Again with the empty tank!
Just when I finally seem to have recovered from my last, fraught with danger, danger, Will Robinson, acetylene tank refill trip, the darn thing’s empty again!
What’s up with that!
Surely I only just changed the old one out for the nice fire truck red one.
I thought I was safe for at least another six months!
Yes, there was a slight indication before Christmas that it was empty, but I just couldn’t believe it.
I thought the gauge was wrong. That just because it read empty it didn’t really mean it. That it was just playing with me because it knows how distressing the whole driving it down to the gas shop is for me when I could almost nearly blow up driving there, but more likely probably blow up getting home.
In my itty bitty Mini car which, let me tell you, doesn’t like it either.
Now it seems that I have to be even more super duper distraught because apparently you should NEVER (getting a bit distraughtier now) EVER run your tank when it says empty.
Why though?
The flame is still burning. How empty can it be?
How?
What the hell is burning when I turn it on?
So things came to a head yesterday when I was trying to make this.
Remember.
And the soldering was just being completely, annoyingly, uncooperative.
I could have listened.
I could have saved myself a whole afternoon of trying to ignore the signs.
But, and let me ask you.
Why, if you’re heating the silver, and in fact you’re even keeping the flame exactly on one spot for the whole time and nothing’s happening, would you stop?
Why, when ordinarily the silver would melt into a blubbering heap just for even looking at the flame, would you say to yourself, hang on, something’s not right here?
Why wouldn’t you just give it up and save yourself a whole bunch of frustration and anguish of just knowing that you’ll never ever be any good at this whole soldering thing anyway so why not take up mahjong instead.
There must be a mahjong club somewhere nearby.
Why!
Because I’m bloody mindedly stubborn is why.
So this is where I ended up.
The bottom is not attached yet because of the small problem with the tank, and I’m not so sure I want to put it on there anyway as I feel I’ve taken a beautiful stone and surrounded it with my hideously bulky bezel design.
But that could just be my imminent death issues talking.
Why didn’t I think to make more friends with benefits instead of shutting myself away in the studio. Surely there’s a nice one out there with a truck who’s willing to risk their life for me.
Maybe that neighbour man with the car shop in his garage, won’t mind me giving him a quick chat up.
He knows who he is. I’ve seen his tank…
So again I say my farewells, my nice knowing yous, and I know that you’ll share my regret that even though a lot of the gadgets on Star Trek are now in popular use they never have yet caught on to the notion that a beam it up machine would be particularly handy for some of us, let’s say, more fragile souls out here.
🙁
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I feel the same way about going to the welding/gas shop. So intimidating – especially when they say, after you have paid for the tanks of oxygen and propane, “You shouldn’t be carrying this in a car.” “Bye.”
Nervously driving the hour and a half home, arriving in one piece and vowing to take up quilting instead of jewelry.
Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone in this.
Kathy, I had just made up my mind to just go for it when I read your note and almost wavered. But gladly the mission is accomplished! Now I just have to pluck up courage to turn it on again 😉
By the way, I did find a delivery service which might help you. HD Supply Solutions
https://hdsupplysolutions.com/shop/home
I’m not sure where you live, but they might be o.k. Free delivery, but $10 handling. Not too bad if you’re an hour and a half away from the shop and don’t particularly want to blow up. I was too impatient to use them, but I might next time.
I hadn’t heard that you should never run your tank when it’s empty. Why is that….is there a danger of explosion or something? Now I’m distraught too because I usually run mine until it’s completely empty.
Yes, apparently it can back flash or something. I did ask, but always seem to forget things before they really sink in.
Me too! How funny. It must be the old age setting in.
Hi Coldfeet, I am a ceramist and amateur silversmith from South Africa, and after I discovered your blog, I spent about a week in December reading back to the beginning thereof with lots of giggles and understanding for the ups and downs of your life. Thank you for sharing it with us. I love your work, both your jewellery and ‘paintings’.
I had exactly the same experience with my oxygen tank, it showed “empty”, but I carried on regardless because it was still working! I also thought when is empty actually really empty? Eventually it just died, so I also had to schlep the bottle to the gas place to have it refilled.Luckilly I also did not know about not using the bottle on empty, otherwise I would have been very worried. At least now we can carry on again. Good luck with your quest to reach $30 000 for charity this year. Cecilia Robinson
🙂 Thanks Cecilia. I’m just about to add another thousand, so I’m up to 26. Can’t believe I might very well make it.
Glad you survived…
Cecilia, for some reason I didn’t see the first half of your comment. I can’t believe that you read the whole blog. Very brave, especially as I’m a rambler who often doesn’t make much sense 🙂