Building a new E-Tank

[Stigian 1,234]

As much fun as my E-Tank has been, there comes a time in a man's life when you need something bigger and a plastic barrel just won't cut it any more.

So a big thank you to Norman who found me this 1000L tank that was taking up space in his work's yard.

You can just see my current E-tank hiding under the plastic table..

Off comes the top.

Only to find a strange person hiding inside..

The drain tap had been broken off at some point, so a bit of plastic chopping board was cut and "plastic welded" in the hole where the tap was.

A bit of water testing showed a couple of minor leaks, that I still need to fix.

As the tank was somewhat flexible with it's top cut off, we thought a frame of some sort would be a good idea.

Here's Garry with some oak decking kinda stuff that the joinery chucked out a while ago.

Might need to build a bigger wheel barrow at some point

That's the corners sorted..

Hhmm.. this oak can be had on drill bits at times..

One side sorted..

And another..

[Stigian 1,234]

Lid on..

Lid off

The tanks fits the frame..

This should give you an idea on how big it is, it swallows the Raider hood with ease

It would make quite a nice size bath as well..

Wish I had a yellow plastic duck for this photo

And that Folk's is how it stands at the mo...

Tune back for more silliness and strange goings on :scratchead:

[stevasaurus 23,274]

great pictures Ian...you are having way too much fun.

I have a ton of rust in my joints...wonder if that would work for me?

let's see...hot water, some Epsom salt, a small outboard motor, and a Scotch on the rocks. :hide:

[big mike 13]

Looks like it's time to go have a pint.....or maybe you already did

That's going to be a whiz bang spooge tank when your done.

[HorseFixer 2,013]

Looks like it's time to go have a pint.....or maybe you already did

That's going to be a whiz bang spooge tank when your done.

Mike I don't think a pint would even wet the Stigs Whistle! I have an Idea him and his Blokes are seasoned Vetrans. :scratchead:

[bitten 134]

Ian

Looks as if you are doing better. We are all glad to see you at it again.

Great idea for a E-Tank. You will be able to do finders and hoods

P.J.

[bmuone 15]

E-tank? I thought for a minute is was a Jack-in-the-box. Lookin good......

[can whlvr 994]

how much power do you need to make that sucker work??

[linen beige 15]

how much power do you need to make that sucker work??

The biggest trick to using a tank that large is making sure that the sacraficial electrodes are as close to the peice being stripped as possible. That way the actual working area in the tank is not all that large. A plain old bench top ten amp battery charger will run it for years.

If, one the other hand, the electrodes are mounted against the inside edges of the tank it will not be good for small parts that are hung in the center. The electrolytic solution used (usually water and soda ash) is a semi-conductor. It can be viewed as a variable resistor. That translates into the more distance the current has to travel between work peice cathodes, the less current will flow through the solution.

To illustrate try this. Mix up a batch of solution in say, a five gallon plastic bucket. Take a couple of peices of steel and connect one lead of a battery charger that has an amp guage to each peice. Turn on the power and insert the steel peices into opposite sides of the bucket and read the guage. Now slowly move the peices toward one another and watch the guage. The amperage will increase as they get nearer to one another. Just don't let them touch together or you will have a dead short and some underwater fireworks.

[Coadster32 793]

I found what Linen Beige said to be true also. I went from a sucessful 5gallon bucket for small parts, to a bigger tank for rims. When I went to smaller parts in the big tank, the results weren't as good. I'll have to keep the cathode distance in mind when I use the big tank next time. Live and learn.

[can whlvr 994]

so idealy it would be nice to be able to adjust the rods,i like the size of ht etank for implements and hoods etc,nice job stig.

[Duff 206]

Wish I knew how to draft on a computer but I don't, so I'll try to describe what I'm thinking.....

Could you drill a couple pieces of 2x4 with holes the size of, say, rebar, then suspend the sacrificial electrodes sort of like the bars on a jail cell window? Cutting the 2x4's to a little longer than the width of the tank would then allow you to slide them toward or away from the center of the tank depending on the size of the part being cleaned. If you drilled the rebar and passed a finish nail through it to keep it from sliding down through the 2x4 and left yourself a couple inches of rebar sticking above it to clamp the electrical wire to that might work. This system might make for easy replacement of the rebar as it gets eaten up by the process over time.

Does this make any sense to anyone but me?

Duff :hide:

[big mike 13]

"Does this make any sense to anyone but me?"

Uh,well,ummm......yup,makes perfect sense!

Four adjustable grids to keep the distance close.

[can whlvr 994]

sounds good,i hope u dont mind if i try your design.

[Duff 206]

Actually, it was the wooden frame around Ian's square tank that gave me the idea. If you try it, let us know how it works!

Duff :scratchead:

[sorekiwi 761]

In contrast to Ians "hot tub", here is the worlds smallest e-tank:

Yes its a yoghurt pot, cleaning up the lever on a choke shaft and a throttle shaft. It worked great!

[linen beige 15]

If you drilled the rebar and passed a finish nail through it to keep it from sliding down through the 2x4 and left yourself a couple inches of rebar sticking above it to clamp the electrical wire to that might work. This system might make for easy replacement of the rebar as it gets eaten up by the process over time.

Does this make any sense to anyone but me?

Duff

There isn't a need to drill the rebar for a nail. I use electric box cable clamps on the top ends of my rebar. Put them on the top end of yours and they will hold the rebar from dropping through the holes in the wood. The wires tying them together for ground can be held by the screws in the clamps. When it's time to remove the rebar for cleaning or replacement just undo the clamps and the rebar comes right out.

[Stigian 1,234]

Wow Guy's that's a serious amount of reply's and suggestions

[can whlvr 994]

cant wait to see the tank when you are done,its a bad time of year here in canada for e tanks,unless you could do it in doors which they say is a nono.

[sorekiwi 761]

unless you could do it in doors which they say is a nono.

I do it inside my garage. The byproduct to the atmosphere is hydrogen, which while a little flammable but not particularly bad for you or the environment.

[Stigian 1,234]

If I had the space in my Workshack I would put the tank inside with a vent chimney thingy to vent the hydrogen outside, but alas space in the shack is well... not there!!

[Duff 206]

I do it inside my garage. The byproduct to the atmosphere is hydrogen, which while a little flammable but not particularly bad for you or the environment.

You mean I really shouldn't put my e-tank next to my wood stove? Aw shucks!

Duff :thumbs:

[sorekiwi 761]

You mean I really shouldn't put my e-tank next to my wood stove? Aw shucks!

Probably helps getting the fire going faster!

[Electro12WH 50]

Instead of moving the electrodes around, can you increase the voltage? Something like a cheap DC welder?

As for having fun sitting in that tank, did you ever wonder what kind of chemicals were in that thing???

[Save Old Iron 1,571]

I do it inside my garage. The byproduct to the atmosphere is hydrogen, which while a little flammable but not particularly bad for you or the environment.

yep - just a little flammable