Can anyone recommend a good brazing torch and rods for repairing pin holes in petrol and oil tanks.
I have just repaired a hole in an oil tank with my MIG which was a tad aggressive and on first inspection still porous. It took a second go to get it sealed properly.
Regards
Pat
ps The plus side of using the MIG is that it does find other thin areas that may have led to problems later (a bit like Father Ted doing a bit of pannel beating on the Bishop's car - not a euphemism!).
email (option): sacombsashtrees@hotmail.com
Patrick
I repair tank holes and seam separations with plumbing solder/paste flux and a large soldering iron. Remove the tank, scrape off / wire brush off all old paint, scale and rust, as cleanliness is essential, wiping down with acetone beforehand and then careful application of heat using a large soldering iron. Heat the metal and solder only until the solder melts, flows and adheres smoothly and the melt has the appearance of molten silver or liquid mercury. It should solidify with a smooth silver - grey surface. If it solidifies with a grainy appearance, the melt is too cold and will not adhere well. This works only for small seam separations and holes - solder will not bridge large holes well, and IMO, MIG or TIG welding with numerous spot welds is required to bridge large holes, or solder / weld on a sheet metal patch.
I would recommend not soldering a fuel tank with any residual gasoline in it - I drained the fuel tank, washed it out with acetone, then water. I wire brushed the areas around the holes, soldered the holes, then washed the tank out with water, then acetone before refilling with gasoline. That way there is no chance of a fire or explosion.
Repairing an oil tank this way does not pose an explosion hazard like gasoline, so washing it out with water is not needed, however, my M20 oil tank needed an interior cleaning anyway, so I washed it out with soapy water using a power washer before soldering the seams. An acetone wash to remove residual water and remounted the tank and refilled it with oil.
I have made repairs to my M20 oil tank seam, and TR6 fuel tank rust holes using plumbing solder. The fuel tank is leak free since 1993. The oil tank is leak free for over a year now.
Good luck
Dave W.
email (option): dwdiak4@gmail.com
Hi Patrick,
I have the Henrob / DHC2000 / Cobra 2000 for brazing and welding. Works great on thin metal, and very good on welding small pinholes in tank etc. much better than MIG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBYhViwGwgU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q7UyYKkX7M
Believe they are US made but had to order mine from Australia. But that is years ago, maybe they are now better available. Don't regret it for a minute.
Cheers, Michiel
email (option): m.wijbenga@hotmail.com
I have the Henrob / DHC2000 / Cobra 2000 for brazing and welding. Works great on thin metal, and very good on welding small pinholes in tank etc. much better than MIG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBYhViwGwgU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q7UyYKkX7M
Believe they are US made but had to order mine from Australia. But that is years ago, maybe they are now better available. Don't regret it for a minute.
Cheers, Michiel
Yep you can not beat them fr fine work.
Mine is an original Dillon ( the man who orignally designed it )
I use either a 0 or .5 tip for tanks and of course fine steel wire.
If you are going to solder make the effort to get your hands on tinmans solder or lead wiping filler.
Both will fill reasonably big holes and if the surfaces are cleaned properly will make a pernminent repair that takes paint well and does not crack.
email (option): bsansw1@tpg.com.au
I have the Henrob / DHC2000 / Cobra 2000 for brazing and welding. Works great on thin metal, and very good on welding small pinholes in tank etc. much better than MIG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBYhViwGwgU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q7UyYKkX7M
Believe they are US made but had to order mine from Australia. But that is years ago, maybe they are now better available. Don't regret it for a minute.
Cheers, Michiel
Yep you can not beat them fr fine work.
Mine is an original Dillon ( the man who orignally designed it )
I use either a 0 or .5 tip for tanks and of course fine steel wire.
If you are going to solder make the effort to get your hands on tinmans solder or lead wiping filler.
Both will fill reasonably big holes and if the surfaces are cleaned properly will make a pernminent repair that takes paint well and does not crack.
I think using a Body type solder with a long pasty stage would be the way to go.
A good flux is everything, you used to be able to buy "Bakers Fluid" for solder radiators though I haven't seen it for years.
maybe a strong concentration of phosphoric acid would help it tin.
email (option): pes.sales@btconnect.com
Thanks for making the Father Ted remark, never heard of him.
Looked him up on Utube, Hilarious !:joy:
Hi Patrick
In fact it was the dancing priests car they borrowed for the raffle that was the subject of The panel beating scene
Bishop “Len” Brennan normally was driven round the place on his visits to Craggy Island
My favourite program
Here ends my valuable contribution to the forum on this
🤣🤣🤣
Br
Jo’b
email (option): jonnyob1@googlemail.com
Drink!, girls!, a**e!...Drink!...Ian...:laughing:
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
Off topic, but now you're all talking. Mrs MacDonald and I attended Tedfest 2020 on Craggy Island, returning just in time for lockdown. Highly recommended! There's a time and a place for a bishop being kicked up the ****.
https://ibb.co/FKSgyLd
email (option): cmmacd@hotmail.co.uk
Off topic, but now you're all talking. Mrs MacDonald and I attended Tedfest 2020 on Craggy Island, returning just in time for lockdown. Highly recommended! There's a time and a place for a bishop being kicked up the ****.
https://ibb.co/FKSgyLd
email (option): cmmacd@hotmail.co.uk
That looks like your actual gear (Not fancy dress)
Bless you my son. Ron
email (option): ronpier@talk21.com
I was taught by an old road racer the great Bill Skyler to always put a hose with running exhaust gas in any fuel tank that had fuel even if cleaned to prevent explosion. As a kid (50yrs.ago) saw a "cleaned" fuel tank explode when the welding teacher showed us how to weld MC fuel tanks did not work out well, ruined tank and himself, sad was a nice old Indian scout tank!! Charlie
email (option): millcrocfarm@gmail.com
The chap who repairs petrol tanks for me uses the same method...Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
You must be referring to Bill Schuyler of Dunellen, New Jersey. I bought his estate of Brit bike parts after his death 10 yrs ago. It included 3 complete Gold Stars. Friends and I moved the pile to a warehouse in Rhode Island in 3 trips.
What a character! His house had bike parts in every room, along with guns and munitions, stuffed in closets, under the beds, piled loose parts in the basement. Nearly everything was disassembled to the last screw, with piles of gears and shafts and flywheels. When we saw mortar rounds a neighbor alerted the police who evacuated the area to remove the explosives, including land mines.
After years of eBay and swap meet sales my garage is over-run with spares not rough enough to scrap but not worth selling. Many remain unidentified. In my eighth decade I fear the catastrophe I will leave my family, the curse of Bill Schuyler. At least there are no explosives or prohibited weapons. Perhaps I'll take photos to post on a dedicated sales website. I should start with the BSA M20 and pre-unit singles.
Anyone out there facing similar problems?
email (option): jjbandoo@aol.com
The exhaust fume method of making tanks safe to weld was the favoured way of emergency tank repair in the paddock at race meetings. Probably prevented now due to H&S. A friend who restored Frazer Nash cars had a more exciting method of fuel evacuation, shake out any remaining fuel, blow out with the air line, light up the welding torch and waft it around the filler neck, at arms length of course. The result was a whoosh and column of flame. He never had an explosion, and died of natural causes, but of course I would not under any circumstances suggest that anyone should try this themselves. It could be fatal.
That is exactly what I have done several times in the past with no ill effects. It is also how I mount new modern tubeless motorcycle tires ("tyres"). Fit the tire to the rim, spray starter fluid into the rim space, stand at arms length with an extended barbecue lighter, and it's seated.
email (option): btcoop77069@aol.com
I have done both the exhaust till the tank is too hot to hold and its counterpart a hot air gun.
Also the tank filled with water method
This is also a very old thread but worth a mention.
Solder should really be lead wiping rather than soldreing particularly if there are lots of pinholes.
If you go that way the trick is to strip all paint off, degrease then apply a mix of oxide & reducing flux called Panel Butter.
I know Eastwoods still sell it.
That will leave you with a tinned tank that will take solder beautifully either by direct flame or big soldering iron.
I have also done them with silver solder using my Henrob Torch, now called DHC 2000 .
Kent , the tin man ( google him ) does a much cheaper more conventionally shaped torch for those who find the pistol grip Henrob difficult.
I never liked the idea of bronzing a tank.
Bronze has a bad tendency to crack from vibrations
With the Henrob it is possible to weld pin holes with steel, done it many times, it is just a case of getting fine enough feed wire.
I use thin tie wire which is handy because you can put the coil ( donut to some ) of wire over one wrist and feed the wire in as needed.
Practice on some in cans first .
Once you can weld them without blowing holes you are there.
email (option): bsansw1@tpg.com.au
I remember seeing this method of tyre fitting on TV,Top Gear I think, it was being used on a huge FWD tyre in Iceland but I've never seen it used for bike tyres though.