Quench tank welding and sealing

Chris Leahy

Chris Leahy

Joined
Jul 9, 2019
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55
so I’ve made a vertical quench tank from a 4 x 6 x 48 piece of rectangular steel tube welded to a 12 x 12 plate for a base

The issue is I’m a noob at welding and the seal is not 100%.

It’s actually better than I was expecting, and when filled halfway with water it took a couple minutes before I started to see a film of moisture slowly spreading from a couple spots. With the pressure of 24” of water in the pipe I was expecting actual squirting, or at least trickle.

I don’t really want to try piling more weld bead on there, I doubt it would work actually. There’s a good bit there already.

I could grind away a lot of the bead and re-weld, but the leak is so minute I thought I might save time and trouble and simply pour 3 or 4 oz of epoxy into the tube and let gravity do the rest.

So, my QUESTION is, will Parks 50 react in any way with epoxy that would dissolve it and contaminate the oil, or cause the seal to be compromised?

If yes, is there another sealer that would work better?

I have visions of 5 gallons of parks 50 slowly leaking out over night :-)
 
You might think about using a fuel tank sealer. I don't have any specific brand recommendation, but I imagine that if it doesn't react with gasoline or diesel, you'd be ok with Parks 50.

That said, I have a quench tank that I made years ago from some 4" PVC, with a blanked toilet flange for a base (I lined with a flue pipe to keep blades from melting the sides). I had some trouble getting a good glue up on the flange, and had a leak similar to yours. I ended up putting some epoxy putty around the corner of the seam, and it's been holding just fine ever since. I used "mighty putty" as I had some laying around that I'd bought on sale, but I imagine JB weld or any other epoxy putty would have worked.

Whatever you use, just make sure your tank is as clean and dry as you can make it, and let the sealer fully cure before adding your Parks.
 
DevinT said:
Get some help and weld it correctly. You’ll be better off in the long run.

Hoss
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Don’t have any friends that can weld, and don’t have the money to pay anyone, so that option is simply not on the table.

I’m asking if anyone sees anything about my plan that won’t work. It’s a couple pinhole sized leaks,
But given how water can follow interesting paths, there’s no assurance that the spot on the outside where water emerges corresponds to the same spot on the inside where it’s exiting the tube.

A 1/4” thick layer of epoxy will definitely close the leak, I just want to know if it might react in any way with the oil
 
Drew Riley said:
You might think about using a fuel tank sealer. I don't have any specific brand recommendation, but I imagine that if it doesn't react with gasoline or diesel, you'd be ok with Parks 50.
Click to expand...

OK, I like this idea. Anyone else see any potential issues with fuel tank sealer?
 
Chris Leahy said:
Don’t have any friends that can weld, and don’t have the money to pay anyone, so that option is simply not on the table.

I’m asking if anyone sees anything about my plan that won’t work. It’s a couple pinhole sized leaks,
But given how water can follow interesting paths, there’s no assurance that the spot on the outside where water emerges corresponds to the same spot on the inside where it’s exiting the tube.

A 1/4” thick layer of epoxy will definitely close the leak, I just want to know if it might react in any way with the oil
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Get some sealant that works with petroleum products and the temp range you will be working with. The best bet is to clean the area of the leak, and run a good bead there. For beginners, 6013 rod is very forgiving. Not the strongest, but easy to lay a good bead. I’m a bit of a hack, so I use 6013 unless it’s a structural weld, like on a press.
 
Willie71 said:
Get some sealant that works with petroleum products and the temp range you will be working with. The best bet is to clean the area of the leak, and run a good bead there. For beginners, 6013 rod is very forgiving. Not the strongest, but easy to lay a good bead. I’m a bit of a hack, so I use 6013 unless it’s a structural weld, like on a press.
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I used 6013 :-)

My first efforts a couple months ago were with 6010. I heard it was good for noobs, but I’d have to disagree. If getting stuck to the workpiece was the goal I’d be a winner ;-)

Switched to 6013 after some reading and it was like night and day.
 
Chris Leahy said:
The issue is I’m a noob at welding and the seal is not 100%
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I'm guessing you are excited to get this finished so you can finish the blade, but are you under a time crunch? If not, I'd grind away around the leaks, and run another bead and repeat as needed until it's sealed. It'll be good welding practice.
 
On my first quench tank my welds leaked too,I used hi temp forms a gasket I used that tank for a couple years. That could be difficult for you to apply, but maybe it could be thinned. I took 2 welding lessons after that one for stick one for wire feed . For me 7018 is easier.
 
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Just an FYI, but looking up the operating temps of tank sealers, the first one I read was about 250F. Realistically, your oil shouldn't get that hot, especially at the very bottom of the tank where your welds (leak points) would be, but it's just something to be aware of.

The suggestion to redo the welds isn't a bad one though... ;)
 
Chris Leahy said:
GAH! You guys are killin me!

OK, I’ll grind it off and see if I can do a better job welding

Dammit.

Let y’all know how I make out...
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Try with thicker electrode they work better for beginner..... say with 3mm , in metric system :p .Maybe this can help you little , it is easy once you get it :thumbsup:
 
Chris Leahy said:
I used 6013 :)

My first efforts a couple months ago were with 6010. I heard it was good for noobs, but I’d have to disagree. If getting stuck to the workpiece was the goal I’d be a winner ;-)

Switched to 6013 after some reading and it was like night and day.
Click to expand...

6013 is thego to for a lot of people for welding rebar on to Damascus billets too. Shallow penetrating, so it doesn’t go too deep unto the billet.
 
Once you have the tank welded up, clean the inside well with soap and water. Let dry for a day or two. Pour a 4oz bottle of CA into it and tilt the tank so it gets into all parts of the seam from the inside.

I have heard of folks mixing up a quart of epoxy resin and pouring that in the bottom, too.
 
Just grind off the weld where the leaks are. Go past the leaks an inch or so. Bevel the joint into a V. Fill said V with weld. No worries of Parks 50 on your floor anymore.
 
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