Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Why did my visible glass break?

I was working on my first visible today. An American 8 Sided. Took the top off...no problem. There was like white caulking around the bottom of the glass tube. I started soaking it in WD-40 and scraping out the caulk with a razor knife on the outside. Glass was still stuck in there so I soaked it in WD and left for about 6 hours. I just came home and the glass is cracked all the way around about 3/8 of an inch from the bottom.
What did I do wrong?

Ya Forgot to use a WEASEL !
Did you remove any of the nuts on the rods ? All @ one time ?

Pressure MUST be removed S L O W L Y & EVENLY over several DAYS is better your 1st time.
NEVER RUSH, it can be Costly [this pump was Chris'ized *Jarvis'ized* ].

I removed all the nuts. Not the thing to do?

I have heard of that happening before. I have a low base Wayne thatrusted one of the pipes off inswide the skins and sat outside on a farm tipped at an angle formany years. Chadrock and I bought it and brought it home. I repaired the pipe and straightened the skins and left it inside my shop. Last winter the cylinder cracked in the same area and no one touched it.

I've seen cylinders cracked like that due to water in them and repeated freezing. The crack may have started years ago and when you started to release the preasure it went all the way around. Richard

Haste = WASTE of a good cylinder.
WELCOME to the Broken Cylinder Club
I'm a 2X Member !
[1 12 1/2" x 26" Blue
1 12" x 27" Clear]

I did shake Jarvis' hand this week. Can I put it on him? At least the Frontier globe survived cleaning.
Guess I should have asked first.
Anyone have a cylinder for sale?
Can the bottom be cut and shortened somehow?

BEFORE cutting, take to a sheet metal shop & have an inside & outside band made approx. 1 1/4" wide & Spot welded. Spray paint desired color [both sides], then tape to glass @ correct height & fill w/ Silicone. Turn that end up when re assembling. Very few will notice the mending.
db

Now can WE be Friendly ?

I like the idea DB but why 1 1/4 when the crack is less than half inch...you've met me...I'm kinda slow...but I like the idea.
I thought we were friendly...hell...I got an orange this year!

Be careful when removing the ring of glass glued in the top casting. I have a six sided american I got with a broken cylinder. I was removing the cylinder reminents which I covered with a towl and struck with a chisel. After I pulled the towel back the glass made "an evil hiss" and exploded! I was dressed in long sleaves and wearing safety glasses but was still a
"Eye Opener!" to say the least.

Someone must have put a Bennett cylinder on an American pump! LOL!

OK Chris, at least 1" will work. 1/2" on the glass & 1/2" of Silicone.

A BENNETT cylinder is better than a BUSTED CYLINDER !

That makes sense. Probably would have happened even if you went slow, so dont feel too bad.
John

A fix for this now would involve a trip to a scientific lab for glass and have the cylinder cut at the end to make it clean if it is that close to the edge. Have found cylinders that are broken or chipped large at the end and this works fine. Usually there is room at the top for the extra space to come down and then just adjust the rods if necessary. Very cheap fix.

If you find a lab that works with scientific glass and can cut the cylinder, please post it on here. I have a broken cylinder that I would like shortened! Theres probably others too!---KEVIN

I had one cut at a glass shop It worked out you cant tell unless you would have the pump next to another one that is the same. marty

Any good glass shop can grind it down and true it up. Even if it is a 1/2-1" shorter no one will know unless it is next to one the same. I had one an old timer in a glass shop in Thief River Falls Mn scored with a glass cutter removed the excess it worked great. A scientific lab?? Take it to someone that works with glass.