Fixing up an old Campbell-Hausfeld

[cypherzion751]

Picked up an old compressor and I'm in the process of fixing it up. I thought that I'd keep track of the progress on here.

After I got home:

After half an hour with a scotch-brite pad and paint scraper:

 

[reddog289]

Keep at it and keep us posted.

 

[cypherzion751]

I was looking at engine enamel to repaint but I am not sure what to go with. I want to try to get a similar color as what it came with. I might go with Racing Green (Hunter) engine enamel by Dupli-color but it seems to dark. Detroit Diesel Alpine Green and Grabber Green are both lighter in color, but I think that they might be too light... I might try Rustoleum Hammered Paint in Deep Green but I don't want heat to be an issue. Oh well, I'll have to keep my eye out

 

[pain]

I was looking at engine enamel to repaint but I am not sure what to go with. I want to try to get a similar color as what it came with. I might go with Racing Green (Hunter) engine enamel by Dupli-color but it seems to dark. Detroit Diesel Alpine Green and Grabber Green are both lighter in color, but I think that they might be too light... Oh well, I'll have to keep my eye out

Are you going to paint everything in place or are you going to tear it all down then paint?

 

[michael murder]

That's a pretty sweet little compressor. I would be careful with it though. I think it was on this board or another one where I was reading some guy bought an old little compressor and the tank blew apart on him, it also tried to take a couple of his fingers along with it. Maybe once it's all tore down you can peak through where the fittings go and make sure it's not a rusted out mess inside.

 

[cypherzion751]

I'm going to tear it all down since I was thinking about replacing all the seals, bending out new copper pipe and adding a new pressure regulator & water trap anyways. I don't know if I am going to tear apart the electric motor though, since it works well. I might just remove the motor and either mask it off when painting it or brush on the paint. I'll also check inside the tank, but the outside is only really surface rust and he said that he drained out the water frequently. The seal between the pulley and crank case is blown, but the oil coming out of it looks fairly new. the only reason I know it's bad is cause I was looking at the pulley when it was running and it was flinging oil in my face.

 

[cypherzion751]

That's weird that there was such a dramatic catastrophic failure since what normally results from a burst is only a small pinhole and a loud bang. It must have been a really bad tank for that to happen. The outside is only covered in minimal surface rust so as long as the inside is decent than that shouldn't be an issue. Thanks for the warning though

 

[jtbinvalrico]

I've got some parts for that.....I think. I had a CH compressor that looked an awful lot like that one, but I scrapped the tank when it rusted through.

Anyway, I've got the pump and flywheel, and some other bits of it lying around if you need them.....they'd be yours for free if you had them shipped to you from sunny Florida.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Nice one!!!!

 

[cypherzion751]

that would be great you can never have enough parts! PM sent.

 

[cypherzion751]

I made some progress on the compressor today, but also hit a setback. I was also able to find the serial # (12166-988568) as well as a correspondence number (FL-3301-02) whatever that is for. But time for some pics.

I started with a rough cleanup of one of the ends. I went with 60 grit to 120 grit and finnished off with a scotch-brite pad. It took me about 20 minutes:

I then took a putty knife and scraped off the sticker on one of the sides which took about 20 minutes, a lot of patience and some choice words:

The last thing I did was use a putty knife to scrape off the paint that was underneath and then used 120 grit sandpaper followed by a scotch-brite pad. This is where I ran into two pits in the tank. I checked over the rest of the tank and it is only minimal surface rust so I don't know what I am going to do from here. I am taking a lunch break to decide what I am going to do...

Side cleaned up:

Pitting found:

 

[Tarheelgarage]

Don't scrape the paint off the tank, that might be the only thing holding the tank together.

 

[cypherzion751]

lol... so I decided to keep going since it doesn't leak and I made more progress today. Here are the pics before I put everything away for the day:

 

[PT Doc]

Good luck. How thick would you expect the tank wall to be? How deep are the pits? Maybe call the manufacturer and see what they say about using it based on the dimensions and wall thickness. Be safe.

 

[cypherzion751]

That's a good idea PT Doc, I'll give them a call to see if they might know. It is really shallow (it is probably about 1/64" deep at it's deepest point) so I am not too worried about it but it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm also probably going to keep it in an enclosure to keep the noise to a minimum so that will also add a degree of safety.

 

[EOC_Jason]

They seem pretty shallow... I would just fill them (weld) then grind them flush. That's just me though...

 

[pain]

I would do the same. Weld the holes and grind them flush.

 

[Murphy4570]

They seem pretty shallow... I would just fill them (weld) then grind them flush. That's just me though...

You gotta be very careful when welding on a sealed vessel like that, especially one that will hold a fair amount of pressure.

If you get it welded, I'd get the opinion of a local certified welder before trying your hand at it. Don't want a ticking time bomb on your hands.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Oh yeah, if you do weld it, make sure you get allll that rust out of those pits...

 

[WHT]

I would replace the tank if they are still available. That way, you can use the rebuilt compressor without worrying about the integrity of an old tank. There is always the potential for an explosive discharge when an air tank (highly compressible fluid) lets go under pressure.

 

[DekeT]

Could you use JB weld or body filler to smooth the small dents?

 

[madbasser]

If its pitted on the outside it's surely pitted on the inside. Carefull, it's always the stuff u CAN'T see that will get ya'!

 

[cypherzion751]

I am not sure about the tank, but I am waiting to tear it apart until I get the new seals and gaskets for the cylinder. Once I do, I will check the inside of the tank before I do anything like talk to a pro welder. If I do fix it I will definitely weld it after cleaning out the rest of the rust if it won't screw up the integrity of the tank. I've searched for parts for this thing but it is too old for the online database of parts so I am going to give the company a call when I have free time. Unfortunately I don't have as much time as I would like to sort this out. I might look into getting the tank replaced but that is the last option for me due to the $$$$$$

 

[beerdog]

Maybe someone else mentioned it. But you could always have the large pits touched up by a good welder.

 

[Outlawmws]

Good luck. How thick would you expect the tank wall to be? How deep are the pits? Maybe call the manufacturer and see what they say about using it based on the dimensions and wall thickness. Be safe.

Good suggestion (assuming the MFG is still actually a MFG...)

They seem pretty shallow... I would just fill them (weld) then grind them flush. That's just me though...

I would do the same. Weld the holes and grind them flush.

You gotta be very careful when welding on a sealed vessel like that, especially one that will hold a fair amount of pressure.

If you get it welded, I'd get the opinion of a local certified welder before trying your hand at it. Don't want a ticking time bomb on your hands.

I think the suggestion for welding on this yourself are not good suggestions, unless you are a certified pressure vessel tank welder. Just being a certified welder is NOT good enough; you have to also be certified for welding on pressure vessels, (which as small as this little guy is, it's STILL a pressure vessel...) Unless you possess that certification, don't touch an arc to it!

I would replace the tank if they are still available. That way, you can use the rebuilt compressor without worrying about the integrity of an old tank. There is always the potential for an explosive discharge when an air tank (highly compressible fluid) lets go under pressure.

And this is why. There was a guy that posted on GJ just a few months ago whee his small tank let loose right next to him he was "lucky", all he got was a shredded leg and a stay at the hospital, he could have been killed or his small chldren could have been the victim(s).

Those small tanks are comparatively thin generally, and most patch welds like that are difficult to patch without doing more damage than good.

If ANY repairs are made then back that up with a hydro test.

I'd vote for replacement, as the cost of repair and testing is likely to equal or exceed a replacement tank.

If its pitted on the outside it's surely pitted on the inside. Carefull, it's always the stuff u CAN'T see that will get ya'!

Maybe someone else mentioned it. But you could always have the large pits touched up by a good welder.

 

[Outlawmws]

ps: That explosion was not posted here, ii was linked to:

http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?p=455570#post455570

in this thread:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=86685&highlight=compressor+Emergency+room+leg

 

[Rust]

^^^^^
welding air tanks ..yeah go for it.

We'll chalk it up to population control.

lol... see you on the news.

 

[Outlawmws]

Yep, potential Darwin award material...

 

[cypherzion751]

I don't know what I am going to do yet, but I wasn't going to weld the tank on my own lol... I might try to find out what tank they suggest to replace it with since they don't manufacture replacement tanks for this model anymore.

 

[Bob C]

You have gotten some excellent advice here. You can buy brand new 20 gallon tanks like that with handle and wheels from Campbell Hausfeld. Cost wise it may not be appealing. I still have that very pump sitting on the shelf at the store. 1 left. I'm certain I still have a couple valve kits too.

 

[cypherzion751]

I dislocated my arm yesterday so this project will be put on hold until I am healed up. On the plus side I received an MCA Concours Gold award for my 1970 Mustang today in it's first show

 

[gibbon_guy]

Why don't you have someone measure the wall thickness for you to see if there is internal corrosion? I had this done as part of some state thing and the wall thickness was very close to original specifications.

 

[pipehack]

They seem pretty shallow... I would just fill them (weld) then grind them flush. That's just me though...

DO NOT!,, weld on a tank. That is one of the most dangerous things you can do. I'm sure there is a keyboard commando that will chime in and tell you they've done it a million times. You are better off buying another compressor. Don't do it!!!!!!!!! You have been warned. Google it. A welding forum should show up through the search. Look through there. If you do weld on it you might as well buy an oxygen tank and wipe it down daily with wd40. sorry if i come off as rude because it's that stupid.

 

[Bob C]

DO NOT!,, weld on a tank. That is one of the most dangerous things you can do. I'm sure there is a keyboard commando that will chime in and tell you they've done it a million times. You are better off buying another compressor. Don't do it!!!!!!!!! You have been warned. Google it. A welding forum should show up through the search. Look through there. If you do weld on it you might as well buy an oxygen tank and wipe it down daily with wd40. sorry if i come off as rude because it's that stupid.

Just to clarify what I said earlier. Yes there is some good advice in this thread BUT welding the tank is NOT good advice. Listen to pipehack. Buy a new tank.

 

[chickenfarmer]

this thread is two years old but I thought everybody might want to see my compressor which is the same model as the op's. The pic is pretty self explanatory.

Hey

 

[Outlawmws]

Is that a brazed repair I'm seeing on the tank?

 

[C96]

Is that a brazed repair I'm seeing on the tank?

Yea, we need more details on this rupture.

 

[jakemac]

Oooops !
How high did it jump when it blew ?

 

[stratman977]

That would have been alot worse if it didn't have feet from one side to the other. Those feet kept the tank somewhat intact during failure.

This is a good reason as why to never weld a tank bottom rust hole. The pinhole leak is a good indication of wall thinning.

 

[Outlawmws]

More importantly, was anyone hurt?