A co-worker bought an air compressor at a farm store, he put it under his workbench and boxed it in to save space. The tank ruptured and moved the bench and the garage wall off of the foundation. He returned to the store to find there was a re-call on those compressors but they had no way to find the people who purchased them.
The moral of the story is, be careful- I have welded on them too just be sure you are aware of the risks and take the appropriate precautions. Watch the pressure gauge and make sure to not over pressure that tank. The pressure switch could be malfunctioning or not connected correctly. There is an enormous amount of stored energy in compressed air.
gotcha! I appreciate the warnings and the concern. it's good to be safe for sure.
it is working fine now, though!!!!!
the weld wasn't getting all the way into the very corner. no way we could make it work. tried about 8 times.
so here's what I did:
removed paint from the area, especially the corners, which were a pain. roughed everything up with sandpaper/file.
used JB stick weld over the welds. it is a playdough type of stuff that is fun to use and makes you feel like a kid again. no, I didn't eat any.
I completely covered the whole area and worked it into the nooks and crannys, being sure to push it deep into the corners.
I let that set up for 4 hrs. it said 60 mins. it feels like steel!
after that I used 2 packages of Devcon titanium 5 epoxy. it is the stuff that comes in the double syringe. less like playdough, more like giving your cat medicine. it is recommended for iron, so I went with it. plus it seemed to be the strongest. I completely slathered the whole area spreading it on kinda thick and making sure it was spread well in at the edges. let it set up for a bit and did another coat.
it said 4 hrs to use, but I waited about 16. started it up this morn. I RAN into the far side of the house and read my cycleworld that just came in the mail. before I had gotten past ads and contents, it stopped running. I investigated, hesitantly. no hissing. at all!!! it was right at 140 and holding steady. pulled the release valve and let it pressure up again... COOL! no probs.
the people I bought it from were super cool and would have refunded my money. but the PO had died, and it was the widow who I would have to get my $200 back from.
I don't think I could've even if it hadn't worked. she needed the dough to stay afloat. I needed that sweet mac tools die grinder(1/4" indeed!).
all's well in the bay.
and hopefully the Sounders teach those stinkin Houston weenbags a stiff lesson in the playoff game today. then I'll be super happy!!!!!!
