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Metalworking (rec.crafts.metalworking) Discuss various aspects of working with metal, such as machining, welding, metal joining, screwing, casting, hardening/tempering, blacksmithing/forging, spinning and hammer work, sheet metal work. |
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Brazing power steering fluid tank
Is the flashpoint of power steering fluid low enough that I need to
take the same precautions that were advised in a thread a while back about welding on a motorcycle gas tank? The tank is steel, about a foot long and 5 inches in diameter and the fill hole at the top and the drain hole at the bottom aren't very large. I'm contemplating a CO2 fill just to be sure. |
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In article ,
John Ings wrote: Is the flashpoint of power steering fluid low enough that I need to take the same precautions that were advised in a thread a while back about welding on a motorcycle gas tank? The tank is steel, about a foot long and 5 inches in diameter and the fill hole at the top and the drain hole at the bottom aren't very large. I'm contemplating a CO2 fill just to be sure. It never hurts to approach something like this with an abundance of caution, so I'd say to take any extra precautions that make you comfortable. In practice I've never found light oils such as power steering and hydraulic to be explosive when I've welded around them, although they will burn. What I have found is that when you weld something like an oil reservoir you have to thoroughly clean it out before attempting to weld for best results. Use a soap or similar non-flammable solvent. If you don't then oil wicks into the weld by capilary action as you are welding and can contaminate the repair causing leaks. A second point is about brazing as a repair in a mobile environment. If this is a stress crack that you're trying to repair then I'd advise you to weld rather than braze. The braze will almost always crack again above the original crack in a month or two because of vibration. Been there, done that. |
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On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 12:34:46 -0700, inetcaster
wrote: It never hurts to approach something like this with an abundance of caution, so I'd say to take any extra precautions that make you comfortable. In practice I've never found light oils such as power steering and hydraulic to be explosive when I've welded around them, although they will burn. What I have found is that when you weld something like an oil reservoir you have to thoroughly clean it out before attempting to weld for best results. Use a soap or similar non-flammable solvent. If you don't then oil wicks into the weld by capilary action as you are welding and can contaminate the repair causing leaks. That sounds like good advice. A second point is about brazing as a repair in a mobile environment. If this is a stress crack that you're trying to repair then I'd advise you to weld rather than braze. The braze will almost always crack again above the original crack in a month or two because of vibration. Been there, done that. I think that's what's happened this time. The tank is mounted on a farm tractor and the area where it's cracked is a brazed joint at the bottom which is not only the outlet but also the support for this foot-high hunk of tubular steel which is mounted atop the engine. Maybe I'd better think about mounting the damn thing in a better place than where the manufacturer put it... |
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