Tinsmith's in frame gas tank for cantilever Schwinn.
- Thread starter silverbear
- Start date
Yea I know but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and pay for something nicer. Realistically you dont have much in these tanks other than time and materials and an additional 20 bucks to make them pop isnt much considering what it would cost to buy one like it...
Just my opinion after looking over some of the choices.
Personally I like the idea of a sight tube so I am exploring something similar on a new tank for me but it will probably add another 60 bucks to mine with the brass fixtures I have to fabricate for the top and bottom and the tempered glass tube I want to use...
You're right, of course, and the tank deserves nice hardware. Maybe later I can switch over to the high priced spread, but for now every dollar makes a difference. My SS income of six hundred a month doesn't allow much for my bike addiction. If I were making a tank for a customer or for a bike to sell it would be another matter. I look forward to seeing what you come up with, Mark. Glass would be the real deal and the cat's meow...
SB
SB
I went around the circle and all I found was 1/8 NPT 1/4 hose barb at ACE. If you have to stick with 1/4 hose how about useing a compresion type fitting? you can buy the little brass insert that fits inside the plastic tubing and it comes with a a small nylon compresion ring just for the plastic line. Then all that would show would be the brass nut. Check it out at Lowels or one of them
SB, I have found what you are looking for at a great price…free…send me a PM and let me know where to ship. I used 3/16 plastic hose from the hardware store…its cheap but may need to keep an eye on it and change it when it get stiff. I did order some ¼ hose from a online motorcycle supply that was 5.99 for 3 feet, flat rate 7.00 shipping and no TAX….I did order more stuff…so it was a good deal…
The Next Tank: if you checked out the fitting I used on Pork and Beans gas tank, they are small and hug the tank very well. The problem is you will probably not be able to find them since this type was used on pneumatic controls for HVAC. The pictures shows two sizes, the smaller size was a tee to start off with that I knocked off one end and silver soldered shut then sanded down. The larger one I used on the gas tank…3/16 and did the same thing.
The Next Tank: if you checked out the fitting I used on Pork and Beans gas tank, they are small and hug the tank very well. The problem is you will probably not be able to find them since this type was used on pneumatic controls for HVAC. The pictures shows two sizes, the smaller size was a tee to start off with that I knocked off one end and silver soldered shut then sanded down. The larger one I used on the gas tank…3/16 and did the same thing.
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SB, Glad you are happy with the tank. Your encouragement has been invaluable and a new friendship on top of it all. Boy, ask and ye shall receive!. They have come out of the woodwork to help with your fittings. Very nice of all you guys to take the time. The generosity at this site has been the thing that has impressed me more than all the knowledge and creativity. Hopefully someday I'll have more time to spend with this great hobby. Semper Fi to all of you! Dan
Thank you all for the help. I went ahead and ordered some of the ones on sale from Grainger... pretty hard to pass that up.
CCC, you are very kind sir, and I thank you for your generous offer. As you see, I already have a shipment on the way.
Yes, Dan, a lot of good hearted people are here on this forum. And you are one of them. When we gonna go bike riding?
SB
CCC, you are very kind sir, and I thank you for your generous offer. As you see, I already have a shipment on the way.
Yes, Dan, a lot of good hearted people are here on this forum. And you are one of them. When we gonna go bike riding?
SB
Thank you all for the help. I went ahead and ordered some of the ones on sale from Grainger... pretty hard to pass that up.
CCC, you are very kind sir, and I thank you for your generous offer. As you see, I already have a shipment on the way.
Yes, Dan, a lot of good hearted people are here on this forum. And you are one of them. When we gonna go bike riding?
SB
CCC, you are very kind sir, and I thank you for your generous offer. As you see, I already have a shipment on the way.
Yes, Dan, a lot of good hearted people are here on this forum. And you are one of them. When we gonna go bike riding?
SB
SB Stop off in Dayton for a ride on your way back to Minnesota if you have the chance... I have some great river park trails here that need more than one scoot on them
Mark,
I just may do that and stretch the trip out a little. Any other forum members out your way? I'll no doubt be ready to stretch my old legs by then. Let's talk about it toward the end of April when I'm close to liftoff. I'll be heading up to Michigan then, up through the upper peninsula and then across northern Wisconsin to Duluth and home.
I took a quick look at your website and signed on. Nice job!
SB
I just may do that and stretch the trip out a little. Any other forum members out your way? I'll no doubt be ready to stretch my old legs by then. Let's talk about it toward the end of April when I'm close to liftoff. I'll be heading up to Michigan then, up through the upper peninsula and then across northern Wisconsin to Duluth and home.
I took a quick look at your website and signed on. Nice job!
SB
SB I forgot yes the snow is going even the 4 inches we got last weekend all power and setaled. Still about 10" on the ground here,most of the snow went south of us. The sun realy has the power right now and is melting even if it not abouve frezing............Curt
Well, it has been awhile since an update, so here it is. The past two Saturdays we have worked on the tank for a few hours and also done some bike riding, so the tank has languished some as we took advantage of spring riding weather. All work and no play makes for dull old boys, so we went truant in the afternoons, going vroom in the countryside.
You will recall that I am doing my solo version of the tin tank and it is now finished. A few photos show some things not covered in detail before, so here goes. The flare on the side pieces was less than perfect in my unskilled hands and proved to make the job harder when it came time to solder it up.
The first photo shows the tank top and side pieces clamped together. Second shows the spacers inside and the third and fourth show additional small clamps which are holding small pieces of wood which push up against the top piece to hold it tight against the flange. All of these clamps hold the tank together so that hands are free to deal with soldering it together... coming up.
(cont)
SB
You will recall that I am doing my solo version of the tin tank and it is now finished. A few photos show some things not covered in detail before, so here goes. The flare on the side pieces was less than perfect in my unskilled hands and proved to make the job harder when it came time to solder it up.
The first photo shows the tank top and side pieces clamped together. Second shows the spacers inside and the third and fourth show additional small clamps which are holding small pieces of wood which push up against the top piece to hold it tight against the flange. All of these clamps hold the tank together so that hands are free to deal with soldering it together... coming up.
(cont)
SB
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Dan is a good teacher, watching closely as I tried my first line of solder along the top. Like an athletic coach he called out to me... "OK now, it's flowing... good, good, you're going too fast! Slow down, you've lost it. Now go back and pick it up again... give it more solder... not so much, just feed it as you go. Slower, slower... give it more solder or you'll lose it!"
At first I was trying to hold the iron as you would a pencil. Not good and the angle of engagement was not flat and low enough. I changed my hand position which helped me not push down on the iron... don't need or want to as it will drag and also may push the pieces apart (which I did). As I concentrated on one thing I would forget another, but I had Dan there watching and encouraging me. You can see in the first photo what look like ripples in the solder. This resulted from my moving the iron too fast which allows the iron to cool so there is less flow to the molten solder.
You can see in the next photo that the solder is smoother as I moved the iron forward more slowly so that it didn't have time to cool down. That's the trick, I discovered, to watch the solder puddle evenly and then pull the iron forward slowly, keeping it at a low angle and making sure the puddle stayed flat like a ribbon of silver.
By the time I finished up the tank I had a much better feel for the soldering and was greatly encouraged. The first photo and the second show seams which will both hold the tank together and be leak free. But the second looks much better and I can be better assured that the solder has flowed under the edge into the flange for a good union.
I can see that experience from practice will move my skill level forward. When you are starting out with something like this there are a number of things to be paying attention to. Focus on one thing and you may forget something else. Only practice will make things a "habit"... getting used to what the solder feels and looks like when the temperature is right, keeping the iron clean, holding it so that the iron is low and the tip is lying flat to the work, feeding the solder to the tip of the iron and not to the piece being soldered, not pushing down, seeing that the solder is not flowing even though it should be... so cleaning the tip again on the sal amoniac block and applying more liquid flux which may have evaporated, moving slowly. You get the idea. Knowing what to do and then practicing each aspect of the operation will eventually bring results.
I learned a lot from Dan's explanations and by watching him as he made tanks #1 through #3, but I learned things no one can fully explain by doing it myself while trying to attune myself to the materials and tools. My imperfect tank taught me much and in that sense is the most valuable tank I will ever make. Later ones may look better and come together more quickly, but none will ever teach me so much so quickly.
Thank you for your patience, Dan.
Tomorrow I'll take a couple photos of my tank for you to see. There's a big difference in the quality of the soldering from the beginning compared to the end.
SB
At first I was trying to hold the iron as you would a pencil. Not good and the angle of engagement was not flat and low enough. I changed my hand position which helped me not push down on the iron... don't need or want to as it will drag and also may push the pieces apart (which I did). As I concentrated on one thing I would forget another, but I had Dan there watching and encouraging me. You can see in the first photo what look like ripples in the solder. This resulted from my moving the iron too fast which allows the iron to cool so there is less flow to the molten solder.
You can see in the next photo that the solder is smoother as I moved the iron forward more slowly so that it didn't have time to cool down. That's the trick, I discovered, to watch the solder puddle evenly and then pull the iron forward slowly, keeping it at a low angle and making sure the puddle stayed flat like a ribbon of silver.
By the time I finished up the tank I had a much better feel for the soldering and was greatly encouraged. The first photo and the second show seams which will both hold the tank together and be leak free. But the second looks much better and I can be better assured that the solder has flowed under the edge into the flange for a good union.
I can see that experience from practice will move my skill level forward. When you are starting out with something like this there are a number of things to be paying attention to. Focus on one thing and you may forget something else. Only practice will make things a "habit"... getting used to what the solder feels and looks like when the temperature is right, keeping the iron clean, holding it so that the iron is low and the tip is lying flat to the work, feeding the solder to the tip of the iron and not to the piece being soldered, not pushing down, seeing that the solder is not flowing even though it should be... so cleaning the tip again on the sal amoniac block and applying more liquid flux which may have evaporated, moving slowly. You get the idea. Knowing what to do and then practicing each aspect of the operation will eventually bring results.
I learned a lot from Dan's explanations and by watching him as he made tanks #1 through #3, but I learned things no one can fully explain by doing it myself while trying to attune myself to the materials and tools. My imperfect tank taught me much and in that sense is the most valuable tank I will ever make. Later ones may look better and come together more quickly, but none will ever teach me so much so quickly.
Thank you for your patience, Dan.
Tomorrow I'll take a couple photos of my tank for you to see. There's a big difference in the quality of the soldering from the beginning compared to the end.
SB
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Yes, we have been having a good time with these tanks and with getting to know each other. It's great to have friends to share your interest in motorbicyling.
And yes, it is true that an old dog can learn new tricks so long as a treat is involved And these tanks have been a treat!
Below are photos of Dan's copper tank sitting in the 53 Schwinn frame. Behind it is the 51 with the prototype tank in service. The site gauge fittings ended up so close together that I turned them and made the line go in an arc. Not the optimum position, but it will work. Next post has more photos showing the tank I made.
(cont.)
SB
And yes, it is true that an old dog can learn new tricks so long as a treat is involved And these tanks have been a treat!
Below are photos of Dan's copper tank sitting in the 53 Schwinn frame. Behind it is the 51 with the prototype tank in service. The site gauge fittings ended up so close together that I turned them and made the line go in an arc. Not the optimum position, but it will work. Next post has more photos showing the tank I made.
(cont.)
SB
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Pictured below is the tank I made sitting in the 53 Schwinn frame. I placed the filler on the opposite side from the other tanks and was able to punch holes for the site gauge fittings in a more optimum position since it was done before assembling the sides to the top piece. This allowed a longer run between the hose barbs and is better than what we did on the copper tank. I'm not sure yet if I like the looks of the site gauge, but I know I will like being able to see at a glance the level of fuel in the tank.
Thanks for following along on this thread and good luck with your endeavors.
SB
Thanks for following along on this thread and good luck with your endeavors.
SB
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Jay, Yes SB tolerates me well and we have a good time. We'll have to see if we can get him back here in time for your gathering. I'm getting close to getting the EZM I got from you last year in the worksman. Everything seems to be fitted up well and I hope to figure out a tensioner this week and then all I have to do is figure out the fittings for a copper fuel line. I plan on bringing it in August. See ya, Dan