Topic: Think Ill repaint my tank..AND BASH IT

[savannahcafe]

Well, after lots of thinking about it, and recent inspiration from the list, Ive decided to bash my tank.I have been very leery about doing it because there are so many bad examples and less than attractive outcomes on line. But the other day I was on the list and a recent post with pictures of a tank bashing inspired me. They actually looked good, and I was happy to see some body filler to make it look smooth. I know that the end result depends on the prep work and a good body filler job. Well, what better to do on the day after turkey day than bash a tank? Ive only bashed and started sanding thus far. Ive run into what appears to be some factory body filler. Well, some isn't fair, allot on one side. And Ive uncovered what appeared to be a small puncture that was repaired with a little braze job. Anyways, Ill keep everyone posted with new pictures as I have them.

let the beatings begin

[rlarkin70]

hey, looks great!!!  I like bashed tanks too.    did one myself.  here is a photo with 2 layers of bondo and sanding, after banging it with a deadblow hammer. I did one more filling with bondo spot putty, then sanded. then primed and painted.  It looked very similar to yours. I like the subtle dents, as opposed to more radical reshaping. did you use Bondo? and wetsand? the only thing I dont like about Bondo is the short working time.

Not sure if you have positioned yourself on the bike with the tank yet, but aside from looking sleek it actually gives me a better, more stable riding position, both when cruising and when turning.

keep the photos coming. nice work.

-Ron

[savannahcafe]

I am bondoing as we speak. Here are a few more pics of the progress. Yes, I will be wet sanding as well.

[savannahcafe]

This is after the first take down with low grit sandpaper. Now I'm going to add more bondo and take it down again. I am trying to create a well defined edge, not a rolled edge. I want to be accused of having this tank cut and welded. 

[ekim98]

Looking good, but now you've got me thinking I should do the same to mine. It's already got 2 small dents and has been repainted 2/3 times (poorly) at that.

[savannahcafe]

you should do it. Its really weird, The more I do on it the more convinced I am that maybe Im a magician. LOL, but seriously, there is a sense of accomplishment. Im really excited.

[Spikeybike]

lookin good , i can't wait to post pics of mine once its done,
i went with a more "radical reshaping" route

[Terry in Australia]

Just a quick word on wet sanding bondo, don't do it. Bondo is basically a mix of fibreglass resin and talcum powder and will absorb water, then sweat it back out thru your paint once the weather gets warm, causing it to "pimple" thru your paint, at the same time rusting the bare metal on the other side. Dry sand your bondo (or any other brand of body filler) and only wet sand your primer/filler and paint. Cheers, Terry.

[tbone]

Hey guys, looks like we're having some fun here!

A couple of thoughts on bashing. ( I've never bashed one but I've made quite a few custom tanks though)

Has anyone tried annealing the metal before bashing?

You'd have to strip to bare metal and purge the inside to remove fumes first.
Then heat the area to be worked with a dull, dirty flame. Cool SLOWLY or you'll actually harden it.
Once you annealed the steel would stretch and work easier.
After the desired shape is achieved you could reheat the creased areas and quench to strengthen them.
Then bondo and finish.

This is just an idea that might make your creations easier.

Bash on! 

[paulages]

Hey guys, looks like we're having some fun here!

A couple of thoughts on bashing. ( I've never bashed one but I've made quite a few custom tanks though)

Has anyone tried annealing the metal before bashing?

You'd have to strip to bare metal and purge the inside to remove fumes first.
Then heat the area to be worked with a dull, dirty flame. Cool SLOWLY or you'll actually harden it.
Once you annealed the steel would stretch and work easier.
After the desired shape is achieved you could reheat the creased areas and quench to strengthen them.
Then bondo and finish.

This is just an idea that might make your creations easier.

Bash on! 

the metal moves pretty easily, actually. i've never annealed steel sheet before working, but the process you mentioned works great with aluminum. steel anneals at much higher temperatures than aluminum. the purpose of the soot is to allow you to carefully monitor the temperature of the metal as you heat it. the soot burns off at about 800F if remember right, and aluminum anneals just below that. it doesn't take much above that to burn though. i believe steel anneals around twice the temperature that aluminum does.

can you guys stop calling it "bashing?"    man, that makes it sound like you're just destroying the thing...

[nteek754]

Hey all, I got one that I bashed as you all call it BUT I dont want anyone to see it right now. Its a mess once I started I found that it was my old buddys tank from years ago we were riding and he went down at 85 90 miles an hour long story short he survived. The tank got pretty banged up and had a couple of puntures in it witch got braised and sealed off. The biggest issue was when I started denting it bondo started falling out so I had to keep going to try and make it even all around. In the end when it comes time to paint it I may have to put a abstract paint job on it to hide the differances, I will see. I run a 73K/70 engine/836 as my daily runner, built a chopper out of a 750F engine  K frame (chopped). Now Im going the opposite way and  doing a cafe. Its gonna be a slow process as Ive got a few other  to dos on my 73, keep us posted on your progress have fun Craig in Maine

[tbone]

More like 1400F and cooled very slowly.

A gunsmith pal of mine heated a piece of steel and then buries it
in hot powdered lime. A day or so later he dug it out of the lime and basically carved out a new hammer for my old double barrel 12ga. with his pocket knife and a few small gravers/chisels. I was like blown away! He claimed that the slower it cools the softer it is.


But bashing sounds so cool!

[MoTo-BunnY]

I have an extra '79 DOHC tank that I am going to have some fun 'bashing' in at some point, for my CB500. I'm going to get this teardrop mallet set from Eastwood. They are kinda spendy but I remember using my dad's years ago and it worked real nice - they are like a super dense plastic.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1558&itemType=PRODUCT

[754]

All this Bashing going on....




Cant we all just get along ?

[savannahcafe]

Just a quick word on wet sanding bondo, don't do it. Bondo is basically a mix of fibreglass resin and talcum powder and will absorb water, then sweat it back out thru your paint once the weather gets warm, causing it to "pimple" thru your paint, at the same time rusting the bare metal on the other side. Dry sand your bondo (or any other brand of body filler) and only wet sand your primer/filler and paint. Cheers, Terry.

thanks for the heads up Terry.

Palages, I don't know what to call it other than bashing. Its not a very delicate or gentle process. How about "metal convincing"

[tbone]

I don't know what to call it other than bashing.

Maybe it could be referred to as "Cafe-ing a tank"! 

[754]

They used to be called dished tanks...

Some cut out the pieces carefully with a plasma cutter, and swap sides.. weld them back in.. Use a cardboard template..

[ZetecOwns]

Always a big fan Savannah. I think the bashed tank will really set your bike off even more.

One question: are the two mallets pictured the only ones you have used? I have seen others using deadblow and ball pein hammers. If those are the only ones you used, could you control them well enough to get the result you were looking for? (Judging from the pics, the answer is yes!)

Anyway, I can't wait to see it painted. I'm actually off to Lowe's to grab a Christmas tree for the lady in the home and a hammer for the lady in the garage.

 

[rlarkin70]

can you guys stop calling it "bashing?"    man, that makes it sound like you're just destroying the thing...

I can't think of a better word for it. You are taking a hammer to your gas tank! Bashing, banging, hammering, smashing..........what else COULD you call it? 

hey Savannah- nice work! That's going to look a lot better than mine when you're done. I just filled in the main gashes from the shaping, I didn't lay the Bondo on nice and thick like you did. Yours is going to look perfect.

-Ron

[paulages]

can you guys stop calling it "bashing?"    man, that makes it sound like you're just destroying the thing...

I can't think of a better word for it. You are taking a hammer to your gas tank! Bashing, banging, hammering, smashing..........what else COULD you call it? 

hey Savannah- nice work! That's going to look a lot better than mine when you're done. I just filled in the main gashes from the shaping, I didn't lay the Bondo on nice and thick like you did. Yours is going to look perfect.

-Ron

i guess getting it started can require a bit of force, but i find there's a lot less filler involved if you finesse rather than force as much as possible. i use a dead blow to get it started, but shape and finish with a combination of oak and steel mallets. i guess i'd call it hammering or shaping, but you guys can bash all you'd like.    less filler= lighter tank and less work sanding.

[savannahcafe]

Always a big fan Savannah. I think the bashed tank will really set your bike off even more.

One question: are the two mallets pictured the only ones you have used? I have seen others using deadblow and ball pein hammers. If those are the only ones you used, could you control them well enough to get the result you were looking for? (Judging from the pics, the answer is yes!)

Anyway, I can't wait to see it painted. I'm actually off to Lowe's to grab a Christmas tree for the lady in the home and a hammer for the lady in the garage.

 

Actually I only used the rubber mallet. It worked really well. I made sure to not hammer any closer than about 1/2-1/4" from the line I drew. I just took my time really.I choked up on the mallet and made sure that the face of the mallet came in contact flush on the tank. A little soft bashing at a time.I started soft. I actually hit the tank 3 or 4 times before it made the first dent. I just used enough of a blow to bend it a little at a time.  And I did lay about an 1/8" of bondo but I actually sanded almost all of it back out. Its just needed to smooth it up. And as far as weight, well, After a hamburger and a drink, Ill have added more weight than the amount of bondo that I have added weighs I cant wait to get back to it. Hopefully Ill finish it on Monday.

[savannahcafe]

can you guys stop calling it "bashing?"    man, that makes it sound like you're just destroying the thing...

I can't think of a better word for it. You are taking a hammer to your gas tank! Bashing, banging, hammering, smashing..........what else COULD you call it? 

hey Savannah- nice work! That's going to look a lot better than mine when you're done. I just filled in the main gashes from the shaping, I didn't lay the Bondo on nice and thick like you did. Yours is going to look perfect.


-Ron

I just went back and found the tank that inspired my recent bashing. It was an orange tank and it belonged to you rlarkin70  Thanks for posting your pictures the other day.

[Terry in Australia]

I'm actually off to Lowe's to grab a Christmas tree for the lady in the home and a hammer for the lady in the garage.
 

Don't get 'em mixed up mate, or you'll be in trouble!

[merc2dogs]

 Was going to recommend the teardrop/egg hammers, but saw the pic of the eastwood set. If you plan on doing any serious dinging, that's the way to go.
 Much more control of the shape/size and almost punch-press accuracy.
 
 I have a few I made from hickory and walnut (can't see just burning great wood when you have to trim back branches)  Another thing that helps control the dents when nearing final contour is to fill the tank with something like sand to limit oilcanning.
 
Ken

[CrisPDuk]

Just remember to get it all out again afterwards