Old tank repurpose: freak case

[XEMON]

Hello y'all,

After Trying to get hurt on the lathe I had to do something with the tank.

So here is the beginning of the project: freak insert case!

after a few prints, here is the proof in concept:

And the first test fit:



Looks 👍
so time to put some felt on the bottom:


Next step is to design the tip and closing mechanism.
Stay tuned!

Thanks,
X

[XEMON]

Reserved for more pictures

[euangelion]

This is a very cool idea! I've got some defunct tanks if you want some more base material.

Maybe larger/longer older ones could also be used to make a similar case for the newer style insert kits with longer control bore inserts?

[XEMON]

Tha ks, I might take you up on it ...

The 68 is about 1/4" too short for the 5" inserts, at least that many (15) ...

[Spider!]

How are you keeping the bottom upright?

I just pushed an old 3k bottle off my table last night.
I think that may end up on my bottle tree. It has lost a couple "leaves" to accidents.

[Grendel]

Definitely like this idea, I too have some derelict HPA bottle past end of life dates that could be used like this. Have you thought about making a staggered parting line to allow the top to slot back onto the bottom of the tank? It would also be fun to try and do a Russian Doll kind of nesting of Large to Smaller bottles as a novelty.

[XEMON]

I've thought about the 2 parts threading.
2 things to note:
- the 68 is already about 1/4" short so no room for threads
- my lathe is not big enough to hold the round bottom properly for threading

But, I have a CO2 tank (20oz?) This dead, so I may give it a go on that one 👍

[Super Nova]

good use of an otherwise unusable piece of gear.

[XEMON]

I hate throwing stuff away ...
If I make more than what I can use/need they'll end up on a Walmaz or something similar ...

[XEMON]

I hate throwing stuff away ...
If I make more than what I can use/need they'll end up on a Walmaz or something similar ...

[grendal50]

Maybe incorporate the threads into a glue on or press fit 3d collar that gets put onto the tank. you could also do some kind of hinge if you wanted.

[DocsMachine]

Another Patented Brilliant Idea from the (alleged) Mind Of Doc®:

Mount a 12-gram changer inside the tank.

Like, you unscrew the bottle, dump out the cartridge, drop in a fresh, screw it back in. Or there's a cap at the back of the bottle you unscrew like an RV drain plug.

Watch people get that "the video is still loading" look in their eyes when they see you use it at the field.

Better still- saw an old 7-ounce lengthwise, and fit the shell to a Micro-CA. You grab the loose half of the shell and lever it open to drop the cartridge.

Bonus points if you have clips inside to hold additional cartridges.

Brilliant, I tell you, brilliant!



Doc.

[zinger565]

Could you 3d print a spacer of sorts so you could use the 68 top? Just epoxy the spacer in place. Or would that ruin the look?

As far as closures, I like either coarse threads or something like a push-twist-lock similar to a pill bottle or automag barrel. Easy to open, but secure.

[XEMON]

That's the plan 😁

I'll put a spacer on there and I'm planning on 1/4-20 threads.

[XEMON]

Well, did it again with an old 20oz tank ...
it will be long enough to close properly 👍

And hell no, I'm not doing CF tanks anymore 😅

[lhamilton1807]

Do you have any pics of how your 20oz tank ended up? Or did you find a use for your old CF tanks? I ended up with two old 68/45 PE tanks in a bundle of PB gear. I’ll pull the regs and rebuild them, but I feel awful throwing the tanks out. There’s gotta be a good way to make something from them.

I’ve read about people making beer steins out of them, but since I’m not a drinker I’m not sure I want to go that route. Although a coffee mug with PURE ENERGY on the side doesn’t sound like a bad idea honestly 😝

[XEMON]

The CF tank is just about to be completed as a freak case, had some changes in the design ... Need to finalize it.
But I haven't had time to mess with the 20oz yet