Vintage PST RENE TANK 1-54

[peterb1]

I came across a vintage 1-1954 Rene steel 2150 tank. I was hoping someone might be able to let me know the value of this thing...if any? I did not notice any stamps for hydro other than the original 1-54. It still has air in it and weighs 33.1 pounds now. Not sure what the weight is supposed to be empty. I've grown a bit fond of the thing and am tempted to locate the previous owner as his name/initials are still painted on and a google search brings up a matching person who i think may be it. My apologies if this sort of thing is not allowed. I'll take down the post if need be. Just struggling to find that much info online.

 flic.kr/s/aHBqjAQd35


Thanks,

-Peter

[vance]

You don't have a super valuable piece of equipment, if that's what you're thinking. Many of us have RENE tanks which are hydro'd and in use. Shipping tanks often costs more than they are worth, even if they are in hydro and rust free.

IMO, it's worthless if it won't pass hydro. Most of the time steel tanks are fine, though. Another problem is rust. Most places won't tumble 1/2" tanks any more. It takes too much effort to get the tumble media out of them.

I hope this helps.

[peterb1]

Thanks Vance for the reply and info.

-Peter

[vance]

Nemo might be interested in buying if you are trying to sell. He's looking for one of these with the concave bottom.

[SeaRat]

Peter,

What it's worth is in one's head. This is a very old tank, and a piece of diving history. You also have the original bands and cotton harness, but the bands are backwards to the valve. They need to be turned around so that the harness is on the same side as the teflon ring for the regulator (that's also a very old valve, and may or may not seal modern regulators). The top band needs to be just below the top of the tank, and the second band about a foot below it.

SeaRat

[broxton coalition]

that is a super cool example of some diving history! thank you for posting a picture of it. get a hydro and go diving!

[peterb1]

Thanks SeaRat for the extra info. I'll have to get those bands adjusted correctly.

-Peter

[SeaRat]

Peter,

The other thing that will need to be done, and most dive shops will do it, is to change out the overpressure relief plug to a modern one. The one you have in the valve is a lead-center one that is no longer legal. You’ll need to replace it with a copper disc ORV, which has a 3-way or 4-way jet (holes) instead of the one-way one you’ve got. That insures that the tank doesn’t become a rocket if it releases through the ORV.

John

[peterb1]

Thanks John. This has been my biggest concern about having this tank. It still seems to have a good amount of air in it and i've been worried about something catastrophic happening while it sits in storage. I think I'm gonna go ahead and drain it and see what it looks like on the inside.

[peterb1]

Got it off and took some pictures for those interested. Good amount of pitting going on and some rust. Tough to get a good picture while also getting some light in the tank.

flic.kr/s/aHBqjAQfow

20230807_194742 by Peter B, on Flickr
Here’s one of his photos, jcr.

[Nemo]

Peterb1

First of all, winebottle tanks are not exceedingly hard to find or expensive. I’ve bought five in recent years; all in excellent condition with current Hydros; the galvanizing on the last one was pristine and there’s no rust. I gave Richard Kolifrath $175 for that one.

The truth is, your 1-54 PST Rene has absolutely no historical significance or collectible value whatsoever. It’s not from the first run and it’s too late to have been used in filming 20,000 Leagues. Plus, it hasn’t been tested in 42 years and it’s got significant rust issues.

I’ve let it be known I'm in the market for one more tank to finish a set of duals for a Leagues rig and my pre-coffee knee-jerk reaction to your post was to make an offer. But after studying it further, I had to withdraw my offer before you got a chance to reply.

(Which is probably okay with you because, while you did inquire as to what it might be worth, you don’t seem to be wanting to sell it or it would be in the Buy / Sell forum. I didn’t catch that at first. Getting old. LOL!)

I agree with Vance about yours being worthless without a hydro.

My thought is that those old cotton harnesses were new a long, long time ago. You might want to consider the consequences of yours failing and dropping your antique SCUBA tank onto an asphalt parking lot valve first. There are modern replica harnesses available.

I’d say first thing would be to give the tank a chime test. Stand it vertical and tap it with a metal tool; it should ring with a beautiful chiming tone that acoustically sustains like a bell. If not, the tank is a dud.

Passing that, I’d say send it out for a Hydro and then get it Vipped and filled. But remember, just because a tank passes Hydro doesn’t mean the guy who does the VIP is going to give it a sticker. Dive shop owners can be extremely un-funny that way.

Good luck with it.

VBR,

Pat