so on a whim tonight i decided to take my 5lb aluminum bottle. sand it and polish it
pretty much happened because my tank ran out early. either i injected 5 lbs worth in my 29 gallon over three weeks or i have a leak. i did check for leaks and found none.. this is the second time this has happened. neither time have i found a leak. same setup has gone 3 months before plenty of times.. ehh oh well
Three weeks ago I knew nothing about Co2 and it's importance in photosynthesis. Now I could write a book on the stuff esp. when it gets to diffusers vs. reactors. That tank deserves every bit of that attention but the stuff inside is the magic.
Dogfish, it is a side job so it does help that i have all the tools available to me
start with 180 grit move up to 320 grit move up to 500 grit.. any sander is preffered over hand. if u have to do it by hand. do it with wet sand paper and use a spray bottle to keep the medium wet. reduces a lot of fatigue..
with any kind of rotary or jig sander electric or air on a round surface its best to go back and forth perpendicular to the curve, in this instance its lengthwise of the bottle. this way you can keep the radian of the bottle without having distortions.
after 500 grit u need a 2-3 stitch or 3 ply buffing wheel. 6 inches or more is preffered. width is irrellevant until you talk heat. brown rouge followed by white rouge. then super white on a 1 stitch buffing wheel.
3,000 rpms is an excellent beginner speed and decent pressure is needed as well.
aluminum. steel is a real PITA to try and polish and ends up still looking dull. but it can be done. stainless steel is a total different story depending on its grade
Lol! My brother and I where just trying to do the same thing to my 5lbs tank! We where using some 500 grit sandpaper and then 800 grit. We then used polish for aluminum wheels. It doesn't look near as shiny as your though. It is funny that you did this right when I was! haha!
U have to get the grooves out first. its allllllllllllllllllll about a smooth surface with aluminum. i cannot stress that enough
aluminum is very pitted
wheel polish stinks,, its for light scratches only and removing oxidation
I think 3 weeks is a little fast to be burning through 5 lbs of gas. My 5 lbs last at least 3 months on my 33 gallon planted tank. I would double check for a leak. I had one once where the regulator screws into the cylinder.
If u look back a few posts it goes something like180 grit sand paper then 320 then 500
Then brown rouge, white, then super white..
The super white is ultra hard to find anymore but it takes out the really fine scratches left behind using white
Believe it or not i left the bottom a little underpolished. That way ever nick and ding doesnt stand out like a sore thumb and in the cabinent u cant tell a difference.
I would never do this because my CO2 supplier always exchanges cylinders - I give him an empty and he gives me an already full one. Well, plus it sits inside a cabinet, but that does not stop me from understanding why you'd do it or keep me from thinking it looks terrific. It hurt when I learned about the exchange because the first one I gave him was brand spanking new.
This is why i don't use suppliers that do this. I like my tanks I bought that look nice the way they are. My place is a fill while you wait. Besides they have the best price around.
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