DIY Tank bands

[PR_SMITH]

Has anyone tried making their own SS tank bands?

If so, what thickness of SS would be suitable and how did you make the necessary bends/curves? I do have a brake, but not too sure how to do the circular part that goes around the tank...........

 

[Jimmer]

I've drawn up bands for guys that wanted to attempt to make them, and I spec'd them using 16Ga stainless sheet. Much heavier than that and you're gonna have fun forming them. As for the curved part, my suggestion to the guy was to form them over an actual tank, and get the bend to match as best they could that way.

 

[Walter]

Why reinvent the wheel? I made mine from clamps like these. After 20 years, they still work great. No issues with bending steel into circles and the entire rig (minus bottles and manifold) cost me less than $5 to put together.

 

[PR_SMITH]

Why reinvent the wheel? I made mine from clamps like these. After 20 years, they still work great. No issues with bending steel into circles and the entire rig (minus bottles and manifold) cost me less than $5 to put together.

Wow. Thanks for the great bit of info. I didn't realize hose clamps came large enough to go around a scuba tank.

 

[oxyhacker]

I've made a number of sets, bending them by hand around a lally column in my basement, then around tanks (it helps to have something a bit smaller than the tank you will be using them on, since you need to overbend them a bit). Then I bend the sharp bends where the go together in the middle by clamping the in a vice, drill them, bolted them together, and take them to a welding shop for welding. It helps a whole lot to have a set of commercial bands on hand to copy and as a template.

The secret to making them cheaply is to use scrap SS! Most sheet metal shops that do a lot of SS work will have piles of long sheared strips in their scrap bins, leftover from trimming the big sheets. You can usually buy them for a fraction of what it would cost to buy new SS and have it sheared to size. Metal scrap yards will often have them too. With a little digging around you can usually find some that are just the right width so all you have to do it bend them (cutting SS is a major pain, and always to be avoided when possible), and buy enough that you have some to practice on. I stock up on them from time to time when I find a good deal one them, just to keep them on hand, since they are useful for other projects too.

 

[devilscrowndiver]

I made a set this spring, 16ga bands & 7ga plates. I have a roll, press brake, and waterjet, so the whole process was quite painless. Forming the band by hand is an ok option. Like Oxyhacker said, try to find something a little smaller than your tank diameter to allow for springback and finish shape on a tank.

 

[PR_SMITH]

I made a set this spring, 16ga bands & 7ga plates. I have a roll, press brake, and waterjet, so the whole process was quite painless. Forming the band by hand is an ok option. Like Oxyhacker said, try to find something a little smaller than your tank diameter to allow for springback and finish shape on a tank.

Tool envy alert! And I thought I was doing well to have my own brake! ( I restore classic cars, as a hobby). I do have a decent MIG welder, so I can weld the plates onto the bands. A technique I often use when making repair sections for car sheet metal, is to do a cardboard mock-up, which is easy to trim and adjust, then when it is a perfect fit, trace the outline onto metal and it fits first time, with no wasted material.