Help with potential grill

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In the good things are where you find them department, I happened onto this very old 30 gallon galvanized water tank. I know it's been in the same location for the last 25 years. A pump house. It's still in pretty good shape and fairly thick metal. Pressure tested to either 75 or 175psi I think it says. The stand it's on is from another grill we built a few years ago. Fits perfect.Anyway, I want to make a charcoal grill out of it. You can see in the pics that, unlike a propane tank, it's rounded on one end and concave on the other. I'd like to cut out the concave part and weld it back on to match the other end. This is going to be a class project, after all. We'll either grind the galvanize off or use protective gear when welding.Problem is, I'm not sure about the best way to cut the end out without ruining it. It looks like it was slid into place and welded on the outside. But I don't know how far in it goes. I ground some of the weld off but never did see a seam. Anybody ever fooled with one of these or have any suggestions on how I should proceed? Or should I even worry about it. Thanks for any help. Attached Images
Reply:I wouldn't worry too much about it- you are not making another pressure vessel Not like ya can't weld up any over cutting that may happen.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Thanks Broccoli. My original plan was to just cut through the welding seam and I guess I'll do that. It will cut some of the dome off though. That probably shouldn't matter. I'm not exactly building a piano.
Reply:I wouldn't worry too much about it- you are not making another pressure vessel Not like ya can't weld up any over cutting that may happen.Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:just cut through the welded seam carefully with a cut-off wheel on an angle grinder.  As long as you don't bury it in there, you shouldn't over cut into anything.  You could also just cut a bit further back and then flip it around, weld it on and then grind off any excess edge from cutting further back on the cylinder.  Of course, more important than where you cut is that you do it safely, follow all precautions to make sure the tank doesn't have any residual combustible in it before cutting.  Finding out while you are cutting isn't worth it.--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:I would guess where the seam is, and draw a perfect circle around it.  then I would take my Skill saw with a metal cutting wheel, and travel around the mark.I'd take the end piece and put it in a vise where I'd grind the rough edge away.It doesn't look like you can ruin this.    If it looks bad, just put a flat end on it, cut a slot and add a firebox and call it a smoker.  (I personally would do this anyway, cause I like mult-purpose junk...esp smokers).   OR......  you could leave it like it is, and paint it to look like a .45 bullet....which I would still put a flat end on it.  Of course....good luck finding high heat gold paint.http://www.youtube.com/user/c599209/videos
Reply:Originally Posted by captain belly OR......  you could leave it like it is, and paint it to look like a .45 bullet....which I would still put a flat end on it.  Of course....good luck finding high heat gold paint.
Reply:I like the bullet idea too!    But you may want to grind the zinc coating off, inside especially, before using it for any cooking.  At elevated temperatures that zinc is going to get into the food and make people sick. Mild zinc poisoning will feel like a case of the flu. Only slightly heavier doses could land someone in ER.  There is a reason you don't see galvanized cookware in stores.  -MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:I had not thought about this thing being galvanized inside. That could be a problem.
Reply:DO NOT use galvanized for cooking! Cut the thing up and make a hog trough or a horse waterer or trade it to someone for a propane tank.they can be used for cooking without the danger of hot zinc on the steaks.There is a reason that there are no galvanized pots and pans in the kitchen.tractor,loader.dozer,backhoe,and all the tools to keep em movin
Reply:gotta get rid of all that galv.  i can't wait to see how this one turns out. good luck
Reply:Yeah. I guess I'll bag this one. When I got it I wasn't even thinking about it being galvanized on the inside since it was a water tank. Oh well, cutting the concave end off and reversing it was sort of fun. But very little. I'll keep looking for an air compressor tank.
Reply:Not all lost.  It looks to me the stand you made will work great if you find a 100-LB propane tank and continue with you plans.Keep the pictures going when you get back on it.
Reply:I bet a gallon of swimming pool acid would take all the zinc off the inside quite easily..MillerMatic 252, HTP 221 w/cooler, Hypertherm PM45, Lincoln IdealArc 250 AC/DC"I'd like to believe as many true things and as few false things as possible"
Reply:Sometimes my stupidity surprises even me. Here I've been worrying about getting zinc off a go to he11 barrel when all I had to do was make a grate for this baby. $10.00 and an hour later and I'm ready to grill. Geez. Attached Images
Reply:Muratic acid will eat the zinc off in a flash.Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
Reply:Originally Posted by hvwSometimes my stupidity surprises even me. Here I've been worrying about getting zinc off a go to he11 barrel when all I had to do was make a grate for this baby. $10.00 and an hour later and I'm ready to grill. Geez.
Reply:My son and I built the smoker a couple of months ago, It never occurred to me to use it as a grill also until Capt Belly suggested double duty. Cooked on it last night. Perfect. I'll probably still work on the small one though. Thanks for all the suggestions.
Reply:I recognize this type tank, and I believe the comment about it being galvanized both inside and out may be incorrect. Most every water tank of this size traditionally has a porcelain enamel finish (very thin) on the inside (which is basically glass coating) to prevent rust and corrosion. I do not believe galvanized coatings are rated for this type of exposure. One additional clue that it may be enamel is the way the bottom is welded. It is done that way to not damage the glass coating on the inside, which is put on the top half of the tank seperately from the bottom, then welded after the enamel. The weld is actually on the bottom of the dished area where no water would be in contact between the bottom and the sides. I would cut the bottom off of it, inspect it to see if it is porcelin, then flip it inside out and re-weld it on to make both ends look the same.If a man owes you $1000, that's his problem; If a man owes you a $1 million, that's your problem