Tank repairs...

Sometime last summer I picked up a couple of bargain Matchless/AJS tanks from a vendor in California to experiment with.  Both had traces of original paint and chrome, the latter of which was the subject of said experimentation.  I had dropped both in wood bleach, which cleared away a considerable amount of rust from the chrome surface however the pitting was too extreme.

I can't seem to find the photos from that specific test, however I will post them when they turn up.

I shelved the one tank for later as it had a poor repair to the bottom.  The second one was a much better prospect, having few dents and a lone screw broken off in the thread for one of the badges.   I decided that removing it wasn't a big problem and I needed the practice to perform the same operation to a 1966 Triumph tank waiting in the wings.

Unfortunately I was mistaken.  While I started off with a small drill bit, I somehow ended up punching a hole right through!

With no welder at the time, it joined the other tank on the shelf.

As the ice storm was hitting hard outside,  I needed to feel some sense of achievement inside the garage.

I fired up the old Becca Mig and began to build up some material around the hole.  This was then ground down flat.  I became ambitious and began to lead fill the tank.  This probably would have worked out better in warmer temperatures as you fight the ambient temperature to keep the metal hot enough.  I will need to add a bit more lead to finish, but overall I am pleased with the results!

With an all metal tank, this opens up to another planned experiment I am saving for the summer.

A true bugger up.

Some build up of material 

After some grinding 

Some lead filled in

After the smoothing out

Until next time! 

Get the lead in!

My poor old Beetle had definitely seen better days before it found me in 2014.  One of the most awkward spots to tackle was the rust right below the windshield.   Fortunately for me that area was solid but badly pitted with a few holes here and there (small ones).

I knew that putting body filler over top was a poor idea as rust could reform and bubble up under the paint.  I thought of fiberglass, however that was also messy and problematic.  I decided the best approach was to go back in time to the days of lead solder filling.   There is an excellent supplier in the US, TP Tools.

http://www.tptools.com/

I had all the items shipped to my US address and they arrived within 2 business days.  I purchased lead body solder, tinning butter and a copper brush for application.

I have been sitting on this stuff for a couple months and decided to dive in yesterday afternoon.

Here are the shots of the process.

Here we have some small holes and pitting

initial filling of the holes 

I added some more material and smoothed it out.

Overall I am pretty pleased, especially for a first attempt.  I will need to use a thin layer of filler to smooth things out, however it is being applied to metal coated in high build primer.

I hope to have the rest done before class starts on Saturday morning!