Tank fabrication @ Eastern Fabrications. Pt2

Previously, we made a wooden buck for building our tank, now the fun begins. Select the material you want to use for the tank. Options commonly include steel, aluminum, and copper. Selection depends partially on your skill level. If you are a competent welder, aluminum or copper may be the way to go, due in part because they are softer materials and easier to form, but conversely they are harder to weld. Steel is just the opposite, hard to form, easy to weld. In this series of articles, I am using aluminum. Whichever metal you chose, you want the softest version available. For aluminum, I am using commercially pure, .090 thick sheets, the softest available, and despite the thick gauge, very easy to form. The thicker the material, the more you can sand off later to get it smooth. Copper could be just as thick, but steel much thinner, around .030. Continue Reading →