Tank repair

[Four Paws]

Don't throw that snuffed tank away...fix it, and take it easy on the pocket book. You can use all the money you saved to buy a few gallons of gas for your saw, or your pick-up, but at $3.25 a gallon, not both.

I picked up a decent used saw with a broken tank handle.

I cleaned up the area around the crack with a shot of carburetor cleaner and a small brush attachment on my dremel. I used my soldering iron to 'tack weld' the handle back together. I then used it to score up the surfaces the JB weld would be bonding to. Build a dam out of cardboard, mix JB weld, insert into cavity.

After the JB weld set up for a day, use a flat file to make a nice even surface.

I tooled up this bracket out of some spare material I had laying around. Likely overkill, but I wanted a functional repair that would last.

Next, drill holes through the bracket and JB weld. Insert sheetmetal screws, marvel at your craftsmanship, go cut wood!

 

[Dok]

Good looking repair there! JB Weld is more useful than duct tape on these plastic saws. I have it slathered all over the tank of the 440. Your work is much nicer looking
Dok

 

[joesawer]

Nice job.
Now, Dennis is going to put you in the same catagory as Andy!!

 

[Lakeside53]

yep.. Dennis and JB is like oil and water.. :greenchainsaw:

 

[RiverRat2]

Nice work FP's Better than buying a new tank/handle!!!!!!!

I'd rep ya but I'm all out of bullets from the Beggin thread!!!!

 

[Four Paws]

Nice work FP's Better than buying a new tank/handle!!!!!!!

Thanks...and yes, much cheaper. I figure I have less than a dollar of materials in this repair.

I'd rep ya but I'm all out of bullets from the Beggin thread!!!!

There is always tomorrow...

 

[Erick]

Nice work FP's Better than buying a new tank/handle!!!!!!!

I'd rep ya but I'm all out of bullets from the Beggin thread!!!!

I got him for ya



and you too

 

[Stihl 041S]

minor derail

Looks great! One thing, why JB weld and not Devcon?

 

[chainsaw kid]

Nice Job

That is one good looking repair!

There is some epoxy we use in the aviation industry that can adapt to changes in temperature....bla bla bla....cutting to the chase, it's flexible yet as hard as a rock and has a strong ability to adhere. It would be a little more forgiving then JB Weld in a situation such as a saw handle (I'm not sure if JB makes a flexable epoxy). I think it's called scotch weld. But there is different levels for different situations.

We also have this stuff called fast weld...basically it's JB weld. That stuff is great too but it is hard with no flex.

Nice repair though and I like the improv.....and giving ideas to add to...

Kevin

 

[Four Paws]

Looks great! One thing, why JB weld and not Devcon?

What is Devcon? Where can it be purchased? What does it cost?

 

[Lakeside53]

Most industrial supply houses (Grainer, J&L etc) will sell you Devcon. I've used both.. and stay with JB for the saws. It works great, easy to find, has exactly hte set/gell rate i liek to work with, and is just a "consumer" repackaged aerospace product. At one point I knew the exact cross reference to the industrial verison, but I can't find it right now. Notice that you can't buy it in large containers?


Don't get fooled into buying the fast setting JB - it's NOT the same product... is too brittle and doesn't adhere anywhre near as well as the "original". maybe o.k. as a filler, not or structural use.

 

[scottr]

Most industrial supply houses (Grainer, J&L etc) will sell you Devcon. I've used both.. and stay with JB for the saws. It works great, easy to find, has exactly hte set/gell rate i liek to work with, and is just a "consumer" repackaged aerospace product. At one point I knew the exact cross reference to the industrial verison, but I can't find it right now. Notice that you can't buy it in large containers?


Don't get fooled into buying the fast setting JB - it's NOT the same product... is too brittle and doesn't adhere anywhre near as well as the "original". maybe o.k. as a filler, not or structural use.

Andy, the industrial version might be EPON 934. It's a gray epoxy that uses a clear catalyst mixed 33parts to 100 parts by weight.

 

[Lakeside53]

The JB has a white and black apart, and is 50:50 because of the added metallic fillers. The 50:50 is convenient (easier to eyeball small quantities) - and they have it set so the two parts weigh the exact same amount for the same volume, so a postage scale gets you exact mixing. Like all true epoxies, exact proportion and good mixing is the key to strength and adhesion


Rumor around here.. the JB is batch "over-runs" from the suppliers to Boeing... I know some guys at Boeing that swear its the same stuff they use.

 

[scottr]

Hysol, uses the two part method and it might be the same.

 

[tomdcoker]

I have a question about the use of JB Weld. I have an 044 that the rear av mount on the bottom right side that goes into the gas tank was broke. I got it out without damaging all the threads. The bottom 1/2" are O. K., but the top 1/4" or so is opened to about 1/4". What I want to do is thread the screw in the hole and force JB Weld into that hole so that I will have the complete screw holding the mount. What can I coat the screw with so that the JB Weld will not adhere to the screw. Thanks Tom

 

[chainsaw kid]

I have a question about the use of JB Weld. I have an 044 that the rear av mount on the bottom right side that goes into the gas tank was broke. I got it out without damaging all the threads. The bottom 1/2" are O. K., but the top 1/4" or so is opened to about 1/4". What I want to do is thread the screw in the hole and force JB Weld into that hole so that I will have the complete screw holding the mount. What can I coat the screw with so that the JB Weld will not adhere to the screw. Thanks Tom

Spray it down with silicone. That stuff works good for snowblower shoots too. It helps so the heavy wet snow won't stick and clog up!

 

[scotclayshooter]

Devcon was used a lot by rifle smiths to epoxy bed actions
They seem to favour marine tex now though
http://www.marinetex.com/
Ive used devcon to do rifle actions myself the only way to get it off is to grind it and you have to make sure you use plenty release agent.
I notice that marine tex has a flexible epoxy now, It might be ideal for handle repairs

 

[tomdcoker]

Thanks, chainsaw kid for the reply. Tom

 

[BIGBORE577]

JB weld and/or Brownell's Steelbed epoxies work great for saws. They may be the same, I'm not sure. I've been using the Brownell's product for over 30 years for stock bedding and other related firearms repairs. I find that both are also great for fabricating broken off mounting tabs/ears on saws whether it be on a case, housing, tank or what ever. I reconstruct the broken part by first forming a re-enforcement structure out of stiff wire attached back to the the point where it has broken off. I then make a mold out of modeling clay for the outside form. I fill it with the epoxy and let it set well. Afterwords I do the final shaping and use Bondo for the final top coat if the epoxy did not finish out properly. If the ear/tab does not have a through hole, but has internal threads, I epoxy in the proper sized nut with the re-bar type structure I mentioned above. By the time I sand, paint and finish you really can't tell. It is time consuming but one heck of a lot cheaper than finding obsolete parts that are more often than not in as good of condition as the ones you already have, except for the broken ear/tabs. Then again, if your life is as boring as mine, you may welcome the opportunity to mess with this much like I do. I've never had one of these repairs fail to date. The key is the re-enforcement structure and it's contact back to the saw.

 

[Lakeside53]

I have a question about the use of JB Weld. I have an 044 that the rear av mount on the bottom right side that goes into the gas tank was broke. I got it out without damaging all the threads. The bottom 1/2" are O. K., but the top 1/4" or so is opened to about 1/4". What I want to do is thread the screw in the hole and force JB Weld into that hole so that I will have the complete screw holding the mount. What can I coat the screw with so that the JB Weld will not adhere to the screw. Thanks Tom

I just put in a piece of trimmer line, then insert the screw...