Welding a 5052-0 Fuel Tank

[jls]

Anybody got any pointers on this. A friend had an aluminum tank
welded and it leaked. He thinks it was because a different aluminum
was used for the welding rod. I dunno. I'm a novice on welding.

This tank has a big dent on top and we may need to drill a hole or two
from the bottom of the pancake-shaped tank to work the dent out. Will
this 5052-0 aluminum get hard and brittle? It's .040 thick. The dent
needs to be worked out because we need an airfoil shape on the top of
the tank, and we lost the desired shape with the big dent which made
the tank's top bulge around the inlet. It's an 18-gallon wing tank.

Thank you for your kind support.

Yes, thanks and I'm kinda enjoying (but a tiny bit ashamed because
schadenfreude is a sin) watching the group of ravenous piranhas
picking the bones of Jim Campbell, as if he deserves anything better.
Poor guy. He just can't help himself. He's innately evil. Besides
being an irrepressible narcissist. And I think he fibs sometimes too.
And tells cock-and-bull stories. I got a feeling Ron Wanntaja has
Campbell assessed correctly. His credibility is shot. So I tend to
believe Wanttaja, who more often than not demonstrates sterling
character. Or at least better than average character.

Ok, help us out a little now with this welding thing.

[Ernest Christley]

jls wrote:
> Anybody got any pointers on this. A friend had an aluminum tank
> welded and it leaked. He thinks it was because a different aluminum
> was used for the welding rod. I dunno. I'm a novice on welding.
>
> This tank has a big dent on top and we may need to drill a hole or two
> from the bottom of the pancake-shaped tank to work the dent out. Will
> this 5052-0 aluminum get hard and brittle? It's .040 thick. The dent
> needs to be worked out because we need an airfoil shape on the top of
> the tank, and we lost the desired shape with the big dent which made
> the tank's top bulge around the inlet. It's an 18-gallon wing tank.
>

I've found the 5052 to be very forgiving, as far as work hardening, but
I haven't pushed it very hard.

Look up Ken White's internet site.

http://www.tinmantech.com/index.php

Loads of information there. His glasses for gas welding makes all the
difference. Use lots of flux, and a bigger tip than what you think is
necessary.

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
" jls" > wrote:

> Anybody got any pointers on this. A friend had an aluminum tank
> welded and it leaked. He thinks it was because a different aluminum
> was used for the welding rod. I dunno. I'm a novice on welding.
>
> This tank has a big dent on top and we may need to drill a hole or two
> from the bottom of the pancake-shaped tank to work the dent out. Will
> this 5052-0 aluminum get hard and brittle? It's .040 thick. The dent
> needs to be worked out because we need an airfoil shape on the top of
> the tank, and we lost the desired shape with the big dent which made
> the tank's top bulge around the inlet. It's an 18-gallon wing tank.
>
> Thank you for your kind support.
>
> Yes, thanks and I'm kinda enjoying (but a tiny bit ashamed because
> schadenfreude is a sin) watching the group of ravenous piranhas
> picking the bones of Jim Campbell, as if he deserves anything better.
> Poor guy. He just can't help himself. He's innately evil. Besides
> being an irrepressible narcissist. And I think he fibs sometimes too.
> And tells cock-and-bull stories. I got a feeling Ron Wanntaja has
> Campbell assessed correctly. His credibility is shot. So I tend to
> believe Wanttaja, who more often than not demonstrates sterling
> character. Or at least better than average character.
>
> Ok, help us out a little now with this welding thing.

Before welding the tank MUST be purged! I have had success with dry ice,
from local dairies, who use it to pack ice cream for shipment.

My local welding guru uses his argon as a purge before welding. It
displaces the air and inhibits combustion, as doe the CO2 from the dry
ice.

Tanks are finicky regarding vibration. They don't like to be tied (or
strapped) down too tightly and like to rest on something soft, like felt.

If they encounter stress concentrations, they can leak in unexpected
places.

[Dan[_2_]]

Orval Fairbairn wrote:
> In article >,
> " jls" > wrote:
>
>> Anybody got any pointers on this. A friend had an aluminum tank
>> welded and it leaked. He thinks it was because a different aluminum
>> was used for the welding rod. I dunno. I'm a novice on welding.
>>
>> This tank has a big dent on top and we may need to drill a hole or two
>> from the bottom of the pancake-shaped tank to work the dent out. Will
>> this 5052-0 aluminum get hard and brittle? It's .040 thick. The dent
>> needs to be worked out because we need an airfoil shape on the top of
>> the tank, and we lost the desired shape with the big dent which made
>> the tank's top bulge around the inlet. It's an 18-gallon wing tank.
>>
>> Thank you for your kind support.
>>
>> Yes, thanks and I'm kinda enjoying (but a tiny bit ashamed because
>> schadenfreude is a sin) watching the group of ravenous piranhas
>> picking the bones of Jim Campbell, as if he deserves anything better.
>> Poor guy. He just can't help himself. He's innately evil. Besides
>> being an irrepressible narcissist. And I think he fibs sometimes too.
>> And tells cock-and-bull stories. I got a feeling Ron Wanntaja has
>> Campbell assessed correctly. His credibility is shot. So I tend to
>> believe Wanttaja, who more often than not demonstrates sterling
>> character. Or at least better than average character.
>>
>> Ok, help us out a little now with this welding thing.
>
> Before welding the tank MUST be purged! I have had success with dry ice,
> from local dairies, who use it to pack ice cream for shipment.
>
> My local welding guru uses his argon as a purge before welding. It
> displaces the air and inhibits combustion, as doe the CO2 from the dry
> ice.
>
> Tanks are finicky regarding vibration. They don't like to be tied (or
> strapped) down too tightly and like to rest on something soft, like felt.
>
> If they encounter stress concentrations, they can leak in unexpected
> places.

Unexpected? No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

OK, I could have resisted, but I didn't feel like it :)

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired

[Montblack]

("Dan" wrote)
>> If they encounter stress concentrations, they can leak in unexpected
>> places.

> Unexpected? No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!
>
> OK, I could have resisted, but I didn't feel like it :)


Let's face it - you can't Torquemada anything!

>> If they encounter stress concentrations, they can leak in unexpected
>> places.

Comicus: I'm fighting with cardboard!


Montblack

[ChuckSlusarczyk]

In article >, jls says...
>
>Anybody got any pointers on this. A friend had an aluminum tank
>welded and it leaked. He thinks it was because a different aluminum
>was used for the welding rod. I dunno. I'm a novice on welding.
>
>This tank has a big dent on top and we may need to drill a hole or two
>from the bottom of the pancake-shaped tank to work the dent out. Will
>this 5052-0 aluminum get hard and brittle? It's .040 thick. The dent
>needs to be worked out because we need an airfoil shape on the top of
>the tank, and we lost the desired shape with the big dent which made
>the tank's top bulge around the inlet. It's an 18-gallon wing tank.
>
>Thank you for your kind support.

I'm assuming your going to TIG the tank. My technique is to
#1 be sure tank has no fuel residue and flush with water if possible .
#2 Set up an inert gas purge I use the argon from my tig bottle.
#3 clean with a stainless steel wire brush the area to be welded
#4 Slightly preheat the tank with an acytelene torch in the area of the weld.Use
a soft flame.
#5 Use proper rod and weld and allow to cool by itself do not quench with water.

This works for me. Ain't blowed up yet :-)Hope this helps


>
>Yes, thanks and I'm kinda enjoying (but a tiny bit ashamed because
>schadenfreude is a sin) watching the group of ravenous piranhas
>picking the bones of Jim Campbell, as if he deserves anything better.
>Poor guy. He just can't help himself. He's innately evil. Besides
>being an irrepressible narcissist. And I think he fibs sometimes too.
>And tells cock-and-bull stories. I got a feeling Ron Wanntaja has
>Campbell assessed correctly. His credibility is shot. So I tend to
>believe Wanttaja, who more often than not demonstrates sterling
>character. Or at least better than average character.

Good idea to believe Ron over zoom you won't go wrong :-) I agree with your
assessment of zoom as well he will lie when the truth would work just as well.
Credibility it was always about credibility.

Chuck S RAH-14/1 ret

[Dan[_2_]]

Montblack wrote:
> ("Dan" wrote)
>>> If they encounter stress concentrations, they can leak in unexpected
>>> places.
>
>> Unexpected? No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!
>>
>> OK, I could have resisted, but I didn't feel like it :)
>
>
> Let's face it - you can't Torquemada anything!
>
>>> If they encounter stress concentrations, they can leak in unexpected
>>> places.
>
> Comicus: I'm fighting with cardboard!
>
>
> Montblack
>
>
And the rest of you will run with Mucus.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired