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Liquid Jackass needs a metal worker

webmostwebmost Posts: 7,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Non Cigar Related
Anyone here good at working metal?

I scored a whiskey flask in a gifte shoppe tourist trap just outside Jellystone... only because the embossed slogan "Liquid Jackass" on the side of it appealed to me. Love the thing. has always worked well.

Until now. Had it in the garage half full of rum. Temps out there were in the twenties. Brought it in the other night to sip with a cigar in front of the fire. Ice cold flask with a fire radiating on one side of it = the one side swelled, other side icy, the thing deformed, just enough to produce this leak in the bottom:

image

Any metal workers here? What's the best way to repair this?

“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)

Comments

  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Is it soldered seams? Can't really tell from the pic. If it's a soldered seam, you have to be real careful cause you might crack the seam. If you can post pics of the whole thing, may have a better idea. Stainless is a little tougher to form without distorion.
    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
  • webmostwebmost Posts: 7,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The seam is soldered

    I could care less about forming the thing. I just want it sealed.

    “It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Its probably soldered with silver solder. The problem with trying to solder it is stainless is a great temp conductor. It gets hot or cold real fast and trying to solder it may make you chase the solder. Its possible to solder he one spot if you are careful, but may end up soldering the entire seam. And if you get to that point, might as well melt all the solder, repair the damage and resolder the seam.
    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
  • RBeckomRBeckom Posts: 2,191 ✭✭✭
    Stainless Steele should have brazed seams especially if it is intended for someone to be drinking from. Be careful if you solder it, use only silver solder as normal lead soldering is toxic and builds up in your body over time just as mercury does. A quicker and nearly invisible fix would be to make a small wipe of JB Weld over the crack and then wipe off the excess. As it was stated, re-forming the flask would prove to be a monumental task that would involve separating the two halves entirely.
  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    RBeckom:
    Stainless Steele should have brazed seams especially if it is intended for someone to be drinking from. Be careful if you solder it, use only silver solder as normal lead soldering is toxic and builds up in your body over time just as mercury does. A quicker and nearly invisible fix would be to make a small wipe of JB Weld over the crack and then wipe off the excess. As it was stated, re-forming the flask would prove to be a monumental task that would involve separating the two halves entirely.
    It was hard to tell from the pic if it had been brazed or silver soldered. So I assumed silver solder, cause its hard to tell if its been brazed. Usually you can see the brazing, unless they folded over the ****. Which is why more pics of it would help.
    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
  • RBeckomRBeckom Posts: 2,191 ✭✭✭
    0patience:
    RBeckom:
    Stainless Steele should have brazed seams especially if it is intended for someone to be drinking from. Be careful if you solder it, use only silver solder as normal lead soldering is toxic and builds up in your body over time just as mercury does. A quicker and nearly invisible fix would be to make a small wipe of JB Weld over the crack and then wipe off the excess. As it was stated, re-forming the flask would prove to be a monumental task that would involve separating the two halves entirely.
    It was hard to tell from the pic if it had been brazed or silver soldered. So I assumed silver solder, cause its hard to tell if its been brazed. Usually you can see the brazing, unless they folded over the ****. Which is why more pics of it would help.



    Agreed. close-up pictures and from different angles would be a tremendous help.
  • Amos_UmwhatAmos_Umwhat Posts: 8,806 ✭✭✭✭✭
    0patience:
    Its probably soldered with silver solder. The problem with trying to solder it is stainless is a great temp conductor. It gets hot or cold real fast and trying to solder it may make you chase the solder. Its possible to solder he one spot if you are careful, but may end up soldering the entire seam. And if you get to that point, might as well melt all the solder, repair the damage and resolder the seam.
    silver solder is exactly what came to my mind before getting this far, Opatience beat me to it.
    WARNING:  The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme.  Proceed at your own risk.  

    "If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed.  If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." --  Mark Twain
  • macs-smokesmacs-smokes Posts: 587 ✭
    Weld it... call your local sheet metals union hall... they will know a welder or 300... a little tig work like that... probably free for a BS session.

    I work with metals all dang day... a cold tig man is worth his or her weight in gold and side projects.
  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    macs-smokes:
    Weld it... call your local sheet metals union hall... they will know a welder or 300... a little tig work like that... probably free for a BS session.

    I work with metals all dang day... a cold tig man is worth his or her weight in gold and side projects.
    If it's 304 or 430 stainless, it's probably less than 28 gauge (it looks pretty thin) and it's gonna be really tough to weld without blowing through. 20-24 gauge will be a little easier, but can still have blow outs.
    It can be done, but the finish won't be what brazing or silver soldering will with out a lot of finish work.
    The lowest setting on our water cooled tig machines for stainless are 1/16", which is just about 26 gauge, give or take. There are other machines that can probably handle thinner, but we have 2 different ones and neither would be great to do that work on that thin and the welder will probably be cussing you by the time he's done. LOL!
    I'm not saying it can't be done. Anything can be done if a welder is willing to take his time and work carefully.
    It is an option.

    Just my opinion.
    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
  • macs-smokesmacs-smokes Posts: 587 ✭
    Very true... I didn't think about thickness of material. Welder or tinsmith may still be the place to look... may be able to remelt the existing solder and reform the seal.

    I can't do it and make it look good. But I do appreciate the folks with the skills to do so. I work in a shop with three welders. Two of which weld cold. The otjer one has been known to blow holes in 1/2 inch steel tubing. (I wouldn't go to him for this).
  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Tin work or thin/sheet metal work is definitely an art.
    I'm certified in structural, bridge and straight (stick, tig and mig ) welding. My truck carries a 300 amp welder generator and mig suitcase addon that plugs into the ac/dc welder.
    I tend to like to stay away from the light welding. LOL
    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
  • webmostwebmost Posts: 7,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have little confidence in the JB Weld approach. For some reason, I've never had much luck with the stuff, despite everyone else's good results.

    I fear that if I attempted to solder it I'd just melt out the adjacent solder.

    I need an artisan. I need the guy who goes to craft shows. Where do you find one?
    “It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
  • macs-smokesmacs-smokes Posts: 587 ✭
    Could try sheet metal workers union hall... we have a museum that does blacksmith work on commission. Maybe an art gallery to find an artist who is local and works metals.

    I know that there has to be someone who does that kind of stuff as a hobby. Maybe a hobby shop could help too. They are selling the supplies and may be able to point you in the right direction.
  • RBeckomRBeckom Posts: 2,191 ✭✭✭
    webmost:
    I have little confidence in the JB Weld approach. For some reason, I've never had much luck with the stuff, despite everyone else's good results.

    I fear that if I attempted to solder it I'd just melt out the adjacent solder.

    I need an artisan. I need the guy who goes to craft shows. Where do you find one?


    When mixed properly and applied with care JB Weld would work without all the "if it works" you read about in the welding, soldering and brazing categories without the toxicity of the flux used in even silver soldering. I too have worked with metals and welding for most of my life and can say with certainty that the metal is far to thin to weld without specialized equipment. Even .025 Stainless wire would most assuredly blow through. Soldering with a pen torch might work but would still be a bit tricky. Remember that if you do try soldering, rinse thoroughly with a solution of baking soda and water to remove the acid before use.
    But I digress to others with more experience than I.


    image


  • dr_frankenstein56dr_frankenstein56 Posts: 1,612 ✭✭✭
    Its just soldered. and its just regular ol plumbing solder. I had one fail along the same joint a few years ago. I filled mine with sand to keep the heat from traveling too far and opening up more seams, then just fluxed the split and re-soldered with a pencil torch. I can tig weld it if you want... but i dont think its worth the shipping.

    Aj
  • RainRain Posts: 8,958 ✭✭✭
    Send it to me.No promises on it getting fixed, though.
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