Tank welding or soldering 1A

Tank welding or soldering

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Tank welding or soldering

Welding or soldering the tank, which is the better alternative?

I estimate that we have already repaired and refurbished well over 500 tanks. I would therefore say that I can make a very good statement here on the subject of whether soldering or welding is the better method for refurbishing a tank and making it leak-proof.

I actually always treat it like this and say I try to make the tank as it was from the basic design, i.e. if it is a normal sheet steel tank, I would prefer to weld the steel in order to have the whole thing as original as possible and usually the tanks can be welded really well. Of course, there are always exceptions, but that’s the same with all materials. There is good and bad material.

One can be welded better and the other worse. For example, we once had a certain BMW tank batch that was really very difficult to weld. Unfortunately, this also happens from time to time at Zündapp.

So if you ever weld a tank like this, it doesn’t have to be your fault if it doesn’t work.

If a tank is already soldered from the ground up in certain places, then I would of course re-solder it. Of course, it is also much more time-consuming to remove the old solder and then re-weld the whole thing with mag, for example.

As we get a lot of tanks to our workshop, I know that there are very often leaks and soldered spots. The solder is usually softer than the sheet steel itself and is always the weakest point here. This is usually the first thing to retract and is of course a leak.

We have had the best experience with MAG welding. You bring little warmth.

We work here with a 0.6 mm filler material and use a Weldinger MEW 202 with a very small torch. It really works extremely well. You use little material with little heat and the material can be welded perfectly, leaving you with little material to grind again afterwards.

As a second option, we also work with the TIG welding process, as I said, depending on where the defective area is or what exactly needs to be done. The process can also make things much easier for you in certain areas.

So, as I said, we have had the best experience with MAG welding. In most cases it works very well and is of course also quite quick. To restore the tank to its original condition and eliminate the leaks.

It is always important to clean the inside of the tank properly beforehand or to remove the paint. Depending on what’s inside. Because if you get the dirt from the inside to the outside when welding such thin sheet metal, you will always have a leaky weld seam.

To round off the whole thing perfectly, we seal the tanks. Finish with a sealant. The whole thing is sealed twice to protect your tank in advance. This gives you peace of mind for a very long time and an optimal tank so that you can simply enjoy your hobby.

I have already recorded a video about this. I am happy to attach it to the link below. If you do not have the possibility to repair your tank yourself, you are welcome to contact us and we will help you to restore your tank.

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