Build Your Own Parts-washing Tank

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The latch consists of a loop of 1/8" rod, connected to the E.M.T. tower, which fits through a 7/8" hole in the lid. We're using a small birthday candle, slipped through the hook, to hold the cover up. In the event of a blaze in the basin, the wax will melt and the lid will slam closed.

Now you may not expect to have any fires in your parts-washing tank, but we still encourage you to make the small additional effort to install a failsafe fire flap. After all, regardless of what solvent you use in your tank, you're likely to be working with a liquid having a very low flash point.

GO WITH THE FLOW

To produce that cleansing stream of solvent in your unit's sink, you'll need a pump. And, unless you're lucky enough to come across a good secondhand one, you're probably going to be forced-just as we were-to buy a new solvent mover. The circulator we're using was ordered through a hardware store from Grainger's and is specifically designed to handle the flammable liquid. (See the parts list for the order number and price.)

The model we chose is submersible, so we just hung it, in the drum, on a 1/8" X I" X 18" steel strap that's hooked over the barrel's lip. From the pump, the liquid is driven up through a length of 3/8" rubber tubing that slips inside an adjustable nozzle.

To complete the hose assembly, our researchers first bored a 3/4" hole in the sink's bottom and screwed a 1/2" E.M.T. connector into the opening. A 30" length of liquidtight flexible conduit was then attached to the coupling with the setscrew. A piece of 1/8" welding rod helps stiffen the flexible conduit, and a 1/2" flare nut, forced over the outlet, makes an effective nozzle. Finally, the 3/8" rubber hose from the pump can be slipped inside the flexible conduit (the welding rod goes between the conduit and the tube) and up to the nozzle.

Fluid returns to the reservoir, through the sink drain, by way of 8" of standard chromed drainpipe ... which has an 18"-long section Of Motorcycle inner tube clamped to its end. This length of return line drops the dirty solvent to the bottom of the tank, where solids can settle out ... making certain that the pump, which is positioned higher up, will draw comparatively clean fluid.

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