Exploding dents

[Guest]

hmmm.......

hmmm.......

I have the facilities to test this - now I just have to find a gas tank to blow up.

a DC ignitor from a model rocket kit should set it off.

and I have enough air hose to be a safe distance away

 

[jimcor]

When I was a kid (mid to late 1950s) Dad was burning a pile of leaves in the back yard. The fire got burning well, and he decided to get rid of the last few drops of gasoline in the metal 1 gallon lawnmower gas can he used to start the fire. So he held it over the fire and shook it. The resulting explosion and flame front shot out of the split seem of the can for many feet. This split seem saved him from injury, he wasn't hurt a bit. The can literally exploded in his hand as he held it by the handle. The explosion was heard over a city block away. Two people within my range of vision left their houses to see what happened. The flames did start a grass fire, Dad took off his shirt and used it to smother the fire. This all happened on a Friday evening, I remember, because Mom also ran out of the house to see what happened and after the grass fire was out Dad handed Mom his shirt, Mom opened his smoldering, ruined workshirt and from the buttoned pocket removed the folded cash that he had gotten earlier at the bank...his paycheck for the week. Dad just looked at Mom and me and kinda smiled sickly. How lucky could a man be?

Guys, gasoline is NOTHING to fool with.

In so many ways it is such a safe fuel we forget, two ounces of gasoline in vapour is sufficient to knock down a building.

Bent Rod, this isn't meant for or aimed at you. But I've seen a guy innocently push his luck with gas and come out unscathed, others might not be so lucky. Dad, btw, never forgot that incident, made him a true believer in fuel safety.

 

[LeeGS550E]

I know you guys have pretty much killed this topic, but I just thought I'd weigh in. If the whole idea of the gasoline and flame thing is to release some gas to pressurize the tank, why not do it with something that isn't so...well...explosive? Like those citric acid pills that you put in water or some vinigar and baking soda, or even dry ice and water (though that makes pretty good bombs in pop bottles, so that could be dangerous too)? It seems like you could get a similar effect out of something less dangerous. I'm guessing the original post was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, and I'm sure most of ya'll have already thought about what I'm posting here. Don't blow yerself up, dude.

 

[Zooks]

In fact the only thing this thread is guilty of is drawing out a bad grammar joke.

....................too basic/stupid/ridiculous.

ONLY FUMES are flammable.

Anyone who has ever welded an oil tank will understand.

In fact the only thing this thread is guilty of is drawing out a bad grammar joke.

That's for sure - LOL



(just kidding around)

 

[cberkeley]

Don"t Do It, Just Don"t Do It .....do Not Fool With Gasoline And An Open Flame!

 

[DanTheMan]

I've followed this thread all the way through, when I first read the title I thought I'd read something about aliens exploding dents out of the bike's fenders and gastank........ \\/ :-D

 

[vpminneci]

Bondo and a custom tool is your best bet

Bondo and a custom tool is your best bet

I would definately stay away from the gasoline trick. I just restored a 1983 GS850G that had a golf-ball sized dent in the tank with no sharp edges. You asked about the "Dent King"... all I can say is don't waste your money. I'm sure it would work on thin sheet metal on a car, but it didn't do a thing for the dent in my tank. I made a tool to get to the dent from the inside to get it close and finished off with bondo. I really hate to use it, but if you know what you're doing no one will ever know it's there.

 

[bonanzadave]

Fill your tank up with diet coke, drop in a mentos candy and close the cap. Let us know how that works and take some pictures.

 

[beby99]

I have the facilities to test this - now I just have to find a gas tank to blow up.

a DC ignitor from a model rocket kit should set it off.

and I have enough air hose to be a safe distance away

Please include video in your demonstration?.can you tell I'm a pyromaniac.

Did I spell everything correctly?

 

[Tazman001]

Fixin' dents

Fixin' dents

I'm no body repair man, but if you want a non-explosive alternative, try this:
go to the local auto parts store and buy a dent puller. then to the local hardware store or welding supply shop and buy a short piece of round and flat stock, round stock about 2-3" long, flat stock about 1/2" thick shaped like a 50¢ piece. drill and tap the end of the round stock to accept the bolt/screw/attaching thingy coming out of the dent puller. Weld the round stock to the flat stock at about the center. that will complete the attachment for your dent puller. next heat up the attachment and your handy dandy hot glue gun. heat the attachment 'till it's hot to the touch. apply a liberal amount of hot glue(the hi-temp industrial stuff, not the lo temp hobby stuff) to the attachment. apply the attachment to the dent in the tank. let it cool completely. attach the dent puller to the attachment on the tank. then pop dent with dent puller. viola, she's a gone!!!!! to get dent puller attachment off tank without messing up paint just use heat gun to warm up hot glue. hope this helps. good luck with the dent.

 

[Vegerito]

just wanted to tell you guys that i did have a tank explode on me once, well didnt actualy explode, but had maybe a tablespoon of gas in it and a spark got near the opend lid and it went BOOM ! lol, and took off across the garage, it DID get 2 dents out, but along with getting those out, exploded the entire bottom out, where its indented to sit over the frame, the entire bottom was blown out, i hammerd it back in and it ended up working for me, although the tank lost some shape

 

[tfb]

Other rule of thumb: If applying heat or spark to the gas tank, ensure that it is 100% free of gas (fumes and liquid) before hand.

Hmm, the only problem with that is, how do you ensure that it's 100% free of fuel vapour? Just not worth risking, ever.

Now then, back to the topic in hand, folks. BentRod wants to pull a dent from his tank. The dent has no sharp edges. What I have found that works *a treat* in these situations... is... the mighty toilet plunger! That's right, one of those large suction caps with a wooden handle. $2 from any hardware store.

I pulled a dent from the tank on my GS1000S with one of these things. I was so happy that I nearly kissed it -- but then thankfully remembered where it had been.

 

[t3rmin]

Hmm, the only problem with that is, how do you ensure that it's 100% free of fuel vapour? Just not worth risking, ever.

Now then, back to the topic in hand, folks. BentRod wants to pull a dent from his tank. The dent has no sharp edges. What I have found that works *a treat* in these situations... is... the mighty toilet plunger! That's right, one of those large suction caps with a wooden handle. $2 from any hardware store.

I pulled a dent from the tank on my GS1000S with one of these things. I was so happy that I nearly kissed it -- but then thankfully remembered where it had been.

I'll chime in on that. Pulled a bigg'n out with a plunger and it looks almost perfect now.

 

[Surly]

Ding King is okay

Ding King is okay

I've used the Ding King with decent results. Makes dents less, uh, noticable but won't fix them completely. Worked on my GS and my Yamaha DT tanks.

 

[Zooks]

Did I spell everything correctly?

LMAO - yeah I believe you did. :-s

We don't all want too beekum parranoyd abowt our spelling now. :?

 

[BentRod]

ok, so i got wise

the dent wasn't big enough to use the toilet plunger, but that idea is genius.

I used, of all things, a bent rod to push and tap out some of the dent, and I'm going to bondo the rest.