restoration Mk1 Militant Tanker

[Zero-Five-Two]

Had a good weeks work repairing and painting the first 4 hose tubes.

First 2 off the production line. Holes, dents and the chewed ends repaired and coating of the old Bonda Primer on the outside.

Odd patches on corrosion up the tube have been quite easy.  Well, as easy as thin sheet welding gets.  Repairing the rusted ends was a bit more challenging, as it has to be spot on otherwise the brass end cap wont fit

Usual massed clamps, and loads of little spot welds

Lastly, try an end cap to see if it fits. Keeping a hose inside the tube while working on it goes a long way in noise reduction when hammering or grinding.  Trying to be a little bit considerate towards my locked down neighbours.

Last job this afternoon, paint the inside.  Will the invented sprayer do the honours?

Yes, it did.  Well sort of. A better class of spray nozzle is required really.  The current idea of a bit of plastic pipe with some holes punched in it is a bit too ad hoc. 

As it doesn't spray like a conventional spray gun, there is no air coming out of the nozzle, just pure paint.  It's not so much spraying, as pouring under pressure.  But it does pour rather well, if a bit messy. 

I did say I would do a video of the thing in action.  I don't really like filming myself so It's not brilliant but worth a look at for a laugh.

Hopefully this is the link to it 

 

[Zero-Five-Two]

Was expecting to go back to work this week, but got message from the Boss at the weekend asking me to stay on furlough.  Happy days as far as I'm concerned, I can crack on with the next 4 hose tubes.

Tube No.6 fresh out of the electrolysis tank.  24 hrs in there saves an awful lot of time and paint stripper.  Sorts out the rust and lifts the old paint off.

Quick whizz over with a wire brush shows up all the issues, patch required here.

Bit of plate bent round the gas bottle, cut to size and tacked on

Cut round the patch to remove the rusty bit

Tack in to get correct level

Then weld in all round

Grind off surplus weld

And finally polish up with zirconium disc.  (That's the posh name for a flap wheel)

Repeat the operation for the other half dozen holes that have appeared. Skim of filler where required and finish with 2 coats of Bonda Primer

Another one done.  Tube 7 is in the tank now and will be ready for the morning, and you can just see tube 8 in the last picture awaiting it's turn.  With a bit of luck I should have them all done and ready for priming by the end of the week.

 

[ploughman]

If possible could you let me know what is the set up for the Electolosis in the bucket? And the tank please.

What can be used for Anodes / Cathodes?

You mention Soda / Water mix any quantities?

Anything you should not use the process on?

Following all your posts with interest.

TIA

 

 

[Zero-Five-Two]

3 hours ago, ploughman said:

If possible could you let me know what is the set up for the Electolosis in the bucket? And the tank please.

What can be used for Anodes / Cathodes?

You mention Soda / Water mix any quantities?

Anything you should not use the process on?

Following all your posts with interest.

TIA

 

 

PM Sent

[Zero-Five-Two]

Had to post this, 'cos I think it's hilarious.

Spent the last 2 weeks working on the hose tubes.  Made the tank for the electrolysis, every tube got 24hrs, then lots of welding up rust holes etc. etc.

OK.  Job done, all finished.  Just one question, what do you do with a 10ft long tank.

Answer: Stick it on Ebay.

Advertised on Friday evening as an "Industrial Style Flower Trough"

Nearly got trampled in the stampede to buy it. 

Local gardener bought it yesterday, paid immediately and collected this morning.  Hard cash straight into the beer fund. Proper result!! 

In actual fact, I've so many enquiries about it, I'm seriously considering knocking up some more tanks out of my spare steel.  Would be easy money

 

[ruxy]

Will have to lock that in memory for the right time - disposal.

I have  the bottom bit of a green (good colour for a planter) plastic central heating oil tank made by Balmoral. It is about 12" high and about conventional bathtub size ,  when time available LoL  I intend trying 'electrolysis'  rust removal on leaf springs.  I need to read up on best battery charger to use.

The tank was not so easy to chop up using a Bosch jigsaw ,  some bits I kept and have been utilized for a few jobs , the brash went in the 'recycle'  wheelie-bin  !

[Gordon_M]

Balmoral is just a couple of miles from me here in Aberdeen, I look at a load of fibreglass stuff there.  Went to the tank / vessel place in England once but don't remember exactly where it was.

Anyway - want to bet that he'll find numerous other long bits he needs to strip, now that he has sold the tank?  😉

[Zero-Five-Two]

Still working on the hose tubes, but a change of material, now, moved on to the brass end caps.  Usual round of cleaning old paint off but have to use stripper and wire brush as the favoured electrolysis doesn't work on brass.

As well as a turn wheel locking catch, each cap has a lug for a padlock to be fitted. Except one pair, flap and back plate have both had an issue in the past and the lugs have been broken off.

I have to plead guilty to part of this.  The flap itself had been quite badly bent at some point, in the past.  Looked like it had seized up and someone had tried to lever it open with a crow bar.  As they are cast pieces, I wasn't sure how it would react to being straightened.  But, using a lot of heat and gentle persuasion I got it back to a respectable shape.  Except for the lug, which pretty much just fell off.  I think it was probably cracked already and I just finished it off.  The back plate lug had been gone for a long time, as the remains had been painted over in the same green as the rest of the tube.

This is where it used to be

Any way, purchased a piece of brass bar and started by drilling and tapping a 4 BA hole in one end

Grind off the remains of the old lug on the flap, and drill a matching hole.  Cut the head off a brass screw to make it double ended, and screw the two bits together.

I'm not sure how much extra strength the screw will provide, but it does hold the bits together in the right place for soldering

Repeat the operation for the back plate, then put the two halves together, drill the centre and shape off the outside.

Lastly, the acid test.  Does the appropriate padlock fit

Coat of paint and compare with the original

Think it came out rather well.

 

[ruxy]

On 5/17/2020 at 10:50 PM, Gordon_M said:

Balmoral is just a couple of miles from me here in Aberdeen, I look at a load of fibreglass stuff there.  Went to the tank / vessel place in England once but don't remember exactly where it was.

Anyway - want to bet that he'll find numerous other long bits he needs to strip, now that he has sold the tank?  😉

Balmoral do not have a good reputation ,  they seem to be rotational moulded and probably insufficient plastic at process start - from what I have seen wide variations in thickness.    One point worthy of mention that I learned after the event -  probably the only way to stop a 28 sec. burning oil leak is  a bar of SOAP. Fortunately - I was able to pump  (drill powered thing from Machine Mart, £ cheap , slow but effective ) to a identical  'reserve' tank .   I did not wish to go to bunded tank(s).   Fortunately a gas main was laid along road 20 years earlier , I should have taken up the offer of £nil for pipe to meter,  the £ cost was not too bad because I opted to trench & back-fill for 50 yards.  The contractor used a mole with great accuracy ,  the connection joint with heating element was interesting..

[ruxy]

Just now, ruxy said:

Balmoral do not have a good reputation ,  they seem to be rotational moulded and probably insufficient plastic at process start - from what I have seen wide variations in thickness.    One point worthy of mention that I learned after the event -  probably the only way to stop a 28 sec. burning oil leak is  a bar of SOAP. Fortunately - I was able to pump  (drill powered thing from Machine Mart, £ cheap , slow but effective ) to a identical  'reserve' tank .   I did not wish to go to bunded tank(s).   Fortunately a gas main was laid along road 20 years earlier , I should have taken up the offer of £nil for pipe to meter,  the £ cost was not too bad because I opted to trench & back-fill for 50 yards.  The contractor used a mole  under the tarmac with great accuracy ,  the connection joint with heating element was interesting..

 

[Zero-Five-Two]

Got to the point where I can't really do any more to the hose tubes, or the rear wheel arches, or any thing else until the tank has been painted in top coat.

So, spent most of last week flatting the primer down and fixing the odd dodgy spot.

Made a couple of little wooden stools for kneeling/standing on the top of the tank. Intended painting at the weekend, but it turned out to be far too windy.  There would have been a mess.

Weather forecast for today was much better.  So, up at the crack of sparrows and on with it.  Last check over, wipe down with panel wipe and tack rags.  Load the spray gun and off we go

 

Top and lids first.  Stools are an excellent idea but it kills your knees by the time you've done all five lids.  And then you've got to go back and put a second coat on.

Once they're done you can move onto the sides

Knees are OK now, but back starts to ache reaching over to the middle

Back end is more comfortable, but it is a big area to cover

More side work

And finally underneath

Deep Bronze Green all round.

 

Of course, the moment you start spraying, a million flies turn up and stick themselves to it, and there is a couple of dry patches of over spray.  But nothing a bit of T Cut wont polish out once it's had chance to harden off properly.

Overall, well pleased.  Took 6 hours (plus fag breaks)  and 12 ltrs of paint in all, but I think that was 11 on the truck and one on myself.  I've still got a green tint, even after a good scrub in the shower.

Nice shine though.  On the truck that is!!

 

[Highland_laddie]

Fantastic job as always.  Sadly it looks like I will have to wait until next years show season to catch up with her somewhere in the UK 😞

 

As for knees and backs, as the saying goes 'Old age doesn't come alone' lol

Edited May 26, 2020 by Highland_laddie
spelling

[67burwood]

Looking good 👍 always impressed with the workmanship and know how you feel with sore knees and aching back!! 

[TomEnfield]

What type of paint are you using, enamel? 
It looks really good! 

[Zero-Five-Two]

7 hours ago, TomEnfield said:

What type of paint are you using, enamel? 
It looks really good! 

Standard commercial 2 pack. Goes on well and sets rock hard. Nice finish, straight from the gun.  

Whole thing has 2 coats Bonda Primer red oxide. 1 x grey filler primer, and 2 coats BDG gloss.

I used the same method on my Timber Tractor, and that still looks pretty good even after 10 years living outside on the farm. So hopefully Tanker paint will last as long

[Citroman]

Looks marvelous. I recall my brother visiting africa. He did see a tanker being resprayed in the street with all traffic passing by and all the red dust getting stuck in the fresh paint...😊

[Zero-Five-Two]

Couple more pictures, day after this time.  Moved her out a bit to get a better camera angle.

 

[radiomike7]

Any Green Line coaches there now Rob?

[lowfat]

outstanding

[TomEnfield]

13 hours ago, Zero-Five-Two said:

Standard commercial 2 pack. Goes on well and sets rock hard. Nice finish, straight from the gun.  

Whole thing has 2 coats Bonda Primer red oxide. 1 x grey filler primer, and 2 coats BDG gloss.

I used the same method on my Timber Tractor, and that still looks pretty good even after 10 years living outside on the farm. So hopefully Tanker paint will last as long

Cool, don’t you have to wear a super respirator with that? 
 

id like to use it but I’m not sure I’ve got the right protective gear. 

[Zero-Five-Two]

55 minutes ago, TomEnfield said:

Cool, don’t you have to wear a super respirator with that? 
 

id like to use it but I’m not sure I’ve got the right protective gear. 

Modern 2 pack is not as dangerous as it used to be, but that said, you've got to be wearing something, otherwise you can feel the fumes getting  into your head within seconds.  Even in the well ventilated area we were in yesterday. 

The one you see I am wearing is a standard 3M job.  According to manufacturers it is good enough for paint spraying and chemical processing. 

Seems to do the job OK, can't smell any fumes when spraying, and don't get any kind of headache or ill feeling afterwards. 

[Zero-Five-Two]

7 hours ago, radiomike7 said:

Any Green Line coaches there now Rob?

Hope not, but, to be honest I haven't looked.  Not too bad if there is, we have a nice man from Poland who sorts out that sort of thing.  He loves a bit of T cut. 

[philb]

Brilliant work Rob, you're a real dynamo!

[Zero-Five-Two]

For me, there is nothing quite like a good before and after picture on your restoration.  Good for reminding yourself when something came out well, especially when the current task has gone to rats, or on cold wet winter days when you can't get out and do more.

My favourite on one so far on the Tanker has to be the dashboard.  Remember this from earlier in the blog

Before

And after.  Hard to believe it was 4 years ago, now.

As of today, though, there is a new contender.  Try this, here's the before

And here's the after

Still got a couple of bits to finish, like the trailer sockets, and Hi-Vis boards.  Oh, and the wheel arches!!

Speaking of which. Some jobs really need at least 2 pairs of hands

Like trying to hold the arch up while you get the first bolt in

The second pair of hands wasn't available, so some blue string had to do

Bit of a fight, but got there in the end.  Unfortunately it's only on so that I can mark where to drill the various bolt holes that got welded up.  Tomorrow it has to come off for drilling, then round 2 can begin as it goes back on again.  There's also a bit of straightening and filling to be done, and then it will be off again for painting.  It'll be ready for another before and after picture, then.

 

[Rootes75]

The restoration is looking very good, thats a lot of paint to spray that tank!

I have never sprayed top coats, on Commers I have restored I spray filler primer undercoats and then have brush painted coach enamel.

After some practice it becomes a bit of an art and the finish can be superb. In saying that I wouldnt want to attempt a surface so large as that tank!