mystery cylinder (pressure gas cylinder)

[westcoaster]

What is it? or more specifically what kind of product would it have contained?
looks like a high pressure gas bottle. Bung on top is solid with no ability for the high pressure gas to escape. Only letters I could find was "Dalmine" stamped in the bottle near the top.
When full, someone would have to unscrew the top, open to atmosphere, screw it on to whatever appliance it was used on then pressurize it...

To make acetylene one needs to mix water with calcium carbonate.... Hmmmm it does have some sort of black substance in it....

I picked this thing up at a mine site that never really got off the ground.

Since the pic was taken I have wire wheeled it and found no other markings. I did start a thread on another unrelated forum where it was sugested this was a Tenaris Dalmine cylinder. That may be true and all but it still doesn't get me any closer to knowing what it contained and why such a high pressure (looking) bottle would have a solid bung on top. Every cylinder in the pile was the same. Some cylinders were shaped a little different in that they may not have been as capable of as high a pressure as this example but they all had the solid bung that had to be unscrewed before getting to the contents.

The bottle:


the dump:

[OneStep]

If there was a heavy tin foil seal inside under the plug, or remnants of one.
 These were fire extinguisher bottles, part of a system.

I played with a few like these but round bottom and no plug as i removed the cable operated activator.

They were from DC 54's we salvaged.

With just a little elevation Man would they fly.

OS

[scrapman]

hello all   these cylinders ar simaler to old mercury containers ,if on mine site processing gold most likely  . peter

[LowGear]

The photos look like some sort of WW-II dump site.  Scary but neat.

Too much PBS?

Casey

[westcoaster]

hello all   these cylinders ar simaler to old mercury containers ,if on mine site processing gold most likely  . peter

Hmmmmmm.....

Unless something happened to the Mercury and it changed into a black/blue almost carbon based substance...

The threads for the bung on the inside of the bottle has been coated with the stuff.

[westcoaster]

hello all   these cylinders ar simaler to old mercury containers ,if on mine site processing gold most likely  . peter

I needed to google mercury flask and similar images to the ones I have and that I have seen on site come up...

Something tells me I had better sneak those out of the garage before the wife finds out exactly what they are...

[bschwartz]

......."Unless something happened to the Mercury and it changed into a black/blue almost carbon based substance..."


Fortunately mercuric oxide is a reddish orange, not blue/black 

[OneStep]

Was there a seal or remnants of a seal inside the cyl, under the plug?

If it was  Mercury  seems it would weight about 900 lbs , 450 kg.

One would think the plug would be bigger  with a bigger eye for handling.

OS

[westcoaster]

no sign of a plug or seal. But I also wouldn't expect to see one after this length of time. It is unclear how long these have been sitting out there. I am guessing 25 or more years based on the other stuff laying about.

the common weight for a flask of mercury is 76Lbs. Mercury is traded by the "flask" (much the same as gold is traded by the ounce and crude oil by the barrel)

[OneStep]

Some could have stuck to the side of threads. A seal or remands could have fallen inside when this old.

Yes a flask is 76lb and is about a pint in size IIRC

OS