Another compressor question

[roger55]

A friend of mine has a 5 year old pancake style compressor he uses for his nail gun and other construction tools.
It developed a stress crack where one of the legs is welded to the tank on the bottom and has started to leak air. He asked me if I could use my mig and weld it up for him.
Is this something that can be done safely or should I tell him it's time to buy a new compressor?

[wantedabiggergarage]

I would tell him to buy another. If you tried it on your compressor, then you could hook it up, set to on, and start it via a breaker, a safe testing distance away.

As it is for someone else, and you have no idea if he is ever going to loan it out, have others using it, etc., you face liability if you fix it, and don't get an actual, true pressure test (don't know the proper certs), and it explodeds open there (any shrapnel, like a tiny chunk of weld).

[GzrGlide]

Time to get a new one. Why chance it?

[Packard V8]

Just for the sake of discussion, on the other hand, if you are a good welder with good equipment and good technique, why would your weld be more dangerous than the original? Guaranteed, a $150 pancake was turned out in a dirty, primitive shop by an untrained Chinese welder paid by piecework. No heat treat, no material certification, no pressure test; just buzz, paint and in the box. Been there, seen that.

thnx, jack vines

[Major Ramifications]

I agree with PackardV8.

[norry]

Just for the sake of discussion, on the other hand, if you are a good welder with good equipment and good technique, why would your weld be more dangerous than the original? Guaranteed, a $150 pancake was turned out in a dirty, primitive shop by an untrained Chinese welder paid by piecework. No heat treat, no material certification, no pressure test; just buzz, paint and in the box. Been there, seen that.

thnx, jack vines

Wouldn't the material have been weakened by previous stresses, though, to the point where the weld might be inherently weak even if you used perfect technique?

In other words, wouldn't a stress fracture in this context suggest that the metal is already bad enough that the compressor can't be safely repaired?

[35mastr]

Just for the sake of discussion, on the other hand, if you are a good welder with good equipment and good technique, why would your weld be more dangerous than the original? Guaranteed, a $150 pancake was turned out in a dirty, primitive shop by an untrained Chinese welder paid by piecework. No heat treat, no material certification, no pressure test; just buzz, paint and in the box. Been there, seen that.

thnx, jack vines


Took the words right out of my mouth. If you know what yor doing. Anything is possible.

I would weld it in a minute.