Welding a hydraulic reservoir frame

[yomax4]

Would it make any sense to remove, Clean, and Weld the tank and re-install?

 

[weldermike]

Yes, definately, I fig the tank would be out and emptied, and clean.

 

[RPW]

That's what I get for using modern electronics (smartphone) to type on.

 

[Ohming]

Arson -- torch the contaminant out, I am laughing at myself as I now make the connection. Thanks for all the tips.

 

[deereman75]

if you have a co2 fire extinguisher, just blast it into the tank, that will purge it and make it safe. (every farm and shop should have one)

 

[Ohming]

A slight departure, but here's an oldie but goodie.....

A guy jumped out of a perfectly good airplane with a parachute strapped to his back. At the predetermined time, he pulled the rip cord, nothing happened. He pulled the backup-chute chord, nothing happened.

As he fell while holding 2 rip chords, he stared at the ground, wondering where he will meet his demise. Then he noticed a dot getting larger, it was getting larger logarithmically faster than the good earth. Very quickly, that dot grew to reveal that it was a man approaching him in mid air!

Thinking quickly, the parachutist yelled to the man; Hey buddy, do you know anything about parachutes?!?! The fast approaching man with his pants on fire yelled back; NO, do you know anything about welding hydraulic tanks?!?!

 

[deereman75]

A slight departure, but here's an oldie but goodie.....

A guy jumped out of a perfectly good airplane with a parachute strapped to his back. At the predetermined time, he pulled the rip cord, nothing happened. He pulled the backup-chute chord, nothing happened.

As he fell while holding 2 rip chords, he stared at the ground, wondering where he will meet his demise. Then he noticed a dot getting larger, it was getting larger logarithmically faster than the good earth. Very quickly, that dot grew to reveal that it was a man approaching him in mid air!

Thinking quickly, the parachutist yelled to the man; Hey buddy, do you know anything about parachutes?!?! The fast approaching man with his pants on fire yelled back; NO, do you know anything about welding hydraulic tanks?!?!

:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing: I hope your repair goes better.

 

[chad22]

A slight departure, but here's an oldie but goodie.....

A guy jumped out of a perfectly good airplane with a parachute strapped to his back. At the predetermined time, he pulled the rip cord, nothing happened. He pulled the backup-chute chord, nothing happened.

As he fell while holding 2 rip chords, he stared at the ground, wondering where he will meet his demise. Then he noticed a dot getting larger, it was getting larger logarithmically faster than the good earth. Very quickly, that dot grew to reveal that it was a man approaching him in mid air!

Thinking quickly, the parachutist yelled to the man; Hey buddy, do you know anything about parachutes?!?! The fast approaching man with his pants on fire yelled back; NO, do you know anything about welding hydraulic tanks?!?!

:laughing::laughing::laughing: That was great. :thumbsup:

Chad

 

[BXpanded]

I have read where people used dry ice to repair gas tanks. Haven't tried it myself.

I once used natural gas when brazing some refrigerant lines to prevent oxidation and scale inside. As someone already said, you just have to push out the oxygen.
I'd have to think about it some before I'd try it on the Frame/ Hyd tank. It should work fine, it just sounds scary.

 

[Tobias Dunlap]

I'm going to make a lot of you guys mad by saying this.

Don't worry about heating the crack, burnt oil creates carbon deposits which will weaken the base metal when you weld over it. Don't worry about the hydraulic oil exploding when you weld over it. It wont happen.

I've repaired dozens of these things and this is how I do it. Its worked for loaded crude oil separators, hydraulic tanks, diesel fuel tanks and hydraulic cylinders. Go to the welding supply store and buy or order some X ERGON Black Glass welding rod or POLARIS Brutus rod. I use 3/32" .They are a little on the expensive side, but are worth thier weight in gold for repairs like this. These rods are simply amazing. They will weld through anything: paint, grease, oil, tar, crud, water you name it.
I used them a lot in the coal mines to root out cracks in leaking gear cases.

Fill the tank with fluid.
Wipe as much drip off as you can.
Weld the crack with the Black Glass Rod. Uphill or down it dosent matter. For the 3/32" rods I usually burn at 70 amps. Practice on some scrap of the same thickness to get used to it. These rods have very different characteristics from other rods.

The most dangerous part about hydraulic fluid is the rags you use to wipe the mess up with. Hydraulic oil is candelic. Meaning it burns with a wic, like a candle. You can throw a match into a bucket of hydraulic oil and it will put the match out. Get a decent spark on an oil soaked rag and you'll have a fire on your hands in no time.

PM me if you have specific questions

Toby

 

[weldermike]

Thank you Toby! Ditto on that. Same here do it all the time!

 

[deereman75]

Even though that would work, I would take the time and do it right. Empty the tank, purge it with co2, and get the joint as clean as you would if you were going to paint it. This will be more work, but it is less likely to fail again, and is the proper way to do it.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

I once used natural gas when brazing some refrigerant lines to prevent oxidation and scale inside. As someone already said, you just have to push out the oxygen.
I'd have to think about it some before I'd try it on the Frame/ Hyd tank. It should work fine, it just sounds scary.

are you sure it was natural gas and not nitrogen gas. I'm sure the results would be quite different.

 

[Mace Canute]

If you decide to use something to clean off the oil film, DO NOT use any chlorinated cleaner, like chlorinated brake cleaner. Even when it looks to be completely dried off the metal, enough remains to create phosgene gas when the heat of welding hits it and is enough to really choke you up if you get a whiff of it. A crack might hold quite a bit of it and would be much worse.

 

[deereman75]

If you decide to use something to clean off the oil film, DO NOT use any chlorinated cleaner, like chlorinated brake cleaner. Even when it looks to be completely dried off the metal, enough remains to create phosgene gas when the heat of welding hits it and is enough to really choke you up if you get a whiff of it. A crack might hold quite a bit of it and would be much worse.

I agree compleatly, the best chemical cleaner to use for this acording to welders handbook, is acetone. I would first use a grinder to expose the crack, and open it up a bit so that you can get it clean and get good penitration. Then use a wire wheel to get any rust, paint, or grime off. Then use acetone to get any oil film off, and make sure it is perfectly clean. Then I would purge it with co2 ( a co2 fire extinguisher would work well), and weld it with a 6011 or 6013 (depending on the thickness)

 

[yomax4]

Clean it with 80 water/ 20 dawn dish soap. Weld it with what ever. Very basic repair here.

 

[BXpanded]

are you sure it was natural gas and not nitrogen gas. I'm sure the results would be quite different.

Absolutely sure! I would have preferred nitrogen, but did not have any available. If you push out the oxygen, nothing happens inside the tube. Once it's purged you cut off the gas. What little leaks out while you are brazing the fitting is just burned by the torch. You can't even tell it's there. After brazing, you just blow the gas out with air.

BTW, some taps into existing gas mains are welded with the gas flowing to keep any oxygen from getting into the pipe and potentially causing an explosion. Called a "Hot Tap". I once worked for a company that had a crew that travelled all over the country doing hot taps. Very lucrative business although it apparently was not terribly dificult to do. The "fear factor" made it a valuable service.