need help input on machining anyone help?

[Rotary-Motion]

hi all

im planning on buying a carver cascade gas heater and i want to cut it in half  wtf i hear you cry but dont panick i think its doable well not for me but someone who knows there way round a lathe that is... this is the plan.

the tank sticks out too far, my plan is to half the size, but need to cut the tank and tie rod, this it sounds easy, but need the tie rod machined back to a thread to lock tank water tight again and a rebate for the o=ring on tie rod by the looks of it too, i want it to stick out the size of a back wheel arch in my van only, also by dropping the size from 9 ltrs to 4.5ltrs i will have quicker heat up times to 70c, and it will be used as a heat source to take the chill off the van while sleeping (cowl gets hot) gives off lovely free heat, a 2 in 1 unit... 

heres the picks





this pic has the 240volt heater in the back also

[julianf]

The brass bar is the easy bit.  That's no bother for somone with a lathe, and the correct die for the thread.

Cutting / resealing the tank will cause for more bother, but i cant see from your photos what is required there?

[Rotary-Motion]

the tank is just a push fit into housing (by looks of it), big o-ring in the tie rod pic holds water tight between housing and tank circle

[julianf]

is the tank stainless, and is it profiled at both ends?  ie in your three snaps, are we seeing two shots of the same end, or both the ends?

if its stainless, and the ends are both formed, i guess the only way to do it would be to chop a band out of the middle, and get someone to TIG the two halves back together again.

if you found someone with a large enough lathe to cut the tank on it as well, it would make for a much easier cut to rejoin, with less chance of distorting the cylinder when cutting.

[Rotary-Motion]

they are both different tanks one is gas only and other is a 240 emertion heater aswell

i stole pics off ebay for illustration purposes only

the big o ring end has a slightly flared end so as to push over the o ring i guess easily, i was just going to jigsaw it round (metal blade) and file / sand burs off, and sand the corner edge off to slide onto o ring, maybe grease it to help slide it on and not harm the o ring

think tank is allyminimum

[Rotary-Motion]

o-ring end

[greasemonkey]

Hendersons of Hay on Wye. Recommended.

http://www.tshenderson.com/contact.htm

[Rotary-Motion]

Hendersons of Hay on Wye. Recommended.

http://www.tshenderson.com/contact.htm

koolio will have a look

if the rod was iron i would cut and weld it

bur could cut it and thread both ends on the cut and put a nut on it lock 2 halves togehter, tank i would jigsaw

[julianf]

the rod really isnt an issue - youre looking at less than 30 mins.  probably less than 10 once you had all the tools to hand.

if i had my lathe down here id offer, but its still miles away.  you know dick, right?  not wanting to give away his time, but im sure he would help you out?

[Dickjotec]

I have a lathe dies etc. what are the sizes of the rod?
Dick

[Julian]

From the way you're describing this it could all probably be done with tools you have at hand.

For the rod, find a brass or copper tube which is a close sliding fit on the rod.  Cut a section out of the center of the rod, clean well and preferably silver solder together, but you might get away with soft solder, just ensure the tube is a good length and the solder flows the whole length.

For the body, you describe the seal as being on the external diameter, so you only need cut the end square.  To do this use a piece of paper as a guide.  Find a piece with an edge longer than the circumference of the body and wrap it round ensuring that the ends meet up exactly and the paper is tight against the body then cut and file to the line.

[Rotary-Motion]

From the way you're describing this it could all probably be done with tools you have at hand.

For the rod, find a brass or copper tube which is a close sliding fit on the rod.  Cut a section out of the center of the rod, clean well and preferably silver solder together, but you might get away with soft solder, just ensure the tube is a good length and the solder flows the whole length.

For the body, you describe the seal as being on the external diameter, so you only need cut the end square.  To do this use a piece of paper as a guide.  Find a piece with an edge longer than the circumference of the body and wrap it round ensuring that the ends meet up exactly and the paper is tight against the body then cut and file to the line.

seal is on the inside the tank tube and exterior of the wall/burner houseing

just see o ring mark where its been for ages on inside lip of tank in this picture

[Rotary-Motion]

I have a lathe dies etc. what are the sizes of the rod?
Dick

cheers dick, not sure on size still trying to win a bargan on ebay 

[Julian]

From the way you're describing this it could all probably be done with tools you have at hand.

For the rod, find a brass or copper tube which is a close sliding fit on the rod.  Cut a section out of the center of the rod, clean well and preferably silver solder together, but you might get away with soft solder, just ensure the tube is a good length and the solder flows the whole length.

For the body, you describe the seal as being on the external diameter, so you only need cut the end square.  To do this use a piece of paper as a guide.  Find a piece with an edge longer than the circumference of the body and wrap it round ensuring that the ends meet up exactly and the paper is tight against the body then cut and file to the line.

seal is on the inside the tank tube and exterior of the wall/burner houseing

just see o ring mark where its been for ages on inside lip of tank in this picture

Same process can apply, just make sure there are no sharp edges to snag the O ring.

[Head Womble]

As the cylinder is ally you should be able to roll a new flared edge on it once it's cut.

I'm with Julian on shortening the rob, nice and easy way to do it.