Hey guys, Ever wonder how to safely repair Leaking gas tanks with no flame or welding? Well, stick around. Kick back and watch an old timer trick I learned many years ago.
Mr Issac, 50 years ago I watched a old welder repair our fuel tank. He started his Lincoln and ran the exhaust from it into the fuel tank. Then he brazed the holes in the tank. For filler rod he used coat hanger and bailing wire. 🤔😉😁
Great video as always. You remind me of my father (even though we are probably the same age), very resourceful. He had a trick for everything and never seemed to be stumped. I recall asking him once, "Why don't we just go to Ace and buy a replacement part." His response was, "What do you think we used to do before an Ace Hardware or a Home Depot." Puts everything in perspective. Your son will one day look back and say, "WWPD", What Would Pop Do.... I know I do.
@@bigunone I carry gasket material, lengths of various diameters and types of hoses, set of tools, Hylomar Blue, zip ties, o-ring assortment, baling wire, extra fluids... yeah, I drive "beaters".
I have welded on tanks many times with no issues. They were drained, opened, dried of fuel, and then flushed with air from the compressor. Lastly, I flush and fill with argon before welding. My reference is to use silver solder for such repairs over electrical solder but your fix will hold just fine as long as you got the surfaces cleaned and properly fluxed. Speaking of flux, Nokorode is fantastic for the sort of repair you did here and would have helped with the wicking of the solder into the interface. If you had cleaned bothe surfaces, coated them with the flux, and then done a ring of .060 solder around the step of the bung then pulled it into position and heated the parts, it would have been done in 2 minutes. Done a boat load of this sort of thing in the past. Lots of ways to screw a pig. As always, fantastic and down to earth non pretentious videos is what makes your channel a must subscribe.
Old time muffler man here. We would send the customer out to fill the tank so it wouldn't explode. Then heat up the massive copper soldering iron with a torch. One of us would solder the hole while the others would take a break, away from the pit.
What's old is still new some days. I had to get a large 300W soldering iron because my 200W ones were too weak for some battery terminal work on our electric motorcycle project. You about can't use too much flux. The sheer variety, clarity, and information in your videos is a great joy and example for others.
In my youth, after high school and before attending tech school, I worked at an Exxon station for 2 years or so. That's back when they were garages and not just a place to buy coffee and twinkies. Not being a certified mechanic or anything I did shocks, batteries, ball joints, rocker cover gaskets, etc... All simple stuff. Also made a ton of $$ towing cars nights & weekends. Not bad for 18 / 19. I clearly remember our "ace" mechanic repairing a leak in some shitbox. Simple tank with the filler that came out behind the rear plate. (It was the late 60's / early 70's.) His plan was to solder a penny over the pinhole. Not a bad idea except for one thing. He drained the tank, but didn't fill it with water to displace the fumes. I saw that, and said NOPE, and left the area. Care to guess what happened? the tank came back and identified as a cage ball. Same "ace" couldn't balance some wide ovals that were popular back then. So, I opened the book, read the instructions, and balanced the tires perfectly. Not the only time shamed him. He didn't like me much after that.
The old trick for a pinhole in a gas tank was to run a sheet metal screw into the hole most of the way, put some flux on it, then solder it, screwing it the last quarter or half turn in while the solder was wet so you were sure you had solder around the threads and under the screw head. Didn't even need to drain the tank to do that.
Ha Brother I'm Jeff Carder and just wanted to say hi and I have too of those copper Irons and used to fix gas tanks that way ,, a long time ago,, Ha Ha also if you have a hole in the tank you can cover it with a penny and solder it and it works great. I am subscribed to your channel and watch you all the time I really like your truck too Keep up the great work on your videos and thanks for making them Great Content Thanks Again Jeff Carder
It’s not called JB WELD with you around it’s IC WELD the difference is yours works theirs doesn’t. Being a leather craftsman I make a lot of gaskets from extra leather. Coated with axle grease it will seal pretty much everything. You brought back some memories for me. Thanks for sharing
Coleman used to make a great gas blow torch that heated those babies up in no time. Way hotter than a propane torch and a bigger flame. Of course when really in use they had a burner the irons sat it. Back as late as the twenties and thirties the plumbing trade used them for cast iron pipe and the electricians soldered all their connections using insulating tape and a cover tape to complete the job. A lot of guys breathing a lot of lead! Roofers used to solder copper gutters and some flashings as well. Nice fix.
So brilliant yet so simple I used those type of soldering irons 52years ago as an apprentice!! So cumbersome to use you did well on a small part like that .We had a small furnace type arrangement to put them in to heat them …it was coal gas fired ….a trip down memory lane for me 😅😊😊😊😊great video …as usual
About 35-40 years ago, my neighbor used one of those soldering irons to dope lead into body panels he was repairing. It was one of those old cars with the fins and looked like the lights were in tubes. He said it was lead. Could have been solder for sll I know. He had sticks about as big as your thumb and probably a foot long that he dabbed and smeared to fix imperfections in bodywork and blend seams.
@@sumduma55 something not often taught anymore, as those kinds of cars are not common anymore and lead we all know is dangeous to breath, and all the restrictions today about its use, but they just dont think about using those kinds of things anymore cars are built differant. as for the large irons yea I saw those at a festival called jonny appleseed up here in indiana a guy was using copper irons to souder up tin crafts, as it has to be done old school though normaly would use electric as it is more conveniant and said he had to wait till he was 35 before his dad would even let him use on of the old style irons since it was differant, and he had to be good enough to use it or something like that, but yea using a torpedo heater to heat up and old coppoer soudering iron to fix an old car heh thats old school
Wow - you're taking me back to my child-hood years watching and latter on helping my grandad using his old Paraffin Brass Blow torch heating up his soldering irons when soldering radiator core to the radiator tanks - that was some tricky work though. Keep on showing us some yester-year methods which has almost died out. Thanks so much. 👏🏽👏🏽
Your video thumbnail made me smile! I have an old Turner 39A (a gasoline blowtorch, no kidding!) and a soldering iron like that one, but smaller. It fits in a little holder on the blowtorch and puts it right into the hottest part of the flame.
We used to run a commercial sheet metal shop and soldered all of our hand/brake formed gutters with irons. We had a natural gas oven big enough for two irons on the work table. Only thing we did different was use a light brush of muratic acid before soldering a joint; maybe not with a gasoline tank though? Great Old School work IC ! Hope you used gasoline style tape on the petcock!
I have very vivid memories of my Dad repairing a leaking gas tank in our PA shop in the mid 1960's. I watched my Dad brazing a hole in a gas tank under a car with half a tank of fuel in it. Yes the gas was boiling on the inside but the volume of gasoline and absence of oxygen prevented a disaster. Yes it scared the schiff out of me watching him do it. Months later when I got off the school bus, there in the shop sat a gas tank that looked like a giant oversized steel pillow/balloon. This time Dad had removed the tank, drained and flushed it and then pumped it full of automotive exhaust carbon dioxide with the expectation it would displace all oxygen from inside the tank and prevent ignition of residual gas fumes. WRONG, them fumes will get you every time. Removing the tank and using an old school soldering iron seems way, way more prudent/safer. Great video Isaac, thanks.
That is the first time I have ever seen a soldering iron being used on that type of repair. I like seeing older type tools still being used for a current day project. 👍
Great job! SUGGESTION: for fuel-soaked locations on my vintage bikes I use a gasket goo made by Rolls-Royce for aero engines. It’s called Hylomar Blue and you can get it online or from aircraft maintenance shops. One tube will go a loooong way and it is impervious to just about anything.
Love the leather gasket! I have several antique tractors and each still has a couple original leather gaskets and seals. Hard to argue with a material that still seals after 70+ years
Awesome ISAAC! 👍 First time I saw the iron used. Have one from an old neighbor. He had told me that he used it for seaming the old steel gutters with lead. Fantastic repair! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great content as always. I never get tired of using this old school proven methods. I’ve got several of the old soldering coppers but haven’t ever tried as I have a couple large electric soldering irons large enough for tin and copper work. Love your channel and content 👍👍👍
Always something interesting including the correct way to use old soldering irons, one of which I inherited but couldn't figure out the best way of using it! Thanks Isaac. 😊
My father fixed a radiator once with 15 holes with one of those. And there was no leaks the first time. Then he got an electric one I now have that one. Great work.
A man of many hats. As a young man I help a neighbor use soldering tools like those to repair a body on an antique car with lead. Super interesting presentation.
Way, way back in the very early 70s when I was in Industrial Arts class, we had to solder several sheet metal projects at the corners, etc. We used exactly the same iron, but ours came with little firebrick natural gas ovens. You'd open the gas valve, and toss a match in through the observation hole. These were rectangular brick boxes, with a square hole in you'd set your iron into (resting on a crossbar, so all 4 sides were heated by the gas burners). Your project took me back. I aced those projects, as I had learned soldering (electric irons) back in the 4th grade and forward. Nice video.
Great repair Isaac. It looked like the tricky part was keeping the solder on the outside of the bung and not running down into the inner threaded part of the bung. Those old soldering irons may be old but they are still very useful in certain situations. We tend to think old people, ways, and tools aren’t useful but you prove they are. Thank you for taking the time to share your work and experience with us!
When I was a young man and thought I was invincible I welded on a gas tank of a 65 ford falcon. To do so I started my motorcycle up and ran the exhaust in to the tank. Lucky for me it worked.I did wash it out first and let it dry for a few days first.
30:41 they're also very good for removing lead from old cars, fixing tins roofs without starting a fire. I've also taken a large one like you have, and milled a round hole into the side of it and i've used it for copper installations. For the last one in particular, it's the best thing since sliced bread. No more fussing about with open flames, it's much cleaner when you can work in your own time, my copper work has turned out much better looking ever since i got that "iron".
Great vid Issac, I have a whole load of those old copper soldering irons, used to use them a lot for repairing radiators and occasionally get to use them now. I love the old school methods..i guess that makes me a bit of a dinosaur these days :)
Looks like it worked great! Just don't heat the soldering iron too hot. Gasoline has an ignition point of 536 deg F. A really hot iron could set it off. My brother and I learned a lesson as teenagers. We had a pickup tank that had a nail hole in the top. This was a long narrow tank with the filler neck on the end. We filled it with water within an inch or two of the top and touched the hole with a propane torch to solder it up. The thing took off like a rocket across the bench. It didn't blow up and hurt us, but I won't ever forget it.
I worked at a body shop many years ago and they were used to lead panels together before wire feed welders came along and before plastic bondo also. One of the old timers had a whole collection of these irons which I believe they were copper.
When I was a kid I "got" to sand cars in the body shop of my Dad's dealership. I remember trying to lead in panels like the pros but never got too good at it.
Nice job Isaac!! I picked one of those old irons up many years ago at a flea market.All my friends didn’t have a clue what it was. Most of them have since borrowed it a few times! Lol. Thanks for the interesting videos!!
When you ever have to solder something like that again, use some paste flux on the part and when the temperature is hot enough to melt the solder, it will pull the solder into the joint like magic. You will see it wick it in and seal very easily... But great job anyway...
Nice job! One way to work on those is to fill them with water... still not guaranteed safe. Also, when soldering, it's often best to have separate flux and solder... clean and flux the fitting, tin the tank, then when you pull the fitting through the solder will flow onto the fitting from the tank. Flux-core solder is often messier than it needs to be. Nice five-seven by the way!
I’ve tigged many tanks for old school cars. Drain them, let them air dry for about a week, purge them with nitrogen and tig either the cracks, holes etc. Works great for me.
For the gasoline line and guage sensor: Curil-T2, Curil-K2, and Hylomar U Sealants are a good choice for many mechanical fluid sealing surfaces. They don't harden, stay soft. The benefits are: gasoline resistant (non-ethanol), high temperature environments, easily disassembled later, and ultra-easy clean up! In the 1990s, Chrysler/Dodge and Ford automotive assemblies/products began to use the Curil(German quality...really good stuff...originally used by Porsche!) brand sealants(rebranded under their own name). Either used alone or with OEM gasket(depending upon the gap/clearance). As with any type of sealant: it's chemical "voodoo". So some research (do diligence) is in order. One trick is to conduct yir own test: let whatever it is cure, then drop some in various chemicals with sealed lids and see what happens after a week or two. Also, apply to different metals (substrates) to ascertain any reactivity... Finally, if it's part of a electrical/electronic circuit (gas guage sending unit, or some other sensor), add a "bonding" strap/jumper. Yappity-yap...it ain't the space shuttle...
I would have tried to 'peen' the hole smaller so the bung would hold better before soldering. I had one of those soldering irons I got from my Dad. It got lost in the move 15 years ago. Thanks for sharing. Always good information.
Good Job Isaac. I haven't had to soldier a gas tank in years, Replacements have gotten cheap enough is probably why. We use to wipe excess soldier away with a rag, it works great. Still using a rag when soldiering copper pipes. Thanks for a great video. Nice old car also!!!
Hey Isaac, Over the years I have repeatedly purged gas tanks with nitrogen or even engine exhaust and welded on different gas tanks. Even with some gasoline residue still in the tank. You must be sure the vapors are overcome by the purge which must continue throughout the weld process. Done it with both Oxy-acet and TIG. Just like lighting a burner, after a time of purging, light a match at a small opening, the purge should blow it out. If it lights, it'd be like the flame on a burner and will extinguish when the purge overcomes the oxygen atmosphere. I've set'em up using a car engine or even lawnmower engine. Carbondioxide in that process is the overcoming element. Anyway, that's my story n I'm sticking to it. The last one I did, after replacing the original tank leaking at the neck, couple years it started all over again. They're all swedge fitted. I torch welded the neck to the tank without removingcit from the car. Used nitrogen purge. The gauge showed 1/4 tank of gas. It drove 7 - 8 years n I sold th he car, it's still goin.
I was taught or maybe just learned to clean them out good with soap and water, and then plug them so I could fill them with water to just below the repair. Gas welded quite a few back in the day without a problem. But I do think the soldering was a good idea for that repair.
Great video. Good repair. Helpful hint, after removing gas from a tank, hook up an exhaust pipe from a small engine or a vehicle, let it run a few minutes to purge the fumes. While still purging, you can braze or weld with an open flame. It works good, no explosion.
When making paper gaskest, they say to use oil on it. I wonder if that would be better than grease or about the same? When I was a child in the 70s, a gentleman who lived near us was killed while welding a gas tank. Enjoyed watching and learning. Thanks for your time and knowledge.
I have at the same thing with my Truck fuel tank which had rotted out in two spots, Had to weld in some patches top and bottom, no explosion as I had run the truck on Propane for years so the tank was dry, Found some fuel proof filler and painted a few coats and now all good. Needed new gaskets so used some shop floor rubber mat which is fuel safe. Took a couple of weeks after work but a new tank £900.00 / $1085.76 so worth the effort. 1976 Landrover 101 ex military. My daily drive.
Good repair! Your welding videos are some of my favorites . I’m 64 and I have a 12 piece set of different size iron tips. I use them for autobody lead repairs. FYI only heat irons with propane. Acetylene is very dirty and the carbon residue can contaminate the solder joint and prevent bonding of metals especially when sealing liquid fittings.
It's easy to safely weld a gas tank. Empty the tank and remove the sender then place the neck over the exhaust pipe of a running car. The fumes will render any gas inert and the heat will dry out the tank. After about five minutes the tank will be so hot you can't touch it. When it cools you can weld it grind it or solder it with a torch. I learned this trick fifty years ago. I thought everyone knew this.
Yes I remember the soldering iron my dad had four of them he showed me how to use it Dad always made a fire to put the iron's in the fire pit and said watch son how this works his Dad thought him you bring back to me memories I'll be watching. I'll be praying for you and your family and friends God bless all
Using those irons for sheetmetal work we had a box that burned charcoal to heat the irons. Just don't put too many irons in the fire. Great repair I liked the leather gasket .
Nice repair! I wish I could be as patient as you are when doing those aggravating repairs. You set such a good example for your son and the rest of us out here with your calm approach to difficult things in all your videos. Good man you are 👍
Messing with old car's I've made quite a few gaskets out of Cornflake boxes, Hylomar blue is an excellent sealant for this sort of thing much more user friendly than any RTV. High quality piece of leather you had. Tried atleast 4 leather seals on an old Land Rover diff but could never get them to seal right although was an ugly sealing surface on the flange.
Hi Isaac I`ve used the exaust from a small motor put a pipe into the muffler ran dead air into the tank worked great didn`t even fart once used my handheld torch silver soldered it .
Good old school tricks. Leather can make a good gasket. They were used as temporary patches for leaks etc. The soldering irons were used a lot in lead work in UK years ago. And if you watch Pakistani Truckers on TH-cam. They still use them today. For soldering. And they still do shaved lead panel repair on vehicles. If it works it works.
I have made lead roof boots to go over plumbing vents from sheet lead with soldering irons. Handy way to solder things when you don't want to blow up a gas tank also. ☺
*I C Weld* That gas line reminds me of my firs car, held together with popsicles sticks duck tape & tie wire, lolooo. Thank-you sir for taking the time to bring us along. GOD Bless.
If that sending unit is leaking, just replace that rubber gasket. To me, it looks to be a little too thin anyway, the gasket that is. Form-a-gasket on both sides that will seal right up. Yup, got one my grand dad had, wonderful tools indeed. I even have a pair of "torches" that are designed for these old solder irons. This is how they also fixed the old radiators as well. I was told, there was only 2 ways to actually "weld" on a gas tank. Fill it full of carbon monoxide and or fill with water. Neither is a good option, just too dangerous. Man, you're pulling out some old school ways of fixing things. Shame these old methods aren't being taught today. Great video as always. Cheers :)
Great stuff! I've been looking for something like this for soldering heavy wire lugs. Now I know what the tools look like. I'd heard of them but have never seen them. Didn't know they were copper, but it makes sense, as that's also what modern soldering tips are inside.
That peacock if that is what it is called is a recipe for problems. If you should have to drive some where tall grass or a gravel driveway with ruts in the road the gas tank may bottom out. Maybe, maybe not. I would have stuck to the metal plug and be done. Like you said a person wanting to steal gas would have a holiday. Great job of how you did it !!!!!!
Memories of school came flooding back, we used those irons to make oil cans in shop. And the fuel cock was blast from the aeronautic maintenance past... very nice
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This guy is pure 100% craftsman !
Mr Issac, 50 years ago I watched a old welder repair our fuel tank. He started his Lincoln and ran the exhaust from it into the fuel tank. Then he brazed the holes in the tank. For filler rod he used coat hanger and bailing wire. 🤔😉😁
Great video as always. You remind me of my father (even though we are probably the same age), very resourceful. He had a trick for everything and never seemed to be stumped. I recall asking him once, "Why don't we just go to Ace and buy a replacement part." His response was, "What do you think we used to do before an Ace Hardware or a Home Depot." Puts everything in perspective. Your son will one day look back and say, "WWPD", What Would Pop Do.... I know I do.
I used to always carry gasket material in my car tool box, living in the SW sometimes you could be miles from town and no one else in sight
Too many people fix everything with a checkbook. Great seeing someone who will find a way to get it done.
@@bigunone I carry gasket material, lengths of various diameters and types of hoses, set of tools, Hylomar Blue, zip ties, o-ring assortment, baling wire, extra fluids... yeah, I drive "beaters".
I have welded on tanks many times with no issues. They were drained, opened, dried of fuel, and then flushed with air from the compressor. Lastly, I flush and fill with argon before welding. My reference is to use silver solder for such repairs over electrical solder but your fix will hold just fine as long as you got the surfaces cleaned and properly fluxed. Speaking of flux, Nokorode is fantastic for the sort of repair you did here and would have helped with the wicking of the solder into the interface. If you had cleaned bothe surfaces, coated them with the flux, and then done a ring of .060 solder around the step of the bung then pulled it into position and heated the parts, it would have been done in 2 minutes. Done a boat load of this sort of thing in the past. Lots of ways to screw a pig. As always, fantastic and down to earth non pretentious videos is what makes your channel a must subscribe.
I knew those were soldering irons, but I did not know the leather gasket trick! Thanks for sharing that with us.
Old time muffler man here.
We would send the customer out to fill the tank so it wouldn't explode. Then heat up the massive copper soldering iron with a torch. One of us would solder the hole while the others would take a break, away from the pit.
Soldering is an underappreciated form of fabrication, great vid!!!!
He had me at, ”oh and its not JBweld.”
What's old is still new some days. I had to get a large 300W soldering iron because my 200W ones were too weak for some battery terminal work on our electric motorcycle project. You about can't use too much flux.
The sheer variety, clarity, and information in your videos is a great joy and example for others.
In my youth, after high school and before attending tech school, I worked at an Exxon station for 2 years or so. That's back when they were garages and not just a place to buy coffee and twinkies. Not being a certified mechanic or anything I did shocks, batteries, ball joints, rocker cover gaskets, etc... All simple stuff. Also made a ton of $$ towing cars nights & weekends. Not bad for 18 / 19. I clearly remember our "ace" mechanic repairing a leak in some shitbox. Simple tank with the filler that came out behind the rear plate. (It was the late 60's / early 70's.) His plan was to solder a penny over the pinhole. Not a bad idea except for one thing. He drained the tank, but didn't fill it with water to displace the fumes. I saw that, and said NOPE, and left the area. Care to guess what happened? the tank came back and identified as a cage ball. Same "ace" couldn't balance some wide ovals that were popular back then. So, I opened the book, read the instructions, and balanced the tires perfectly. Not the only time shamed him. He didn't like me much after that.
The old trick for a pinhole in a gas tank was to run a sheet metal screw into the hole most of the way, put some flux on it, then solder it, screwing it the last quarter or half turn in while the solder was wet so you were sure you had solder around the threads and under the screw head. Didn't even need to drain the tank to do that.
Really enjoyed this video more old style repair than the usual welding . Shows you can never beat some of the old tricks thanks
Ha Brother
I'm Jeff Carder and just wanted to say hi and I have too of those copper Irons and used to fix gas tanks that way ,, a long time ago,, Ha Ha also if you have a hole in the tank you can cover it with a penny and solder it and it works great.
I am subscribed to your channel and watch you all the time I really like your truck too
Keep up the great work on your videos and thanks for making them
Great Content
Thanks Again
Jeff Carder
It’s not called JB WELD with you around it’s IC WELD the difference is yours works theirs doesn’t. Being a leather craftsman I make a lot of gaskets from extra leather. Coated with axle grease it will seal pretty much everything. You brought back some memories for me. Thanks for sharing
Coleman used to make a great gas blow torch that heated those babies up in no time. Way hotter than a propane torch and a bigger flame. Of course when really in use they had a burner the irons sat it. Back as late as the twenties and thirties the plumbing trade used them for cast iron pipe and the electricians soldered all their connections using insulating tape and a cover tape to complete the job. A lot of guys breathing a lot of lead! Roofers used to solder copper gutters and some flashings as well. Nice fix.
So brilliant yet so simple I used those type of soldering irons 52years ago as an apprentice!! So cumbersome to use you did well on a small part like that .We had a small furnace type arrangement to put them in to heat them …it was coal gas fired ….a trip down memory lane for me 😅😊😊😊😊great video …as usual
About 35-40 years ago, my neighbor used one of those soldering irons to dope lead into body panels he was repairing. It was one of those old cars with the fins and looked like the lights were in tubes.
He said it was lead. Could have been solder for sll I know. He had sticks about as big as your thumb and probably a foot long that he dabbed and smeared to fix imperfections in bodywork and blend seams.
@@sumduma55 something not often taught anymore, as those kinds of cars are not common anymore and lead we all know is dangeous to breath, and all the restrictions today about its use, but they just dont think about using those kinds of things anymore cars are built differant. as for the large irons yea I saw those at a festival called jonny appleseed up here in indiana a guy was using copper irons to souder up tin crafts, as it has to be done old school though normaly would use electric as it is more conveniant and said he had to wait till he was 35 before his dad would even let him use on of the old style irons since it was differant, and he had to be good enough to use it or something like that, but yea using a torpedo heater to heat up and old coppoer soudering iron to fix an old car heh thats old school
Wow - you're taking me back to my child-hood years watching and latter on helping my grandad using his old Paraffin Brass Blow torch heating up his soldering irons when soldering radiator core to the radiator tanks - that was some tricky work though. Keep on showing us some yester-year methods which has almost died out. Thanks so much. 👏🏽👏🏽
Your video thumbnail made me smile! I have an old Turner 39A (a gasoline blowtorch, no kidding!) and a soldering iron like that one, but smaller. It fits in a little holder on the blowtorch and puts it right into the hottest part of the flame.
We used to run a commercial sheet metal shop and soldered all of our hand/brake formed gutters with irons. We had a natural gas oven big enough for two irons on the work table. Only thing we did different was use a light brush of muratic acid before soldering a joint; maybe not with a gasoline tank though? Great Old School work IC ! Hope you used gasoline style tape on the petcock!
Nice job. Yep, my Grandfather did all his metal gutters with irons and solder (1960's) - for years I thought that was the only way LOL.
I have very vivid memories of my Dad repairing a leaking gas tank in our PA shop in the mid 1960's. I watched my Dad brazing a hole in a gas tank under a car with half a tank of fuel in it. Yes the gas was boiling on the inside but the volume of gasoline and absence of oxygen prevented a disaster. Yes it scared the schiff out of me watching him do it.
Months later when I got off the school bus, there in the shop sat a gas tank that looked like a giant oversized steel pillow/balloon. This time Dad had removed the tank, drained and flushed it and then pumped it full of automotive exhaust carbon dioxide with the expectation it would displace all oxygen from inside the tank and prevent ignition of residual gas fumes. WRONG, them fumes will get you every time.
Removing the tank and using an old school soldering iron seems way, way more prudent/safer. Great video Isaac, thanks.
Nice job. I knew those were soldering irons but had never seen them used. Thank you for the post.
That is the first time I have ever seen a soldering iron being used on that type of repair. I like seeing older type tools still being used for a current day project. 👍
Great job!
SUGGESTION: for fuel-soaked locations on my vintage bikes I use a gasket goo made by Rolls-Royce for aero engines. It’s called Hylomar Blue and you can get it online or from aircraft maintenance shops. One tube will go a loooong way and it is impervious to just about anything.
Thanks for the idea!
It really is great stuff - never hardens and keeps gasoline where it is supposed to be.
Great stuff. My 1954 Yazoo mower is sealed up with Hylomar Blue! 🙂
Nice to see old cars on your channel like to see more of that 57 Chevy
Love the leather gasket! I have several antique tractors and each still has a couple original leather gaskets and seals. Hard to argue with a material that still seals after 70+ years
Awesome ISAAC! 👍
First time I saw the iron used. Have one from an old neighbor. He had told me that he used it for seaming the old steel gutters with lead. Fantastic repair!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
That’s a cool old tool never seen one of those old irons before but I’d definitely keep an eye out for them at garage sales
Great content as always. I never get tired of using this old school proven methods. I’ve got several of the old soldering coppers but haven’t ever tried as I have a couple large electric soldering irons large enough for tin and copper work. Love your channel and content 👍👍👍
I filled one with water and brazed it worked well .I love your content.
Always something interesting including the correct way to use old soldering irons, one of which I inherited but couldn't figure out the best way of using it! Thanks Isaac. 😊
My father fixed a radiator once with 15 holes with one of those. And there was no leaks the first time. Then he got an electric one I now have that one. Great work.
A man of many hats. As a young man I help a neighbor use soldering tools like those to repair a body on an antique car with lead. Super interesting presentation.
OMG.. I learned to solder with those. We called then Cooper's irons.... Brings back good memories!
Way, way back in the very early 70s when I was in Industrial Arts class, we had to solder several sheet metal projects at the corners, etc. We used exactly the same iron, but ours came with little firebrick natural gas ovens. You'd open the gas valve, and toss a match in through the observation hole. These were rectangular brick boxes, with a square hole in you'd set your iron into (resting on a crossbar, so all 4 sides were heated by the gas burners). Your project took me back. I aced those projects, as I had learned soldering (electric irons) back in the 4th grade and forward. Nice video.
Great video, very educational, my father, rest his soul, was very resourceful like you. Learned a lot from him, and you. Thanks again for your wisdom.
Great repair Isaac. It looked like the tricky part was keeping the solder on the outside of the bung and not running down into the inner threaded part of the bung. Those old soldering irons may be old but they are still very useful in certain situations. We tend to think old people, ways, and tools aren’t useful but you prove they are. Thank you for taking the time to share your work and experience with us!
When I was a young man and thought I was invincible I welded on a gas tank of a 65 ford falcon. To do so I started my motorcycle up and ran the exhaust in to the tank. Lucky for me it worked.I did wash it out first and let it dry for a few days first.
My Dad had a blow torch that held one of those soldering irons and used it quite often .
A true craftsman period! Great job!
30:41 they're also very good for removing lead from old cars, fixing tins roofs without starting a fire. I've also taken a large one like you have, and milled a round hole into the side of it and i've used it for copper installations. For the last one in particular, it's the best thing since sliced bread. No more fussing about with open flames, it's much cleaner when you can work in your own time, my copper work has turned out much better looking ever since i got that "iron".
Great vid Issac, I have a whole load of those old copper soldering irons, used to use them a lot for repairing radiators and occasionally get to use them now. I love the old school methods..i guess that makes me a bit of a dinosaur these days :)
I got at least 10 over the years
40 years ago I worked with a gutter guy. That's all we used to solder the joints together. Brings back good memories. Great job. Old school !!
Great (and safe) repair. I have a couple of those copper soldering irons. I don't use them often but when I need it, there is nothing else like them.
Looks like it worked great! Just don't heat the soldering iron too hot. Gasoline has an ignition point of 536 deg F. A really hot iron could set it off.
My brother and I learned a lesson as teenagers. We had a pickup tank that had a nail hole in the top. This was a long narrow tank with the filler neck on the end. We filled it with water within an inch or two of the top and touched the hole with a propane torch to solder it up. The thing took off like a rocket across the bench. It didn't blow up and hurt us, but I won't ever forget it.
I worked at a body shop many years ago and they were used to lead panels together before wire feed welders came along and before plastic bondo also. One of the old timers had a whole collection of these irons which I believe they were copper.
When I was a kid I "got" to sand cars in the body shop of my Dad's dealership. I remember trying to lead in panels like the pros but never got too good at it.
Nice job Isaac!! I picked one of those old irons up many years ago at a flea market.All my friends didn’t have a clue what it was. Most of them have since borrowed it a few times! Lol. Thanks for the interesting videos!!
When you ever have to solder something like that again, use some paste flux on the part and when the temperature is hot enough to melt the solder, it will pull the solder into the joint like magic. You will see it wick it in and seal very easily... But great job anyway...
Thanks for the pointer. I appreciate that.
Nice job! One way to work on those is to fill them with water... still not guaranteed safe. Also, when soldering, it's often best to have separate flux and solder... clean and flux the fitting, tin the tank, then when you pull the fitting through the solder will flow onto the fitting from the tank. Flux-core solder is often messier than it needs to be. Nice five-seven by the way!
I’ve tigged many tanks for old school cars. Drain them, let them air dry for about a week, purge them with nitrogen and tig either the cracks, holes etc. Works great for me.
I remember using those big soldering irons in 7th grade metals class about 60+ years ago. We had a gas furnace we'd stick them in to get hot.
For the gasoline line and guage sensor: Curil-T2, Curil-K2, and Hylomar U Sealants are a good choice for many mechanical fluid sealing surfaces. They don't harden, stay soft. The benefits are: gasoline resistant (non-ethanol), high temperature environments, easily disassembled later, and ultra-easy clean up! In the 1990s, Chrysler/Dodge and Ford automotive assemblies/products began to use the Curil(German quality...really good stuff...originally used by Porsche!) brand sealants(rebranded under their own name). Either used alone or with OEM gasket(depending upon the gap/clearance). As with any type of sealant: it's chemical "voodoo". So some research (do diligence) is in order. One trick is to conduct yir own test: let whatever it is cure, then drop some in various chemicals with sealed lids and see what happens after a week or two. Also, apply to different metals (substrates) to ascertain any reactivity... Finally, if it's part of a electrical/electronic circuit (gas guage sending unit, or some other sensor), add a "bonding" strap/jumper. Yappity-yap...it ain't the space shuttle...
I would have tried to 'peen' the hole smaller so the bung would hold better before soldering. I had one of those soldering irons I got from my Dad. It got lost in the move 15 years ago. Thanks for sharing. Always good information.
Good Job Isaac. I haven't had to soldier a gas tank in years, Replacements have gotten cheap enough is probably why. We use to wipe excess soldier away with a rag, it works great. Still using a rag when soldiering copper pipes. Thanks for a great video. Nice old car also!!!
Wire wool with plumbers flux on is even better for the clean up.
@@martinhow121 I will try that. Thanks
Hey Isaac, Over the years I have repeatedly purged gas tanks with nitrogen or even engine exhaust and welded on different gas tanks. Even with some gasoline residue still in the tank. You must be sure the vapors are overcome by the purge which must continue throughout the weld process. Done it with both Oxy-acet and TIG.
Just like lighting a burner, after a time of purging, light a match at a small opening, the purge should blow it out. If it lights, it'd be like the flame on a burner and will extinguish when the purge overcomes the oxygen atmosphere. I've set'em up using a car engine or even lawnmower engine. Carbondioxide in that process is the overcoming element. Anyway, that's my story n I'm sticking to it.
The last one I did, after replacing the original tank leaking at the neck, couple years it started all over again. They're all swedge fitted.
I torch welded the neck to the tank without removingcit from the car. Used nitrogen purge. The gauge showed 1/4 tank of gas.
It drove 7 - 8 years n I sold th he car, it's still goin.
I was taught or maybe just learned to clean them out good with soap and water, and then plug them so I could fill them with water to just below the repair. Gas welded quite a few back in the day without a problem. But I do think the soldering was a good idea for that repair.
Bleach will eat gas fumes
@@thepoopsoup bleach and galvanizing..??😳🤔🙃
Always just stuffed a flex hose from a car/truck exhaust into the tank for an hour. The heat will boil off any gas and blow it out of the tank.
Glad to see you're still here. You are theoretically right but it only takes one "OOPS!" to wipe out all of your "at a boy's". LOL
Great video. Good repair. Helpful hint, after removing gas from a tank, hook up an exhaust pipe from a small engine or a vehicle, let it run a few minutes to purge the fumes. While still purging, you can braze or weld with an open flame. It works good, no explosion.
When making paper gaskest, they say to use oil on it. I wonder if that would be better than grease or about the same?
When I was a child in the 70s, a gentleman who lived near us was killed while welding a gas tank.
Enjoyed watching and learning. Thanks for your time and knowledge.
I used this on my gas tank and all it did was melt the plastic :D good one!
I have a small soldering iron somewhere. Interesting stuff young man. That car is solid underneath, must be the dry weather you have.
It is always a joy to watch you work (no matter what you are working on)
Always a great job and I sure won't say a mumbling word to a solitary sole
I have at the same thing with my Truck fuel tank which had rotted out in two spots,
Had to weld in some patches top and bottom, no explosion as I had run the truck on Propane for years so the tank was dry, Found some fuel proof filler and painted a few coats and now all good.
Needed new gaskets so used some shop floor rubber mat which is fuel safe.
Took a couple of weeks after work but a new tank £900.00 / $1085.76 so worth the effort.
1976 Landrover 101 ex military. My daily drive.
I like the leather gasket trick, should work very well. I haven't used a soldering iron since high school. Keep smilin
Good repair! Your welding videos are some of my favorites . I’m 64 and I have a 12 piece set of different size iron tips. I use them for autobody lead repairs. FYI only heat irons with propane. Acetylene is very dirty and the carbon residue can contaminate the solder joint and prevent bonding of metals especially when sealing liquid fittings.
Good pointer. thank you very much. totally makes sense.
Awsome job, i like learning old school stuff
It's easy to safely weld a gas tank. Empty the tank and remove the sender then place the neck over the exhaust pipe of a running car. The fumes will render any gas inert and the heat will dry out the tank. After about five minutes the tank will be so hot you can't touch it. When it cools you can weld it grind it or solder it with a torch. I learned this trick fifty years ago. I thought everyone knew this.
Yes I remember the soldering iron my dad had four of them he showed me how to use it Dad always made a fire to put the iron's in the fire pit and said watch son how this works his Dad thought him you bring back to me memories I'll be watching. I'll be praying for you and your family and friends God bless all
Using those irons for sheetmetal work we had a box that burned charcoal to heat the irons. Just don't put too many irons in the fire. Great repair I liked the leather gasket .
I remember using soldering irons in shop class when i was in high school, but never seen one as big as what you used.
Nice video Cheers from Alberta.
Nice repair! I wish I could be as patient as you are when doing those aggravating repairs. You set such a good example for your son and the rest of us out here with your calm approach to difficult things in all your videos. Good man you are 👍
Messing with old car's I've made quite a few gaskets out of Cornflake boxes, Hylomar blue is an excellent sealant for this sort of thing much more user friendly than any RTV.
High quality piece of leather you had.
Tried atleast 4 leather seals on an old Land Rover diff but could never get them to seal right although was an ugly sealing surface on the flange.
I had completely forgotten about those irons. I was taught how to use them in shop class. Nice job.👍 BTW that has always been my dream car, bar none.
Hi Isaac I`ve used the exaust from a small motor put a pipe into the muffler ran dead air into the tank worked great didn`t even fart once used my handheld torch silver soldered it .
I’ve used a small engine exhaust for gopher control it works. I don’t think the gophers liked it though. Thank you Sir
I figured the torpedo heater would not work. My dad had a couple of those in the fifty's. good video!
I got two I still use in the shop
A squirt water bottle work good for tin soldering for me good job buddy,,,BigAl California thank you .
Good old school tricks. Leather can make a good gasket. They were used as temporary patches for leaks etc. The soldering irons were used a lot in lead work in UK years ago. And if you watch Pakistani Truckers on TH-cam. They still use them today. For soldering. And they still do shaved lead panel repair on vehicles. If it works it works.
Very cool throwback technique video Isaac. Great job.
I haven't seen soldering irons since doing down gutters with my uncle's shop 40 years ago. Thanks
50's rat rod repairs ... cant beat the REAL technology!
Great video as always !
Nice job, old school rules.
I have made lead roof boots to go over plumbing vents from sheet lead with soldering irons. Handy way to solder things when you don't want to blow up a gas tank also. ☺
*I C Weld* That gas line reminds me of my firs car, held together with popsicles sticks duck tape & tie wire, lolooo. Thank-you sir for taking the time to bring us along. GOD Bless.
Great video as always. Thanks for enlightening most of us on the old school soldering irons and Leather for gaskets. Let us know how it works out!
Great video Isaac. Really enjoy watching you work. Thanks for bringing us along.
learned something new today! Awesome job. Thanks for showing.
I love the leather gasket, I gave a set of soldering coppers to my son with everything else in my shop. Nice job. I enjoy your videos greatly.
If that sending unit is leaking, just replace that rubber gasket. To me, it looks to be a little too thin anyway, the gasket that is. Form-a-gasket on both sides that will seal right up.
Yup, got one my grand dad had, wonderful tools indeed. I even have a pair of "torches" that are designed for these old solder irons. This is how they also fixed the old radiators as well.
I was told, there was only 2 ways to actually "weld" on a gas tank. Fill it full of carbon monoxide and or fill with water. Neither is a good option, just too dangerous.
Man, you're pulling out some old school ways of fixing things. Shame these old methods aren't being taught today. Great video as always. Cheers :)
Nice change of pace, thanks
Great stuff! I've been looking for something like this for soldering heavy wire lugs. Now I know what the tools look like. I'd heard of them but have never seen them. Didn't know they were copper, but it makes sense, as that's also what modern soldering tips are inside.
Next leather repare job.your jacket😁.thanks for the video👍.
Isaac , my Grandfather had a very similar soldering iron as you have there . Amazing what he could accomplish with it .
Absolutely genius. Love watching you come up with ideas. God Bless you and your family.
That peacock if that is what it is called is a recipe for problems. If you should have to drive some where tall grass or a gravel driveway with ruts in the road the gas tank may bottom out. Maybe, maybe not. I would have stuck to the metal plug and be done. Like you said a person wanting to steal gas would have a holiday. Great job of how you did it !!!!!!
Love these videos, still love your other welding, cutting, and metal magic you do.
Thats a lost art ,i still have my Grandfathers old irons, Have saved my butt a few times ? Thanks , See Ya
That leather trick is fantastic! Nice work!
Memories of school came flooding back, we used those irons to make oil cans in shop. And the fuel cock was blast from the aeronautic maintenance past... very nice
Another great job by a true craftsmem
Those irons bring back memories of my dad who was a welder in the shipyards in Tacoma during WW2.
Great job, that really turned out good.
I have 5 or 6 of those irons i use for radiators and fuel tanks too.
The old way is the best way. Great video.
Another great video, thanks.
I have three of those copper soldering irons, they were my grandfather’s. I have used them in the past.