Im building a sand blast cabinet and have a free 55 gallon barrel i want to use. The barrel used to container 110 octane racing gas. Its now empty but i dont want to lose any limbs welding on this thing... What is the best way to go about it. I dont have any inert gases i can flush this with so im hoping for some good advice.

I need to cut out one end of the barrel with a grinder. Dont really need to weld anywhere. Any ideas on how i can save myself from losing fingers or arms?

 

i had to weld a lid back on our oil drain (for servicing cars.) i filled it with water to displace any fumes. wether that was right or not, thats what i did.

 

when welding sumps on gas tanks we just use soap and water and shake it around before cutting/welding. never have had a problem

 

Got a pressure washer? We teach to always perform "hotwork" while still hot and full of steam in lieu of inert purging or in concert with it.
If you have a pressure washer, blast the thing good, let the water run out. Cut immediately after and you should be fine. Please pay attention to the obvious electrical hazard and watch for puddle accumulation in your work area and that your grinder and extension cord are dry and in good condition.

 

you can use a dry/wet vac and pull a small vaccuum inside the barrel

 

Awesome ideas. All of them. Going to try to rinse it out as best i can with soapy water. I dont have access to a pressure washer. Hmmm....

 

What you're SUPPOSED to do is:

-Steam clean it on the inside.. and Weld/cut while still hot.

If it cools down, Steam it again. Weld and cut only while it's hot.

 

when cutting old gas tanks up at work (scrap wont take them in one piece) I just fill with water and go at it with a impact hammer and the muffler chisel

 

when i sumped my tank. i just loaded it up with dawn dishsoap and rinse it and did that a few times. Then drilled my holes. Got all the shavings out and started welding it up.

 

lol when i did my sump i washed everything out then thru a match in it to get the rest of the fumes out. now ik some of you will go omg that a bomb lol but with the hat off it wont build pressure plus there are very little fumes/residue left it was a little flame

 

my grandpa owns a welding shop and they weld gas tankers mainly what they do is empty the section where the leak is and then they blow it with this big vaccum for like 2 hours and then get in a weld. what it does is it dyes up the gas and then it sucks the fumes.

 

i've welded gas tanks for cars and bikes before. i just flush it out thoroughly with plain water and let it air out for a day. no issues with grinding or welding.

if you are really paranoid, just purge it with some exhaust with a pipe or hose hooked up to your car's tailpipe. that is probably cheapest and easiest.

 

Before doing anything that could start a fire, like grinding, cutting or welding, on a tanks that used to have fuel in it. Start your car and place the tank into the car's muffler for about 2 hrs. The exhaust gases from the car will make the fuel gases inside the tank that would be cut/welded/grind inert (chemically speaking). You might find yourself in a very desperate situation or not find yourself at all. Safety first!!

 

If it's been empty for a long time, i'm sure the gas has evaporated and it's fine to grind on. If you're scared that it still has gas in it, flush it with water, let it sit for a day or two and go to town.

 

It had gas in it when i got it... I cleaned it out and then just used a jigsaw. Worked really well.. Its almost done and i will post pics in a bit when i finish up.