I also posted this very short video on youtube so you can hear the bell:
Well, in my collection of older steel scuba tanks - I ended up with a few that no longer pass inspection. This was either due to an illegal condemning by the local dive shop, things I did messing with a tank, or just getting too old and rusty or worn (if you can't read the numbers, it won't pass). Anyway, I've decided to make some scuba bells out of these tanks. Here is the first one. From after first cut and test to nice shiny blue. It's 24" from bottom to top of hanging ring and normal steel 72cf tank width of 6.9". The last picture is the clapper I made from a ~2" steel bearing (makes the tank ring!):
Click on the image below to view a larger (around 640x480 pixel) image.
I also posted this very short video on youtube so you can hear the bell:
To make this I used my Tank Tumbler kind of like a lathe. With the new reinforcements it runs
very smooth. So with it turning at a very slow speed, I took my air cut-off wheel and just held it against the tank cutting a
very even and smooth cut. I took about 4" off the bottom. I then got a hanger rod, nuts, and washers from lowes. For the clapper, I took a
golfball sized steel bearing and welded some loop/hangers top/bottom of it. One to hang it from the hanger rod and one to tie a rope to
on the bottom.
Here is another one in the process. This one is just the top of the tank - about 10". The bottom is being used as a tumbler for the horseshoes for
the clapper for this this bell and for various other projects. The horseshoe in this pic was in the tumbler for a few hours today. It
will need just a little cleaning in the groves, then I'll weld a wire/loop to hang inside the bell.
