expensive. I like and use Bartlien barrels and Jewel triggers and I install and time my barrels here and install the triggers as well and everything is of course bedded as well.

Guess I do something right as everyone I hunt with (there are 4 of them), only shoot my handloads and they have dropped a ton of large game as well. Between the 4 of us, we have hunted every where except Africa and Europe.
I like Bartlett barrels and Jewell triggers as well. Bix and Andy triggers are also awesome. Tge only problem with Bartlein and Krieger is the won't make a stainless tube in a light contour. For that reason I use Mike Eock/ Rock Creek barrels on my hunting guns
 
My understanding of the reason you stick the receiving bottle in the freezer is to lower the pressure in it. Stick the donor bottle in the sun to warm it to raise the internal pressure. The pressure difference encourages a more complete fill. However it works, it works.
 
Yes you can and I explain all this in the video.
No, you can't. They are rarely ever at their proper fill level. 80% full is as much propane you can stick. Refillable tanks need filled by weight, they have no other way if telling level. Get the proper product, they are pennies on the dollar.
I'm far from an expert, but I didn't think it was illegal to refill, even without marking- I was under the impression that it is only illegal to transport them after refilling. Either way, even the transport thing would be an issue most of the time.

Of course, the refilled container wouldn't necessarily be recognizable as being refilled.

I have a buddy who gets them pretty much full, iirc he hold in the little schrader valve to release the air pressure, with the big tank being held upside down. Either way, the little refillable cylinders are definitely nicer if you're refilling a lot.
He's refilling map gas container with propane. Ie, not properly marked. It's is also illegal to refill a single use container. The schrader valve needs pulled up, and releases propane gas, not air.
 
No, you can't. They are rarely ever at their proper fill level. 80% full is as much propane you can stick. Refillable tanks need filled by weight, they have no other way if telling level. Get the proper product, they are pennies on the dollar.

He's refilling map gas container with propane. Ie, not properly marked. It's is also illegal to refill a single use container. The schrader valve needs pulled up, and releases propane gas, not air.

When I say full, it’s full per the gross weight as stated on the canister. 800g from memory.
 
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