constructing a wax dipping tank

[OzBuzz]

Just wondering if anybody has constructed their own wax dipping tank? I'm thinking of using sheet steel rather than stainless - as i'm fairly new to welding etc i was also thinking of sitting it in a brick housing to take the pressure from a full tank so the stress on the welds is reduced. Underneath the tank i was going to install some gas burners for heating of the tank.

Does anybody have any advice/plans/guidance etc?

Cheers

[Michael Bush]

Mine is just sheet steel.  Certainly not hard steel.  I'd leak test it well as heat tends to draw the wax through any crack you leave.

[VolunteerK9]

I think I would use someone at a fabrication shop or at least someone proficient at welding. (Not saying you arent) Like MB said-you really dont want wax seeping out of cracks that you didnt see and spilling out onto an open flame.

Try your scrap yards. They may have something laying around.

[Michael Bush]

As far as size, I would make sure you have a good inch or two around it, but not more.  More is a wast of wax, less causes more boil overs as the bubbles coming off need some room in order to not boil over.  I'd go some increment of a full box.  Ideally I'd go for three mediums (two deeps) and one on end in the middle.

[OzBuzz]

Like MB said-you really dont want wax seeping out of cracks that you didnt see and spilling out onto an open flame.

Agreed, i have a friend who is a proficient welder - he's going to supervise - i'd really love to learn how to weld properly.

My plan of attach is going to be to bend the base and two sides from a sheet and then weld in panels for the other sides. I was going to do a seam weld on the inside and then place some right angle pieces on the outside of those welds and weld them in to place along all edges

[OzBuzz]

As far as size, I would make sure you have a good inch or two around it, but not more.  More is a wast of wax, less causes more boil overs as the bubbles coming off need some room in order to not boil over.  I'd go some increment of a full box.  Ideally I'd go for three mediums (two deeps) and one on end in the middle.

I was thinking of two deeps deep and then i was going to make a little rack to hold bases and lids with a 1 - 2 inch gap between them - that was the plan anyway. But i like your idea of a third on the end in the middle - are you suggesting deep then deep on end then another deep length ways? Thanks for your input Michael

[OzBuzz]

Mine is just sheet steel.  Certainly not hard steel.  I'd leak test it well as heat tends to draw the wax through any crack you leave.

Sheet steel sounds great! cheaper is better  :) i guess rust is only an issue where water is involved - wax, and the temperatures that it would work at, would negate that. I'd only need to make sure i put a heat paint on the outside of the tank to protect the outer surfaces

[Michael Bush]

>I was thinking of two deeps deep and then i was going to make a little rack to hold bases and lids with a 1 - 2 inch gap between them - that was the plan anyway.

I found no need for any kind of rack for lids and bottoms.  When I tried to do the unassembled pieces it didn't work because they stuck together so I just assembled them first, but if you wanted to do them  unassembled, you'll need some sort of rack.

>But i like your idea of a third on the end in the middle - are you suggesting deep then deep on end then another deep length ways?

Not sure I follow.  If you stack two deeps, just like you would on a hive and then put one on end inside you have what I'm describing.  make it about four inches taller than that to give you some leeway when filling and the level going up and down as you add and remove and the boiling not boiling over.

>Sheet steel sounds great! cheaper is better  Smiley i guess rust is only an issue where water is involved - wax, and the temperatures that it would work at, would negate that. I'd only need to make sure i put a heat paint on the outside of the tank to protect the outer surfaces

I think you'll dribble enough wax on the outsides that it's not an issue on the outside either.  It doesn't take much to keep it from rusting.

I like the idea of bending it, but I usually don't have that nice of tools.  I think I would weld it on the outside and then do a fillet on the inside.  But I don't consider myself an expert welder.  I thought I was an expert at a cutting torch until I watched someone cut a broken rusted pipe out of the threads on a pump and no damage the threads...