Lucy Lastic

Rhinochugger

Rhinochugger

Retired Oik
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Looking at some of my piccies, I notice with some embarassment that I am suffering from loose elastic - on my water tower :o

The straps on the Piko water tower are made of some sort of stringy elastic and, whereas, I used to be able to be able to hitch 'em up from time to time, the elastic has totally lost its wotsit :nail:

Anybody else had to deal with this unmentionable problem ? :cool:
 
Hi don't know if this will help - I built a tower out of wood and used 1mm dia. wire for the retaining bands. The method of tensioning is pretty basic but I cut enough wire to round the circumference and then allowed another 40mm to play with.

I used some small dia brass tube cut to about 8mm in length. The wire should curve to the diameter of the tower first. Then bend one end back on itself and then slide the tube on.

Fit the wire round the tank and slide the unbent end through the tube. Hold wire and tube in required place (thumb pressure) and pull wire tight with taper pliers and the bend over.

Before flattening right back to tube, cut wire to right length and then press into place. I used 1mm MIG welding wire which behaves like high-tensile wire but, I am sure that .75 or 1.0mm
twin and earth wire stripped of insulation would be easier!

Mick
 
Small point when you do the replacements. The turnbuckles should be staggered around the tower "barrel". This insures that the weakness is spread all around the tower and not confined to one verticle point. The bands should also be closer together at the bottom where the water pressure is greatest and then distance between them increases as you go up the tower, like this. <img border="0" src="http://www.venturea.com/RGwater.jpg" />
 
<p><font size="3">Hi, </font></p><p><font size="3">The bands were at in early days made from strapping - so they can be flat strip, glued to the tower. The fixing clips are easy though contain quite a few parts - here is a close-up of the clips and tank bands before painting, of my tank.</font><font size="3"> This is a scratch built 50,000 gallon one, and its BIG!</font></p><p><font size="3">The tank has for a core a 10 litre paint bucket, that has been wrapped in 5mm thick planks; then the bands are applied and the clips on top of the band joins. Maonry paint covers the lot, it has been outside for 3 years now and nothing has come off it.</font></p><p><font size="3">Yours Peter</font></p><p> </p><font size="3" />
 
Another option would be to use metal fishing wire. There are kind of tubes used to join this (called crimps). These are pinched with a set of flat nosed pliers and would be a pretty good likeness of a Turnbuckle in our scale. However fitting this is a 3 handed job when you need to pull it tight as you will.

I know this as I use these for my Log Loads which need to be tied together so that they can be loaded and unloaded. Hope this helps,
JonD
 
<p>Would plastic cable ties be too crude? :thinking:</p><p>Also, they have the benefit of being self locking.</p><p>I have seen them used quite effectively to secure wagon loads.</p>
 
KeithT - 4/12/2009 8:35 PM <p>Would plastic cable ties be too crude? :thinking:</p><p>Also, they have the benefit of being self locking.</p><p>I have seen them used quite effectively to secure wagon loads.</p><p>
Click to expand...
</p><p><font color="#990099"><font size="3"><font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif">I don't see why not Keith, providing the thinner ones are used, they are fitted in the manner Peter mentions and they blend in when painted the same colour as the tank cladding. </font></font></font>
</p>
 
There's some great ideas in there - when I get a round tuit :D :D

Wod's suggestion worries me a tad, how am I going to get the tank to lean like that :rolf:
 
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