Just a Sparky
Hot Rolled
- Joined
- May 2, 2020
- Location
- Minnesota
I picked up an old Brunner-Century air compressor a while back. The motor on it dates it somewhere between 1918 and the late 1930's. It's in okay shape mechanically for it's age. My only concern with it is the tank. It's roughly 100 years old. I haven't endoscoped it yet but what I could glimpse with a flashlight looks like surface rust. It's got some standing water in it; probably been in there for most of it's life given there is no drain valve.
I'm wondering what my best options are for getting this machine back into service. My first thought is to have it professionally inspected: ultrasonic tank thickness measurements and hydrostatic pressure testing. I'm not sure if it's possible to re-seal a tank with surface rust inside of it, but that would be nice if so. The second option is replacement. This is a much bigger deal because this style of tank probably hasn't been manufactured since the days of soda-acid fire extinguishers. It would have to be a custom job which obviously means big money.
It has cast iron feet and mounting brackets which are strapped in place by threaded rods. The tank has some 12 gauge sheet tacked on for reinforcement beneath the brackets. One end of the tank domes inwards, the other domes out.
Can anyone offer any other insight for this project? Where I might begin to search for inspection and testing services? Who might be willing to take on a fabrication project like this otherwise? Spitball numbers for a new tank?
Thanks.
(Big tank on the left)
I'm wondering what my best options are for getting this machine back into service. My first thought is to have it professionally inspected: ultrasonic tank thickness measurements and hydrostatic pressure testing. I'm not sure if it's possible to re-seal a tank with surface rust inside of it, but that would be nice if so. The second option is replacement. This is a much bigger deal because this style of tank probably hasn't been manufactured since the days of soda-acid fire extinguishers. It would have to be a custom job which obviously means big money.
It has cast iron feet and mounting brackets which are strapped in place by threaded rods. The tank has some 12 gauge sheet tacked on for reinforcement beneath the brackets. One end of the tank domes inwards, the other domes out.
Can anyone offer any other insight for this project? Where I might begin to search for inspection and testing services? Who might be willing to take on a fabrication project like this otherwise? Spitball numbers for a new tank?
Thanks.
(Big tank on the left)