Expert weld advice needed!!!!!!!

krehel24

krehel24

<- and it begins!!!......
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
Locust NC
I pulled the diesel fuel tank from our tractor, it has a few holes that I want to weld up (new one is $3500 ) the tank is drained what is the advice of the EXPERTS!!! no Fuller advise (sorry bud!) so I come home with all my limbs. Btw we will be using a TIG to weld it...

Thanks!
 
Rinse, drain, repeat. I like the "match on a stick" test to make sure there's no residue. . Kidding, not kidding. I'd rinse with soapy water first. Plug the holes with good tape and let it sit for a few hours to soak. Drain it and do it again. Rinse the soap out and get to work. I've never back purged or plumbed car exhaust into the tank to neutralize the atmosphere. Maybe I should, but I haven't and it hasn't been a problem. I'm still nervous every time I strike that first arc, though.
 
Heavy detergent or industrial degreaser. The residue is going to be a bigger pain than the explosive factor. Weld to fill hole then get it lined. The welded areas and HAZ Are going to rust faster then the previous treated metal tank.

For filling pin holes in even thin sheet look into silicon bronze for tug. Lower heat distortion and less burn through since you opperate below welding temp. East to machine and work down too.
 
Sorry @WARRIORWELDING forgot all about you! We plan on doing the tank liner when we are done. I will take a video that way if it all goes south someone can post the "what not to do video" lol!!
 
Fill and rinse with water several times.

Slosh some acetone around in it to get all the water out.

Force air into tank to get all acetone to evap and to remove all acetone fumes.

Purge tank with argon.

Leave hole at the top for o2 to escape, as argon is heavier than air, it will push all o2 "up".

Hope that helps, but I admit I am far from being an expert. @MarsFab @WARRIORWELDING and @rockcity have probably forgotten more than I will
Ever know.
 
You might be better off trying to braze it depending on how terrible the surrounding material is. I've fixed quite a few pinholed tanks and it is always a crapshoot on how long it is going to last after repair, chances are there will be more holes soon. Don't cheap out on the the sealer--I prefer red kote--but even the best sealer will start to come apart eventually so add an easy to clean pre filter.
 
I figured TIG welding it would be the best, it's an old tractor that doesn't get used alot, but enough to want to fix!! Thanks again for all the advice! Will report with the results!
 
I've welded tons of them. I used to try really hard to clean everything out of the tank first. Now I don't waste my time with it. Pour all the fuel out. Let it sit a day or two to air out. Turn it so the hole to be welded is the highest point of the tank. Spray said hole with brake clean. Let sit a few minutes. Weld hole shut with tig welder. Repeat on next hole. Be sure fill cap is off for this. If it does burn off you want somewhere for the pressure to go and make sure there isn't anything within a few feet of the filler hole cause you may temporarily have a small underpowered rocket on your work bench.

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Not sure where you are but sapps has a fixed several for me they weld them then coat them and cook it in a over to set the sealer

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I assumed you were dealing with an aluminum tank. If it's steel, you probably want to cut out the affected area and make a patch panel. It's going to look like shit all around those holes inside. And rust hates tungsten.
 
It is steel, but rust is not what caused the hole. Almost 50 years of rubbing the same place ended with a hole.
 
I wash with Dawn dish soap, same thing we keep in the kitchen. It cuts through the gas extremely well. The I throw a match in to be sure.

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Well...........there was some rust and pinholingonce we cleaned it good, ended up welding a piece over the bottom. No leaks, next will be the inside coating!
 
krehel24 said:
Almost 50 years of rubbing the same place ended with a hole.
Click to expand...

Son of a bitch!

Momma said I'd go blind (and I've got Glaucoma ironically) but she NEVER said anything about rubbing a HOLE in it :eek:
 
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