Understood- Thought it may be worth a shot....No, dirt bike Guys will not keep buying new pipes.The chances of getting a new (dents) are great.Also, it takes much more of a dent (in size)in the pipe to effect performance. I bet there are other Folks out there using similar procedures; other videosThat guy should have spent his money toward a new pipe.
As far as motorcycle tanks are concerned their is absolutely no way I would put any more that 2 or 3 PSI in them. And that would be for a final check for leaks, which I routinely do after repairs, modifications or even if the tank is new. Small amount of time to save the heartache later after paint.
I took your post as a suggestion to use air pressure to pop the dents out of a motorcycle tank. Bad idea that I'm sure others have tried.Understood- Thought it may be worth a shot....No, dirt bike Guys will not keep buying new pipes.The chances of getting a new (dents) are great.Also, it takes much more of a dent (in size)in the pipe to effect performance. I bet there are other Folks out there using similar procedures; other videos
The owner wants the original tank. It is from a 1972 model, he wrecked it in 1977 and is half crippled from that to this day. Who am I to argue?Is there any way the cost of a new tank is more than repairing this one?
Well I can see why you opted to make a new section. Someone murdered that panel with a screw/slide hammer previously. Nice results.If the owner is open to the idea, consider sectioning it out. I'd keep the cuts more on the flatter side face, then once it's open you can reach inside to straighten out the creases that cut across the upper and lower radii. Once the new section is ready to tack and weld in, plug all openings and do a full argon back purge. Not only for peace of mind, but it also helps tremendously in keeping the porosity gremlins away.
Recently did something similar on an RC51 tank:
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If the owner is open to the idea, consider sectioning it out. I'd keep the cuts more on the flatter side face, then once it's open you can reach inside to straighten out the creases that cut across the upper and lower radii. Once the new section is ready to tack and weld in, plug all openings and do a full argon back purge. Not only for peace of mind, but it also helps tremendously in keeping the porosity gremlins away.
Recently did something similar on an RC51 tank:
View attachment 29351 View attachment 29352 View attachment 29353
thats a handy bit of info crashtech.Just a side note, if pressure is desired to make a repair, filling the vessel in question as full of water as can be managed will remove most of the hazard. This is because water is virtually incompressible, and therefore won't expand if containment is lost. No expansion = no explosion or other dramatic effects relating to sudden massive gas expansion.
I worked at a full service gas station my Junior and Senior year in high school. We sold new tires and did a lot of flat repair, including truck tires with split rims. I probably did 200-300 split rim jobs while I was there. We had a cage we put the split rims in - just in case. And had a few come apart in the cage. Wow! Talk about a violent event. Would've taken my head off.air........i have herd of guys popping out dents in aluminum semi tanks. i wouldnt do it. i once used air to blow apart a stubborn hydraulic cylinder. it was nearly five feet long with a 3" rod. its a good thing the shop door was open cuz the rod blew right out in the yard. it weighed a hundred pounds. if it had hit any one they would have broken legs. air pressure is tricky. ever seen the old split ring wheels? there have been a few killed airing those up with out making sure the ring was well seated. it is a handy tool, but caution and careful thought is required.
Thank-you for posting this. You have likely saved many lives--if people take it to heart not to do this. I do a lot of pressure testing with water only--up to 1500psi and the only pneumatic testing I ever do is 5-8 psi or less and any flat surface is evaluated for exactly what you don't want it to do--have it pop out. I will even "stay" them or put several tons of steel plate in the way of the potential burst path when I cannot adequately confirm to myself the engineering pressure retaining safety factor or likelihood there-of. For me to do it without such--safety factor of 350% with known shapes or no go--I leave the property...
I wonder if this is worth a shot....