I have a couple of motorcycle fuel tanks that I need to weld a bung onto. That tank is steel and I could weld it with mig or tig. I need to know what is the best/safest way to weld the bung to the tank. The tanks are used and have had gas in them before. Thanks in advance.
When My friends were in aircraft mechanics school they said to purge with live steam for 30 minutes. Filling the tank with an inert gas would be a second line of defense. Some of My buddies found that filling the tank with water and welding on a small air pocket IS NOT ENOUGH. Nobody got hurt, but they had a really hard time getting the tank back in the space it came out of.
This .pdf has some good stuff in it also and even suggests to read the AWS "Safe practices for welding and cutting containers that have held combustables." and some other good guides that are relevant to your query. Or you can send your tank to these folks and let them do the repairs... These folks look like they've been doing this for quite a few customers already - Capish?
Wait a minute!!! this thread is making me experience "Deja Vu" all over again!!! I'm ending it right now!!!
Disclaimer: I remove myself of all liability in posting this information. The person who will ultimately decide what to do with their tank is the sole person responsible for any accidents that may or may not occur in the event of an accident while using any of the products, techniques or any of the information posted within my post -PERIOD!!!
Take a quart of Simple Green to one gallon of water. Mix, Add to tank(s) drain. If you do not have a LEL monitor, you will need to base this on smell. If you can smell gasoline, wash it with the Simple Green again. Let it air dry for a day or too, then weld. I would almost guess you dont have access to steam or nitrogen so purging is out of the question. BABART's