Hi fellas, I have a swift light tank that has a corrosion hole about a cm in diameter. I’m not liking my chances but after some suggestions on how or what may be needed to repair it. The lamp is special to me I have the skills set to do the work but looking for some extra advice. The lamp has an original green vent. Not common also it appears that it may have been Airforce as the font has blue paint.
Darryl That is a major repair job. I have one very rare lamp that needs its entire base replaced (as yours might), but I’m waiting for summer when the weather is warmer so that I can replace the base while I’m doing tank metal cleaning for minor Caswell repairs on other lamps. The first thing I would do is test the integrity of the rest of the base. Be quite hard on it so that you’re sure you’ve found all of the thin patches. If you need to repair only a patch, I think you’ve got the idea, but if you have widespread bottom rot, then … Second, clean the inside of the tank thoroughly. I would use the system that’s required for POR 15 or similar. Third, I would sand the remaining base plate so that it’s properly prepared for solder. Then tin the base plate. Fourth, I would have a new base plate cut to neatly fit over the old plate and make sure it is flush with the edges. Use brass (not thin) or copper. [Is the original base flat or curved?]. Then I would soft solder the new base over the old. If the original base is curved you will either have to match the original curvature with the new base, or use a heavier gauge new base and cut out the old base to about 1cm from the sides. Pay special attention to the integrity of the soldered edges. For added security, I would then solder a ring of brass over the base plate and attached to the inner rim of the base. Last, I would seal the old/new base on the inside with POR 15 or Caswell’s. There are variations using studs or screws, but if you’re confident you’ve got the right gear, that should work. Cheers Tony
