96 ASR 328 http://www.graffitipub.com.au
Q.
A.
metalworking
Ron Covell [email protected]
n Send your questions about any
aspect of metalworking directly to
Ron Covell via email –
[email protected] or by mail to
Ron Covell, c/o Graffiti Publications,
PO Box 232, Castlemaine VIC 3450.
You will receive a personal reply.Q.
A.
Q. I have an original steel 1934 Ford, and there are several areas on the guards
where the swage has been flattened. I know that a swaging machine can be used
to make patch panels, but I don’t have one. I wonder if you have some other
ideas on how I can make these repairs?
Colin Hunt
Via the InternetA. As luck would have it, a reader recently sent me a photo of a simple,
homemade tool that works very well for restoring the swage on the
edges of fenders. This tool is about as simple as they get, made from
two pieces of steel stock about 6mm thick, hinged at one end, and
drawn together by a bolt. As you can see in the photo, it did a great job
of repairing the swage, that was badly flattened.
The only areas that need to be carefully shaped are the points that
touch the swage, both inside and outside the fender. This tool works
best when you start at the edges of the damaged area, and work slowly
toward the center – overlapping the “squeezes”, and moving the metal
just a small amount with each bite. If you take your time, a tool like
this can do some very good work, indeed!
I fully understand that many car enthusiasts may not have
sophisticated tools in their shed, so I’m particularly intrigued by simple
and effective tools like this one. I encourage all of our readers to send
me photos and descriptions of tools you have developed, and I’ll be
happy to share the best of the bunch in future editions of this column.Q. I’m fabricating a new petrol tank for a 1934 Plymouth, and I formed the
center portion with a rolled bead on the edges. The end caps have a bead which
fits over the center portion’s bead - similar to how the original tank was made.
My plan was to position the end caps with several TIG tack welds around the
perimeter, and then flow solder into the overlapped joint between the caps to the
center portion. It appears this is how the tank was made originally. The purpose
of the tack welds was to ensure the ends did not come apart as petrol surged
around inside the tank.
Luckily, before I tacked the ends on - someone sharper than me stopped by
and said “sorry buddy” – there is no way to “tin” the surfaces, and the solder will
never stick to the tack welds anyway.
My question is, if the soldering is done correctly, will that hold the ends caps
on securely? I realize the original tank had the ends rolled over onto the center
portion (like they make large oil drums) and then soldered, so there is more
strength there than simply solder.
Or, should I TIG weld the ends on, using silicon bronze filler rod all the way
around? Do you have any other ideas?
Gary
Via the InternetA. Your friend is correct that tinning makes TIG welding pretty much
impossible, and the oxidation caused by TIG welding makes tinning and
soldering pretty much impossible, too.
The good news is that untold MILLIONS
of tanks are held together with solder
only, and as long as it’s done properly,
it’s a great process for joining tank parts,
and sealing them. It’s a good idea to have
some sort of mechanical connection so
the parts can’t spread apart as the heat
of soldering is applied. If you look at a
few production tanks, you’ll see different
ways of accomplishing this. Some radiator
shops specialize in doing this type of
soldering, if you don’t trust your own
soldering skill.
TIG welding with silicon bronze filler
rod would be a good solution, too,
although there is more risk of distortion
because of the higher heat used for the
welding process. If the tank is hidden,
distortion may not be a problem for you.You can submit questions to Ron
Covell by email – [email protected].
You can also see free selections from
his DVDs on his YouTube channel -
http://www.youtube.com/user/covellron
ABOVE: The swage on this fender has been nicely restored with a simple, homemade tool.