Welding plastic tanks

aitchem

aitchem

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Aberdeen, UK
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Hi,

Has anyone had a go at welding their own plastic tanks.?
I have seen videos on youTube and it looks pretty easy.
I can MIG and TIG weld, but welding thin stainless is a
challenge.
It's not cheap as a 2x1 metre sheet is about £120
but at least I would have full control of how it turned out
especially as I am considering an odd shape.

thx
Howard
 
I watched our local handyman repair a spray tank with a paint 'hairdryer' and strips of polyethylene cut from ice cartons. Apparently it's the same as the more expensive polyethylene strips you buy off ebay. :)

I'd feel confident about doing the work with a hairdryer with some practice and testing, but the professionals use diathermy and clever infrared stuff.


For practice or small tanks, chopping boards are made of food grade polyethylene :)
 
There is a company in Halstead, Essex called 'Landline', they specialise in welded plastic for the construction industry and used to use a lot of 4mm thick HDPE black.

This stuff was all welded with hot air guns and the 'welding rods' were simply strips of the material cut into square 4mm rods of whatever length.

They may be worth an ask for supplying the material as it used to be delivered in half tonne rolls. A hairdryer will not create enough heat to melt the plastic so you would need a hot air paint stripper with a modified nozzle.

I worked there 25 years ago and we made a few interesting boxes and things with this stuff. The correct tool for welding is branded ' Leister' or 'Lyster' and can run all day without going into overload mode.

Good luck on your quest !
 
The actual welding is a fairly simple skill once you are adequately tooled up for it...... the requirements are the welding gun (£100 or so second hand off ebay)...the minimum two tips (£10-£20) for tacking and the other for 'feeding' if they don't come with the gun. Next a way of cutting the sheet material with some accuracy and produce a 'clean' cut so looking at either a good circular saw or saw bench and or a router to clean up rough cut edges! and then a reasonable work area ...a good bench or flattish floor depending on what you want to make!
Material consists of the flat sheet material, usually HDPE (High Density Poly Ethylene)for tanks etc. Its quite a cheap material and easily obtainable. the filler strip is and has to be made of the self same material as the base material and is bought again from the sheet suppliers. It comes in coils that are huge but a good supplier will break a coil for you and maybe even give you it gratis if they have a fab shop !
The welding is easy after a couple of hours practice sorting out speeds and temperatures etc.
I doubt that its a worth while task for just one tank as the set up above will be around £150 + for a new starter and most tanks can be had for not a lot more than that and upwards depending on where you get them and of course on size.
For me I have made a full anchor chain locker box, a full engine drip tray pan in two parts and have yet to make two black water, one grey water and one additional pot water tank so the 'investment' will pay off I think!
 
I'll give it a go ,

These Leister guns seem to be highly rated, I have a long list of bits to be made.
There's not much else to do in this g*d forsaken place anyway.
Whats the chance of a HDPE supplier up here.? none I bet.:(
thanks men
 
Not too difficult to do repairs - I bought a nozzle to fit my hot air gun and cut strips from an old water container. Admittedly the first attempts were woeful but it didn't take too long to get the hang of it. I'd personally be a bit doubtful about doing a whole tank but given the cost of getting someone like Tek Tanks to do the job I'd probably buy something like a water container to practice on first. So a very cheap thing to have a go at...

Nozzle: - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-HS102K-Plastic-Welding-Nozzle/dp/B000R9ZQQW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_diy_3
 
Aitchem
With all the offshore, supply boat, fishing boats supplied out of Aberdeen id be surprised. May take some digging but im sure you could get some

Google tells me A.T. Denmore Imp. & Exp. will supply it

Niall
 
Niall1975 said:
Aitchem
With all the offshore, supply boat, fishing boats supplied out of Aberdeen id be surprised. May take some digging but im sure you could get some

Google tells me A.T. Denmore Imp. & Exp. will supply it

Niall
Click to expand...

Thanks Niall,
Maybe I can get it up here but I would have to buy 100 sheets and pay "Oil" prices for it.
I have ordered some from an outfit in my hometown in good 'ole Yorkshire.

Howard
 
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