Fuel tanks and delivery lines

I am doing this in pairs (two tanks at a time).

I'm playing with my new MacBook on this forum with the last few replies. It's not as simple as from the iPad or iPhone. I now see where users get frustrated with forum uploads.

 

Your handle idea is turning out great. Personally I doubt the extra 150ml is worth the extra effort of two more holes in the tank and all of the welding and pressure leak concerns. However having said that, you will need a vent at the top of the tank for refilling purposes. A pint of black goo burping out of a full funnel is not entertaining. Ask me how I know. The elbow at the top of the tank might be a good place for one.

Pete

 

Well the twins are finally weld up. Petee, I think I’m going to put a vent in the site glass line and install it close to the handle so it is somewhat protected.

 

Want to know the secret???? And I just learned this one. Take a small piece of hose that will fit in the neck of the funnel and lay it over the top of the funnel. Now speed fill that sucker. The displacing air has a place to go and no more black goo burping. Be honest! Had you really ever heard about that? I hadn't.

 

I've never seen that trick before but it makes perfect sense. Anyways, noted for future reference, thanks.

 

That is indeed a good one. I'll bet it works better than those ingenious self venting fuel cans!

Pete

 

Oh don't get me started on those stupid fuel cans. I've got the old school ones and won't let them out of my sight!
The good cans are still being made.... Hop a flight to Grand Cayman..... They sell them there. Yes that price is correct!

Gotta love the made in America flag on it. Just not SOLD here.

 

Jason, we are slowly implementing the silly US Jerry can no vent. Most of our plastic Jerry cans i’ve gone to the vented pour spout all in one. The Jerry cans that have a old-school vent now have a little mechanism in them like a pill bottle. You have to push and unthread. I don’t mind them. They had for extra safety. I personally do like the new system that takes two hands to undo the pourspout.

I have no complaints. Child locks on the pourspout and child locks on the vent. I can deal with this. The orientation of the vent on the pourspout needs to be up.

Our red cans are for gasoline.
Our yellow cans are for diesel.
Our blue cans are for kerosine.
Our green plastic cans that are military can carry anything but there is a strap that dictate content with colour(color) code strap or the whole tank is a designated colour.

And our light blue are for water.

Our military plastic ones have a really neat Vent that is built right into the pour spout. But, some of my fellow off roaders have complained of the drip coming from the vent. The military style plastic Jerry can runs about $80 CAD for 5gal. The yellow one I’m showing below, Runs about $30 CAD., But they’re both made in Canada.

 

I did finish both the twin tanks. They will need pressure testing and a paint job. I will fill them with water and take them to the 155 psi and see if I can explode the 120 psi rated plastic sight pipe sight. Or see if the hose fitting fails first, Or at all.

 

If your welding is good (it appears to be), then you could go for the added capacity.
If your welding is like mine, don't try it.
That is the reason I put all my fittings on the top of my smaller tank, so that if they leak (they do slightly) then they only leak air.

That is shaping up to be a nice looking fuel tank.
.

 

I'm sure you don't own a tire cage, but if you've got a 100+ feet of air hose, stretch that sucker all the way out and let her rip tater chip!

 

I let her rip.

 

Good job. One of those for me?

 

Are you willing to relocate??? Lol. There is free healthcare up here, And if you are gainfully employed and you don’t mind the frigid temperatures, I told you we would be best of neighbours.

We could pool our resources. I have waste scrap aluminum, brass, copper, Cast-iron... almost unlimited... there is a little bit of small dumpster diving. 5 gallon pails. Nothing to lose your pride over.

Just yesterday, I passed over 20-ish 1000 psi pressure gauges that were all reading off by 50 psi....

The last video, the silly yellow machine, Keeps you sane! In these parts. It’s like a lawn more for your driveway when you have 2 feet of snow.

 

What's 50psi between friends when you're at 1000psi. Dump 'em on fleabay. They'd be better than half the crap I end up with. As far as the cold, YOU CAN KEEP THAT STUFF!

 

If you want a few and they’re still in the pail tomorrow, I’ll send them to you, no charge.

 

Jason, you have brought up a very relevant point. Maybe I should start a new thread or it may be able to be killed in the next two or three posts.

What is your outside ambient temperature when you pour? My year round could very between 95F to -22 F, on average.

My shop is air-conditioned and heated to 68-72 F year around. I don’t mind prepping for a pour, but is there any mishap situations in cooler/colder pours?

 

Nahh... I'm good on useless gages. Sell them to the steampunk guys. Lately, I've been pouring in 95-100 degree heat. It's a perfectly miserable experience. I've poured as cold as about 50degrees.
Not sure what happens if ya start getting wayyy down low. I've now got natural gas heat in the garage and this winter I'm installing AC. I'm sick of trying to work wax when it's 90 out there.

 

Tank(s) look great.
I thought I was hallucinating when I saw two of them in the video, but I figured it out.

The hot temperatures are not a problem as far as metal casting, other than the person operating the furnace having a heat stroke or something.
I used a box fan on a table blowing directly into my face about 6" away the other day when I had my leathers on.
I try not to sit in the direct sunlight during day pours, and probably won't do another day pour.

For cold pours, I put a cardboard box over the mold, and use a hair dryer going in one of the lower corners, and a small vent hole in the opposite upper corner.
A good hair dryer running on high will keep the mold at perhaps 70F, which is plenty warm enough to pour.
Just toss the box off at the last second and pour.
I have had trouble with the metal solidifying too quickly if the mold is at like 30 F.

And one of the reasons I went with an oil burner is because it is an all-temperature burner, and it works well at 120 F or 0 F.
My propane tank had problems keeping up with the vaporization even on a warm day, and even with a 100 lb tank, so I only use propane for drying out refractory, and perhaps small aluminum melts.

I keep the crucible in the furnace, and skim with the burner running.
I also add ferrosilicon to the melt with the crucible in the furnace and the burner running.
Once the crucible gets pulled out of the furnace, I pour immediately (for iron).

With aluminum, if you have a little superheat, and an accurate pyrometer, you can pull the crucible from the furnace, measure and/or skim for a minute or so, and then pour.
Don't overheat aluminum by much though since that tends to make it absorb gas.

Edit:
I watched some of your videos; great stuff.
I did not know you were buddies with J. Vibert (Vilbert as we call him around here, LOL).
Where is Jason anyway? Has he been posting here and I just missed it or is he MIA?

Edit02:
So who made the iron castings for your Wadkins PK quandrant reproductions?
You do that?

.

 

Seeing OMM's tanks reminds me that I need something similar: I've been using 20 litre / 5 gallon drums with a hose in the top and after the last spray of molten iron into the air, I realize that I need something a better protected from stray ignition sources. I'll have to press the mystery 10 gallon stainless tank into operation as it has an airtight lid.