Weld Repair on a Gas Tank

Weld repairs always make money! Welding gas tanks from Harley Davidson motorcycles will keep you in business for a long time - if you can do it right. This video shows you some tricks on welding gas tanks without blowing yourself up or setting the shop on fire.
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[@TheFabricatorSeries]

McCulloch MC1375 Canister Steam Cleaner amzn.to/3suiE7F Learn to TIG Weld in Our Class! thefabricatorseries.com/classes Save 10% on practice metal and consumables with "TFS10" at checkout! weldmetalsonline.com/

[@salvatoregagliardi48]

When do you expect to have more brick packs in stock?

[@ParadigmUnkn0wn]

And... I just ordered one of those steam cleaners. That thing is perfect for what I need. Not blasting down industrial equipment, but detailing and getting hard to clean spots around the house, in the car, etc. I even heard Gwyneth Paltrow steams her hoohaa with some kinda contraption like this, but thankfully my ol' lady ain't got no need for that.

[@shogu7617]

Boom? Yes rico boom

[@johndemore6402]

What type of solder are you using 👀🤔 I've heard gasoline isn't solder friendly

[@2ndshiftaudio300]

I was a certified welder for years. Used to weld cracks up in Exxon tank trailers everyday. The trailers would be steamed out at our shop overnight. Before allowed in the shop. Then an explosion meter was used to check for pockets of vapor gas. Then on to fixing. Keep in mind. People like me also repair Milk tankers that carry the milk you drink. Now that takes a whole different type of protocol to repair.

[@jensonhartmann3630]

Yep, sanity regs come into play. Whole different set of challenges lol

[@jasonmcqueen1411]

Explosion Meter? You mean an LEL sniffer?

[@jamesbagos3459]

Yeah they’re carrying gold these days. The per gallon price of milk is quickly rising faster tha gasoline

[@geoffrey6000]

@@jamesbagos3459 that's a good thing though, dairy farmers struggle when the price goes down so much as it has in the past couple years.

[@crabmansteve6844]

@@geoffrey6000 Dairy is actually heavily subsidized by the government and the price of milk is kept artificially high. A lot of countries do this, we actually have a large surplus of milk in this country more often than not.

[@CamiloSantana]

as a hobbyist welder and shade tree motorcycle mechanic of thirty years, this video hits the nail right on the head for me. thanks, brother. hope all is well with you 👍🏾

[@What-is-happening]

Nitrogen is way less expensive than argon and the kids Mr Bubble is the absolute best leak detector. The torch method is my preferred method for paint removal as well. Great video

[@ironhandcreative5603]

I'm glad the algorithm decided that I needed to see this channel. Super informative, and the anecdotes from other welders in the comments about their similar experiences are super cool.

[@TheDisgruntledMechanic]

Just had local welder die a couple months ago from a diesel tank repair. She had been doing this type of repair for well over 40 years. Not sure exactly what happened but it is vary sad. She was quite talented and did some welds on the aluminum on my bike.

[@nickzimmerman1447]

Was she from Danville Pa.?

[@brobinson8614]

Its because she was a woman

[@chrismc410]

@@brobinson8614 most sensitive lament

[@brobinson8614]

@@chrismc410 haha, I'm only here for making pointless cynical comments

[@NPC-ro5io]

@@brobinson8614 how dare you.

[@ericl2969]

If you don't do enough of these repairs to warrant buying special equipment like a steam machine, a shop vac works great, using the exhaust, NOT the suction (if you use the suction you will surely get an explosion as the fumes-and-air mixture passes through the combined fan and electric motor of the machine. It's common sense, but it's gotta be said). This method works great because there's a huge volume of air being blown, and that air is very warm which helps a lot to convert remnants of liquid fuel to vapor. It also helps to use a small enough inlet pipe that flushing air can escape around the pipe at its entry point, besides going out whatever other openings the tank has. Doing this operation with the tank outside in the hot sunshine helps a lot too (weather permitting). Another nice feature is it takes almost none of your time because you can leave the apparatus running for more than enough time to get the job done while you work on other things.

[@johnf1353]

Before i say this, im telling everyone DO NOT DO IT. That said, i have seen many times, a shop vac used to vacuum up gasoline, and diesel. Never saw it explode, but still defiantly not a good idea. Shop vacs must have some sort of explosion proof/sealed motor, because otherwise there would have defiantly been an explosion.

[@phriesen]

Regarding the electric motor going boom.. Thanks for stating what I guess should be the obvious, because clearly I have no common sense. Although I've never used that method, I also never thought of that danger. How I've made it until now, I do not know. Thanks for the tip!

[@Kv-pk2st]

Nice job. I have on SOME situations were I stitch or stack the weld with mig. Then gone back and washed the weld with the tig. It smooths out the stitch and helps ensure a good connection to the thinner metal.

[@iratepirate648]

When I was in the Merchant navy, the fuel oil mixing tank (a pressurised cylinder about 4' tall and 1.5' wide, with a plate welded over each end, in which the unused fuel would mix with freshly metered fuel before going back to the engines), split part of the weld afixing the lower plate and sprayed that corner of the engine room with hot, extremely flammable fuel oil. This stuff is like tar, smells like Kreosote and not only flows easier (at all) when hot, but also becomes *MUCH* more flammable. It made a godawful mess of that entire corner of the engine room, but luckily missed the hot exhaust of #1 genny, beside and slightly forward of it, or things would have been a LOT worse We get the fuel shut off, the mess cleared up and any leaking fuel caught while the pressure inside the vessel drops and then, because we're in the middle of the Atlantic and there's nothing else for it, it's time for the fun job…welding this sticky-black-goo-of-agonising-death filled bomb back together. How ever did that engineer survive such a deadly task??? Thanks to iron underpants and an unflappable sphincter about, the only thing he could do was put his faith in science, follow orders and (carefully) stitch it back together with a stick welder, pausing every few seconds so the wiper (his actual job title), who was standing by with a bucket of water and a wet cloth, could clean off any fuel that still oozed from the crack in the welder's path, until it was sealed up tight. Thanks to the upper (UEL) and lower (LEL) explosive limits, the science part in all this, he was able to do so without any (well…much) fear of the whole lot going up in his face because the fuel/air (oxygen) mix was too rich, actually no oxygen at all present in the fuel inside the tank (above the UEL) and the vapour present outside the tank was too lean (below the LEL) with no more fuel oozing out than would cause anything more than the smallest of flames, easily extinguished with a wet cloth, so it could be welded quite safely. Incidentally, this is also the actual reason why piping exhaust gas into a tank works. It displaces any flammable air(oxygen)/gas (petrol) mix and being anaerobic (oxygen free) prevents any liquid fuel remaining in the tank from flashing off and creating an explosive mix in the same way that using Argon, Nitrogen, CO2, etc would. Of course, that didn't stop us all watching with baited breath (while hiding in the control room of course…for safety reasons you understand **ahuh…hem** 🙄) during the entire episode.

[@MatMabee]

Jesus Christ dude

[@crezychameau]

Wow. That is not a task i'd be eager to get at

[@crabmansteve6844]

That welder had a lot of balls. Absolutely not something I'd be willing to so. I've seen pipeline welders do a hot tap before, that's sketchy as fuck too. No thank you.

[@mfitze1]

Good to see somebody that actually understand how LEL and UEL work, although that's definitely a sketchy situation. I'm a safety professional in a shipyard, and we commonly inert fuel and oil tanks if we need to do hotwork on the exterior (double plates and what not). Pump argon, nitrogen, co2 etc. into the tank, displace o2 and get it below 5%, certify with marine chemist, and good to go. Granted, we would never perform hotwork on a tank leaking fuel, and take precautions if we think the steel is thin enough to risk punching through, but it's theoretically doable as your daring engineer proved

[@jkgkjgkijk]

Sentence structure is a skill. This was nauseating to decipher.

[@danpatch4751]

I've repaired many fuel tanks in the past and never had any problems. I always washed the insides using a hot pressure washer first.

[@jameswoodsist]

the problem with just rinsing a tank out is water and fuel dont mix very well, fuel isnt soluble, so it wont clean it all out without being very very thorough. i did a little 5 gallon racecar tank once and filled it all the way up to the top with water, gave it a good shake and dumped it out, took a torch to see if it would light up and it blew a fireball 3 foot long out of it, the next one was 2 foot long lol that was with the cap and the fuel pump panel off, had they been on that thing would have been a bomb. you cant be too careful with this stuff.

[@brianb5779]

@@jameswoodsist Geez,,,would have never thought that would have happened but ill learn from what happened to you.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Ahaha recently I had about 1/2" of gas in the bottom of a fuel tank on a car in working on and needed it gone. Removed the sender unit from the top and stuck a hairdryer in there, came back an hour later and it was dry as a bone. I wouldn't advise smoking ciggies while that was going.

[@marktiltins8845]

Same here the guy is a 🤡

[@ahmedhussain8407]

@Joe turner Same here lol, I also Earn weekly Profits of $15,304 on My Investment Since I started invest with Sonia , her trading is the best I have seen

[@tigerseye73]

I have welded 3 motorcycle tanks that had small rust holes on the bottom. Drain completely. Allow compressed air to turbulate inside the tank for several minutes. Tape rust holes and fill tank 1/2 full of dish soap/water mix. Shake with vigor for several minutes. Drain. Refill with water completely to brim. Install fuel cap. Turn tank over to expose damaged area. Remove tape and allow a small amount of water to drain away from rust holes. Sand area with 80 grit for shiny metal. Apply flux. Silver braze holes closed using miniature propane pencil torch. I never had this method cause bark- back or fire.

[@tinnedanger]

Being old and a bit of a perfectionist. I would have cut the tacks away. Removed the bracket. Fixed the leak and then tack welded the bracket back in.

[@jasonmcqueen1411]

RIGHT?? I thought that would be the only solution in my opinion...

[@tinnedanger]

@@Zzrdemon6633 Well dave ...you post something onto the world view. You are going to get other "opinions". And if you do a job that can be done a little easier and efficient. You'll get "opinions" like mine. It was a suggestion in the first place. Something intelligent people might take in and learn from. KZbin frowns on negative remarks to protect sensitive souls like you. Carry on mate. Maybe you can shut the fuck up and learn something too.

[@jody6121]

I think that woud be a lot less time consuming way.

[@benm5407]

JB weld and leave it a week, repeat every 2 years

[@eternaloptimist2840]

Yeah - cut out the bracket, TIG a nice neat patch, then braze the bracket back on.

[@Turbo2Pete]

Instead of welding, what I have done with bike tanks is to simply Solder the leak... I have a large soldering iron for sheetmetal work, so no flame. I can patch larger holes with a bit of sheetmetal also. The bracket - would be hard to solder unless it could be removed and the metal under cleaned. But the upside of that would be the much better contact between the bracket and tank (soldering would fill in under the bracket, like glue) It paints and seals just fine also. Great work BTW.

[@godfreypoon5148]

^ This. This is good.

[@mopedmarathon]

Good tip cheers! Don’t suppose you know what wattage your soldering iron is do you? Sounds like a technique I could use occasionally.

[@DrunkGoatt]

@@mopedmarathon for soldering fuel tanks the iron should be around 250-300W. It's also can be used for soldering old-style brass/copper radiators

[@Turbo2Pete]

@@DrunkGoatt that's probably what it is... big, 2 pounds plus, 1/2 inch chisel tip... could be done with a torch as well, but that brings gs a flame back into the picture.

[@jaicabryizky6987]

Seriously my favorite welding Channel. I've learned a ton from your videos. Hope to be able to make it out to Vegas and do a class Sunday

[@davidleonard8369]

Back in the eighties a very nice older man showed me how to weld or braze a cracked fuel tank that was still on the vehicle and had about a quarter tank of fuel. He simply put a couple pounds of dry ice in it and welded up a seam leak right in front of me. Over the years I’ve used this method with nothing but success. Just make sure the fuel level is below where your welding so fuel can’t run out of where you are welding and then find oxygen outside of the tank that is full of co2.

[@jason-things_to_do]

Fill it with water works. Welded my first car tank when I was in high school after 4-5 rinse outs with soap and water. Tank went BOOM! Welded my 2nd tank 4 years later. I was welding on a 2nd S.S flange I made for a fuel sender. Filled it with water as much as possible. No issues.

[@TheJagjr4450]

My father fixes custom painted fuel tanks for a local motorcycle shop. H he boils them out using a steam cleaner then lightly blasts the inside of the tank, pours in metal prep to ensure all the rust pits are treated. Then steams again using a hot air gun to dry the tank. NEXT is tank coating. Which is advertised as filling rust holes and cheesy areas. The manufacturer actually made a tank from the material by using duct tape as the mold. poured cured and then removed the duct tape, filled with fuel for a year, no thinning, no leaking,. Most motorcycle tank issues we encounter are a direct result of ethanol laced fuel in uncoated metal tanks. Ethanol fuel in an ncoated tank, the ethanol absorbs water then through heat cool cycles falls out of suspension, the water nests in the lowest point, rusting the tanks.

[@waynegroves6922]

Back in 2006, I was building a Boss Hoss for my brother. We first sent the tank out to be prepped for painting; when we got it back, all the bodywork was done, and the filler tank inlet was taped shut. My brother now wanted me to cut a 6-inch hole in the middle of the tanks to allow an intake riser from the carb to protrude above the tanks for an aluminum ram intake scoop (Boss Hoss tanks are simply two Harley Fatbob tanks attached together by an 8-inch-wide connection). Well, I marked out the hole, then drilled a hole to start my plasma cutter; I set the tank on some cardboard on the floor, kneeled down and placed my plasma cutter into the hole, then struck the arc . . . the tank blew up! Actually, when I struck the arc, it exploded and sent the tape over the filler tube flying all over the shop - the tank itself was unharmed; however, my face was about a foot away when it went off, and it sounded like a 12ga. - I was deaf for quite a few minutes after that. I discovered that, 1) there were gas fumes still in the tank! 2) both tanks were NOT separate - the bridge between the two was actually a conduit between them - with about a half-gallon capacity; the builder had cut large holes in each tank to facilitate the fluid transfer. So, now I had to fabricate a collar around the 6-inch opening to separate and seal both tanks in order to run the carb intake extension up through them. The job turned out great, but it was a terrifying incident that could have been worse than just ringing ears. I did learn that I should inspect gas tanks before putting a torch to them, even though someone else had been working on them.

[@lowlowsandclothes9923]

My old auto teacher told us once that he tried to weld a car gas tank and he filled it up with water and left a small air pocket as to not get the weld wet, (he drained and aired it out before hand) then he said when he went to go weld it it shot the hose and the gas tank about 30 to 50 feet up in the air, his advice he gave us was to let someone else blow themselves up😂

[@waynegroves6922]

@@lowlowsandclothes9923 Yeah, it's the fumes that'll do it. Take full bucket of gasoline and throw a match into it, and the match will just get wet. Take half of the gasoline out of the bucket - if you now throw a match into the bucket, it will blow up, all because of the vapors accumulating above the pool of gasoline.

[@lowlowsandclothes9923]

@@waynegroves6922 according to my teacher it’s because the gas imbeds itself into the material and won’t come out until there’s heat

[@lorditsprobingtime6668]

@@lowlowsandclothes9923: " the gas imbeds itself into the material and won’t come out until there’s heat." That might help explain how a welder at a truck repair yard where I used to work welding whatever needed welding or building on the trucks. Some young bloke was going to modify an old diesel tank that had been empty and sitting in the odds and sodds pile along with useful bits like chassis rails. I'm not sure of exact details except that this tank had been sitting there empty for years but, when he started cutting, welding or whatever it exploded killing the poor bugger. That whole thing has had me wondering "how the f*** could that possibly have happened. I always tried to fill any tank with water, all bar a smallish patch right at the weld site whenever I did any work on either petrol or diesel tanks and not understanding how this one exploded considering all that time completely empty has had me both worried and puzzled at to how, your teachers explanation maybe is correct, I still don't understand how that fuel could "embed"itself so deeply into steel that it can still come out and ignite many years later, I always think of steel as completely no porous, it killed that poor young bugger though.

[@lowlowsandclothes9923]

@@lorditsprobingtime6668 that sucks man. That teacher had some crazy stories about all kinds of stuff and I definitely believe him makes me think twice before doing anything without safety glasses.

[@rodalbert3274]

I use Dawn dishwashing liquid works great to get rid of gas fumes Nice repair only thing I would do is drop the wire size to make it a little easier to play with on the thin areas!

[@xjmjguy]

I switched from .035 to .030 for this exact reason. I do mostly .120 and thinner tubing, so the 30 gives me more control and comfort. For thicker stuff, I will preheat and stack weld beads per normal

[@dwaynemadsen964]

Thank you for sharing. Pyrotechniques always earn a thumbs up! Stay safe.

[@billburnett9951]

Nice job! In the past I would braze tanks instead of welding. I was too concerned that a mig would blow through, and then came along this video. Welp.. ya learned me somethin' today! Thanks Justin!

[@staglione79]

Good video Justin. Thank you for sharing your experience, knowledge and professionalism with us. It's greatly appreciated brother👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@BruceLyeg]

Nicely done. The steam cleaner is a genius idea

[@stephengriffith1605]

Great work very nice weld’s and a very nice finish

[@SmittysShop]

Lots of great info and advice! Thanks!

[@keithmalmberg8395]

I have welded on a few equipment tanks. I learned to flush, the fill with water for welding. Being equipment tanks they are steel and usually over 1/8 thick. Used the good old stick welder and the water keeps all combustion away.

[@fsj197811]

Very nice, thanks for sharing!

[@enigma9789]

Love your videos man. We need more for sure!

[@philipv-twin1599]

Had the same leak on the same tank in the same spot. Welded it and resealed with Redkote. A year later still good 💪🏼

[@simpleauto587]

Acetone is a highly flammable and volatile liquid solvent, this is the LAST thing you would want to use when cleaning the inside of a fuel tank if you plan on doing any welding to it. You were either just very lucky that the acetone in the tank evaporated just enough to not blow up or you took extra steps (without mentioning) to flush out the insides of the tank before welding. Either way, what you're suggesting here is posing a hazard towards people who are unaware of the risks of Acetone or welding fuel tanks in general. The safer way to flush out a tank is to steam it (as shown in this video) and or flush it with soapy water if you dont have steam. And finally purge it with an inert gas like fumes coming from your engine or nitrogen or argon.

[@philipv-twin1599]

@@simpleauto587 prior to the acetone I did soak it with CLR, then water and baking soda

[@houseofchoppers]

I like your steam trick to de fume it, a sanding drum on a Dremel is a lifesaver for those tight to reach spots pre weld.

[@austinswearingen1662]

first MIG ive ever seen you do!!! do more!!!!!

[@richardfuerst5286]

Great video Justin. 👍

[@dtfm33]

Thank you. I learn quite a bit from your videos

[@johnc.wunscheljr2873]

great video on gas tank repair

[@crisscass25]

Great video thanks for sharing

[@andrewhall8123]

Thanks for the quick cost breakdown at the end

[@humourless682]

With ethanol bearing fuels, pinholes due to corrosion damage caused by standing water, seem to be a very common cause of tank leaks? Before carrying out any sort of tank repair, it's well worth carefully inspecting the inside of the tank, and checking its condition. In many cases the bottom of the tank, will be badly corroded, and other than cutting out and replacing the tank bottom, any long term weld repair is difficult/impossible, as applying any sort of heat, tends to open up more pinholes. Realistically, any tank that is leaking due to corrosion, can only be repaired by cutting out and replacing the corroded material, or by using a modified novolac epoxy tank sealant, being applied after the tank has been properly prepared. For full chemical resistance, some sort of elevated temperature post cure process must be employed, to ensure the repair material is fully cured. Tank sealants as supplied are far too thin to work effectively, as run off will tend to mean the products tend to pool in the bottom of a tank, and leave other areas with a very thin coating, which often cracks, and allows ingress of fuel underneath the coating. Filled epoxy based sealant, applied at elevated temperature is the solution here, but is more a professional process.

[@arnoldaltjr.2099]

Finally someone who knows what the "heck" there talking about. Your welding talents would easily allow you to weld on a rusty manure spreader. Keep up the good work.

[@stephen271]

Another top video thanks mate👍

[@Lurkzz]

Colleague of mine blew a tank when he put the torch to it without checking it himself thoroughly. Luckily it blew away from him but safe to say he went for a cigarette. He was quite ashamed but it goes to show how quick something can go wrong because he is definitely not someone who does irresponsible stuff like that often

[@triggeral]

Love this! Thank you for taking the time to record and share!!

[@stevedeleon8775]

Good Job Amigo!👍

[@sushia.f.1809]

Always awesome content.

[@owenmorehart1224]

More great content and tips. Thanks.

[@rickmcdonald1557]

For you to take on this job at all shows your confidence and expertise~! It took a bunch of Guts to fix this tank because you know this is somebodies "Baby" and will spread a bad word of mouth if it leaks again. I admire your courage~! New Sub because I want to see more of your Magic. 😲✌

[@MAINTMAN73]

When I do gas tanks of any kind, I thoroughly wash and dry them. This usually takes care of 99% of the hazard then I inert the tank with argon, CO2 or throw a chunk of dry ice in the tank to inert the tank. Of course if your TIG welding and argon purges probably the best thing to use. Trying to check a gas tank for flammable vapor using any kind of flame is suicidal at best. This also works well for LPG tanks that are being cut open for turning into a smoker etc.

[@longrifle.]

Thx. got a 500 I'm fixen to cut up this week. 73's

[@wcmwfab935]

That's my type of fix. Right on. Screw tube anyhow. I always like the break down of the work.

[@LetsGoRoundAgain]

Glad you stressed a little air pressure. About 25 years ago when I had a paint shop for motorcycles, my buddy and I completely ruined a customer's laverda fuel tank by using too much air pressure, totally distorted it. Trying to find a replacement in the days before internet was a nightmare.

[@blaqlabspodcast5816]

Those bike tanks are thin and under alot of stress. Even welding on them can warp them in places away from the weld which is why I was not a fan of him torching that stressed area to get the paint off.

[@petermontagnon4440]

Good job Buddy!!!

[@dillanstainbrook1764]

I always make sure its empty and I'll usually put a good helping of c02 or argon in the tank can't have fire if it doesn't have oxygen

[@zied5663]

Finally videos with mig technique. Are you shifting to mig

[@Mike_Laird]

Great job

[@delinquentdesign]

Nice job vato.

[@ALEXANDERCRETA1]

Nice vid thanks

[@CuddleTrouble]

I had to cut out and patch a fairly large piece on my motorcycle tank. It took me forever to get all the leaks out (didn't really know what i was doing). I even painted it myself and it came out great, until it started leaking again. Now that I finally had all the leaks gone I decided to pressure test it like I should have before. So, I soaped it up and used what I had on hand to pressurize it - the exit of my shop vac. Now I have a very pretty bowed to hell unusable tank hanging on my wall; he's very right when he says to use a very small amount of pressure. I ended up finding a really nice matching set of panels and the tank on ebay that someone was trying to get rid of and that was that.

[@pollepost]

Very good solution. I would have done it the same way. Today I had to repair a broken snozzle from a fire truck. 3" aluminum pipe broken in two pieces. I like my carbide air grinder, it removes a lot of metal and leave the bevel clean and shiny.

[@theshepardthewolfandtheshe5304]

Right on! Just arc welding it with 8013!!!

[@andrewbarnett84]

The fastest way to de-fume I ever saw a mechanic carry out was when my Honda Civic tank got punctured by a sharp rock on a dirt road from a random rock fall. The tank got a big dent and a hole, 100 Km from the nearest fuel station, and fuel leaking out, So I grabbed a couple of sticks a jammed them in the hole to slow the leak down. When we got to a small town, found the local mechanic, he collected the fuel he drained out, then he put the exhaust of his diesel truck into the tank. The heat vaporises any remaining fuel and the fumes are oxygen free. After 10 minutes he bashed the dent out a bit, then welded it up in 3 minutes. Re-filled the tank with the collected fuel (after re-fitting to the car), and away we went, $50 repair. Never leaked, good repair.

[@madcapmagician6018]

as always brother... informative 😁👍

[@leopoldpoppenberger8692]

any bend in a tank (Curvature)is the thinnest part of the metal. It's thicker inside thinner on the outside.

[@mareli82]

am amazed you track your time and charge by the minute.

[@richardkawucha1232]

Have you ever considered using dry ice, to inert the tank? This method is use to demo large gas tanks (thousands of gallons capacity). Removal of the bracket, welding then reinstallation of the bracket, would be the ideal repair. As a point of information I am a retired safety professional and a retired certified high pressure MIG, TIG, stick welder.

[@scurvofpcp]

acetone drip dispenser and tube cleaners, I've spent so much of my time using those to clean out spaces like that.

[@ma61king]

I think brazing with low temp rod like silphos might have been the best solution in this case

[@blaqlabspodcast5816]

Part of the blowthrough problem on a stretch is not only because its thin but its because heating the metal with the weld means as it cools its going to shrink and pull apart on an extreme stretch point. Ive seen guys submerge the tank in water all except the area they are welding to ensure the paint doesn't lift and to keep the tank from warping. Some bike tanks have so much stress that they will twist slightly during welding and not go back on the bike correctly or crack the paint soon after esp the old laquer paint. Big pita.

[@Tagawichin]

I like the burn the paint off method too. Just be careful not to use it on military CARC paint, the older stuff contains cadmium. Not a good thing to inhale.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Airplanes too, that zinc chromate was wicked stuff

[@renebourbeau1671]

Dry ice works well

[@antilogism]

That will work if it sublimates fast enough. CO2 is cheap. In the old days (1980's) we would just flood it with common CO2 and go to town.

[@jameswalsh2433]

I owned a Radiator shop for a couple of years. Gas tanks are hell on earth, but in the 90`s they were not lined. The solution was to tin the shit out of the area, with an acid flux and a torch, with a fiber brush. apply solder. you can inert any flammables with an auto, or small engine exhaust hose, dumping carbon monoxide, into the tank. This method uses much less heat, and reduces the risk of burning out thin metal. There was a product called Tank Tech, which was a polymer for the inside of tanks. The tank should be lined to prevent further pinholes I do not know what is around today, to do that job. Your welds will not prevent that tank from showing up again.

[@Mr.Crosbyy.]

On the gas lines us Pipeliners do, they have roustabouts purge the line with Nitrogen, we cut a fish eye in the pipe for the flames to flow through before we make the beveled cut or weld a root pass in. When you see flames coming out, that’s good. But when there’s no flames… then we got a problem somewhere down the line.

[@Holledel]

Good timing, I was just googling this a couple hours ago because the aux tank on my 67 f250 is leaking

[@stevedelacruz3749]

You are so right about some people ..ive seen it happen

[@markferguso168gmail.]

Good job. I like to use tig silicone bronze if can get it clean.

[@zadingpuia4119]

man...u did a great job...i know how stressfull is to weld a gas tank and you made me know my mistake ...we weld the bottom of the tank and leak appears on the top of the tank after bottom got welded .. maybe we didnot clean the fuel enough like you did and the weld burns the fuel creating holes in thin areas ..,,also what i notice is since petrol is thinner than water , it penetrates small holes which water could not seep through even wit air pump

[@evilutionltd]

Fair play on your knowledge and expertise. I wouldn't have trusted my abilities and would have definitely used a burr to remove the welds for the bracket, removed the bracket, bodged welded the hole and welded the bracket back on.

[@jamessonger3]

Love ur videos dude. Keep up the good work! I like how u give DETAILS and ur not scared to tell us how much u charged. Thanks for that!

[@michaelairheart6921]

I use electrical contact cleaner for those tight spots. It comes in a pressurized can like carb cleaner. It dries completely and doesn't leave residue.

[@MyRadDesign]

The metal of the tank is somewhat porous and can trap enough fuel to cause an explosion after washing. Inert gas purge is the best way to avoid a potentially lethal accident when welding tanks. This tank is small, the danger goes up with larger tanks. All fuel tanks are to be respected, however.

[@jasonmcqueen1411]

Burn off from saturation.

[@1djbecker]

Very little fuel is trapped in porous metal. The highest risk is crimped seams, which will hold fuel even when the tank is rinsed with soapy water or vented for weeks.

[@kenneth6731]

Next time consider using Aufhauser SilverAlloy 45% Ag BAg-5 Brazing Rods works great!

[@laiky71]

this seems like a great application for flux cored wire

[@delwhylie4748]

Empty the tank to be welded of any fuel connect the exhaust from your car for 5 or to 30 minutes depending on size of tank to weld leave the vehicle running while you weld braze, sodder, torch tank in half no problem. There is zero chance of explosion using this method. Works for gas, all types of fuel or oil no matter. After running auto exhaust from flexible hose fitting from tail pipe and fitting the other end into tank to be welded then to continue auto exhaust flowing through the tank and venting well out of the tank while welding repairs are being done. It is simply impossible to cause any fire or explosion. Truly the safest and best way to weld any type of gas or fuel tank.

[@idilikholographicled9937]

Have you tried to connect a hose to the exhaust pipe of a vehicle and put the gas inside? It is also effective. The advantage is that it does not rust the tank if it is made of iron

[@SDNorm2]

Only time I welded on a tank it was for a MR2 it was changing where the fuel pump is accessed to allow the owner to put in a second fuel pump. Since it was the highest point I ended up filling with water then purging the rest with argon. I figured with the size that was my best option even though it was cleaned out.

[@dlogan3004]

Argon is definitely the best option

[@magic4221]

NICE!

[@royserles5322]

I knew a guy who had his own weld shop. He had done this repair hundreds of times in his life. He must have assumed the tank was clear but it wasn't. He struck an arc and the tank exploded. The flange took off like a missile hitting him in the head, killing him instantly.

[@flhusa1]

flush with hot water and dawn liquid . if you can't smell the fuel then its good to go. if you smell fuel do it again . i used high pressure steam at the power plant on my tank and it came out super clean

[@blairarmishaw7329]

Hi in the pass when I had to weld up a repair that seem to have a Leck in almost the same place your video shows on a tank, if it come out one side of where the bracket is. I will run a grinder though the bottom of the bracket, (tank upside down) so I have about a 5 mm gap, then weld it back up, then just weld the one side only. It save on time and work and maybe damaging the side not lecking. But otherwise, great video. Thanks

[@maxheadflow]

After washing, I simply pump low level air flow into the tank. If anything flammable is left in the tank, the air vapor mixture is so lean that the flammable burns at the source and does not create an explosive AFR. I braze these brackets.. Old school stuff.

[@ENZEEVIDS]

a trick i like to use if i blow a hole is to fire up the gas plant and run the flame around the edge of the hole that was blown. the idea is to melt the metal creating a bead on the edge that is thicker than the base metal. being thicker it can take more heat and is less likely to run when you are trying to fill it. then you can weld up to that with the mig.

[@davewallace5008]

I once welded a propane tank half full! I couldn't type anymore because my credits in heaven are up :)

[@joshuaahlstrom3174]

this is awesome. a sandblaster will clean out that little bit you cant reach so you can use the tig on it

[@Grosmeo]

A few years ago, I did a motorcycle gas tank like you did . To test it after welded, I blew air in it. As an idiot like I was, probably still am, I forced it to much. Suddenly a hear a big Bloup! The gaz tank just swollen like a balloon. That was done for the tank. That is kind of when I realized what pressure to square inch pressure means😁

[@perfectdiversion]

Very informative and so important when working on tanks. I know someone from my town who was welding a fuel tank in a boat. They should of known better but they didnt remove the tank first and mustn't of flushed it very well but when they welded it the whole tank with the boat exploded. Luckily a large sheet of metal flew up and hit him while actually protecting him from other debris at the same time believe it or not. He was so close to death. Broken bones, nose, burns, lost a heap of teeth. It sent him flying. Its taken years to recover and he has never been the same

[@garybulwinkle82]

Had a neighbor who wanted a bracket welded on his gas tank in an old Ford pickup. He said some guy welds them with the tank full to keep them from exploding. I said, "I'm not welding on a gas tank unless it's empty and flushed thoroughly"! He took the tank to someone else!! As a kid I used to work on and modify bikes a lot, and I would always empty them then flush with soap and water several times. As a last check, I would point the torch in the tank to see if any fuel vapor would pop!

[@smiffersmaffer]

I don’t know what welder you have, but I have a Miller 252 and it has a pulse setting and you won’t believe the stack of dimes you can get with that once you’re good with it. It’s not for all purposes but when you’re doing something that’s decorative and need a killer looking weld it comes in very handy

[@lyleadams4367]

Fuel tanks are very easy to weld. Flush with water, then run exhaust into it while welding. No boom, I've probably done thousands over the last 50+years.

[@davidtyce2269]

Good work brother as always good job and miss shooting the shit at MCRD

[@hool10]

Oh interesting way to purge the tank. I was taught a long time ago one way to purge a vessel is to fill it with water up to the leaky area.

[@dienekes4364]

I have a 2015 V-Star 1300 that has developed a leak in the tank. I paid a local shop $300 to fix it. They used J.B. Weld on it. I didn't even get it home before it started leaking again. Since we're heading into winter time here in Oregon, it's finally getting to a time of the year when I won't be able to ride it much, so I'll have time to pull the tank off and fix it myself (which I should have done from the start). I was thinking of soldering it rather than brazing it, but it might be worth it to buy a brazing kit and do that instead.

[@shawng7902]

That steam trick was pretty slick. Ill do it for sure now I have one. KZbin come on. Big difference between a fuel petcock and "hey fool pet my " nevermind.

[@Masso1973]

I am seriously impressed by your skills. You make the stitching look easy, but it’s not.

[@patrickmckeever2378]

I've welded fuel tanks before, We always filled the tank with Smoke from a tail pipe do the tank had no oxygen inside of it. It works.