Tank Stands DYI help please

[Edna]

Good Morning Y'all!

I was just wondering how you store your tanks. Now that I've been vaping awhile, I have more tanks than mods and finding a place to put them where they don't get knocked over is getting to be a pain. (especially with my daughters cat around)

I've seen the ones on Amazon but they're either overpriced or cheap plastic...

Anyone have any DYI ideas?  I was thinking of making one since I have a Forstner bit set and a good screw gun, but would love some ideas that are aesthetically pleasing and functional.

Thanks

 

[Adversarious1]

I have about a dozen of these.  I picked them up for $1 each from a B&M when they were going out of business.  I'm trying to get my brother to machine me some more.  All of them are aluminum.  Most are threaded, but a couple aren't.  I see these frequently for about $3 each and I have yet to knock over a tank.  In any event, it beats trying to balance them on their 510 pins and hope they remain upright.

I also have some ideas of a modular type setup similar to the one below, but made of wood.  I want to be able to break it down or re-configure it to my liking as well as expand it as my collection of mods, tanks and RDA's continues to grow.

 

Edited October 12, 2016 by Adversarious1
afterthought

[smacksy]

I have the same problem..
But may have a simple solution..might drill some holes in a one foot long 2x6 big enough for the 510 on the tanks to sit flush.. can have several rows of holes for many tanks..after drilling sand the 2x6 and chamfer the ends and the tops of the holes, next stain it and spray a good polyurethane clear coat on it..
Would set great on my building table and easy access to my tanks and look good too, just an idea so far, lol

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[Edna]

32 minutes ago, smacksy said:

I have the same problem..
But may have a simple solution..might drill some holes in a one foot long 2x6 big enough for the 510 on the tanks to sit flush.. can have several rows of holes for many tanks..after drilling sand the 2x6 and chamfer the ends and the tops of the holes, next stain it and spray a good polyurethane clear coat on it..
Would set great on my building table and easy access to my tanks and look good too, just an idea so far, lol

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 

 

@smacksy That was my thinking. I've got a display/storage shelf idea, (think knick-knack shelf) but I wanted to try to figure out the way , I could include the tanks into it too.

I'm thinking two tier, maybe 2.5" wide by 8" long. My 7/8" Forstner bit is wide enough for the 22mm tanks with the 1/4" for the 510 pin. It would give it a clean hole look. Then maybe a 1" bit for the 25mm tanks. That should give me storage for 14+ tanks.

@Adversarious1 I like the idea of a module system too, maybe multiple adjustable shelves....

Thanks guys...

 

[Tam]

I use acrylic make up organizers. The lip stick holder part holds tanks and pen-style batteries very well and I never have to worry that the acrylic will short anything out. There are so many different styles for different applications... and the ones with drawers are prefect to hold all kinds of drip tips.   

[Earthling789]

I've built several out of scrap wood lying around...

My current tank holder is a 5"x5"x1" piece of pine with holes slightly larger than the 510 connection and spaced roughly 1" apart (which makes a grid of 16 holes) for holding tanks on my desk.

Here's a few pics of ones I've bothered to take pics of

(made from spare closet doorknobs)

One I made for a former member here

[Adversarious1]

33 minutes ago, Earthling789 said:

@Earthling789, what are you using for drip tip covers?  Are they actually drip tip covers?  If so, where did you get those?  I've never seen them before.

[FXRich]

19 minutes ago, Adversarious1 said:

what are you using for Drip Tip covers?  Are they actually Drip Tip covers?  If so, where did you get those?  I've never seen them before.

If I remember right you said your brother is a machinist, tooling such as end mills, small boring bars, and similar items come in tubes with plastic caps on the ends. They make very good drip tip covers. Talk to your brother about getting some for you, normally they get thrown away. I use them for drip tip covers.

[Adversarious1]

Just now, FXRich said:

If I remember right you said your brother is a machinist, tooling such as end mills, small boring bars, and similar items come in tubes with plastic caps on the ends. They make very good Drip Tip covers. Talk to your brother about getting some for you, normally they get thrown away. I use them for Drip Tip covers.

Thanks @FXRich!  Indeed he is.

I can rewire a guitar, rebuild a good 'ol Chevy or Ford V8 from the block up without looking at a manual, build a computer from scratch and disassemble/reassemble guns with one eye closed and the other covered with an eye patch, but I don't know the first thing about machining or tools involved with it...lol 😂.  I'll definitely talk to him and depending on what he can get me.

[Tam]

45 minutes ago, Adversarious1 said:

@Earthling789, what are you using for Drip Tip covers?  Are they actually Drip Tip covers?  If so, where did you get those?  I've never seen them before.

Back in the day... a loooong time ago (in vaping years), there were things called "cartomizers" that had these on the ends. These cartomizers were little metal cylinders with a coil on the bottom, usually a small piece of metal as a "bridge" over the top of that, and filler material wrapped around it to hold the eliquid. People would sometimes fill the little cap you're interested in with eliquid then put the cartomizer into it upside down to draw up the liquid. They were also frequently called "condoms." Some of the older tanks also came with these on the drip tips (if I remember correctly, the original Kanger Pro Tank had these). Wow. Good times.   

[Adversarious1]

1 minute ago, Tam said:

Back in the day... a loooong time ago (in vaping years), there were things called "cartomizers" that had these on the ends. These cartomizers were little metal cylinders with a coil on the bottom, usually a small piece of metal as a "bridge" over the top of that, and filler material wrapped around it to hold the eliquid. People would sometimes fill the little cap you're interested in with eliquid then put the cartomizer into it upside down to draw up the liquid. They were also frequently called "condoms." Some of the older tanks also came with these on the drip tips (if I remember correctly, the original Kanger Pro Tank had these). Wow. Good times.   

You're showing your "vaping age", @Tam 

[FXRich]

this is what I'm talking about

[FXRich]

3 minutes ago, Tam said:

Back in the day... a loooong time ago (in vaping years), there were things called "cartomizers" that had these on the ends. These cartomizers were little metal cylinders with a coil on the bottom, usually a small piece of metal as a "bridge" over the top of that, and filler material wrapped around it to hold the eliquid. People would sometimes fill the little cap you're interested in with eliquid then put the cartomizer into it upside down to draw up the liquid. They were also frequently called "condoms." Some of the older tanks also came with these on the drip tips (if I remember correctly, the original Kanger Pro Tank had these). Wow. Good times.   

I remember those, refills for cigalikes were sold in them. Still have a few hanging around, use them for drip tip covers a KPT tanks.

[Tam]

9 minutes ago, Adversarious1 said:

You're showing your "vaping age", @Tam 

Yep. Quite proud of my "vaping age" as a matter of fact.   

[Edna]

11 hours ago, Earthling789 said:

I've built several out of scrap wood lying around...

My current tank holder is a 5"x5"x1" piece of pine with holes slightly larger than the 510 connection and spaced roughly 1" apart (which makes a grid of 16 holes) for holding tanks on my desk.

Here's a few pics of ones I've bothered to take pics of

(made from spare closet doorknobs)

One I made for a former member here

@Earthling789  The second picture is exactly what I'm thinking except longer with less holes for tanks. I'm going to use cherry wood I think. Thanks, that's a great visual! Which Forstner bits did you use? Also did you use a regular drill bit for the 510 pin hole or a smaller forstner bit?  Now I'm really excited to get going on the shelves

Yay! I get a day in the wood shop   **happy dance***

[cany]

I made a few of these in different sizes  out of some old teak I had lying around

[Earthling789]

11 hours ago, Adversarious1 said:

@Earthling789, what are you using for Drip Tip covers?  Are they actually Drip Tip covers?  If so, where did you get those?  I've never seen them before.

Those are the little silicone caps that came with my old Kanger KPT2, KPT3-mini, and Aerotanks.   Like @Tam said, those use to come on all tanks to cover the tips and spare coils were inside those covers too.  I've collected dozens of them, and they work great to cover "most" drip-tips

[Edna]

@cany  Oh they're nice! What bits did you use? I need to make holes for both 22mm and 25mm tanks. Thanks for any advice

[cany]

@Edna I used a 1in wood boring drill(the pointy flat ones)  then for center I used a 9/32 regular drill bit

[Edna]

1 minute ago, cany said:

@Edna I used a 1in wood boring drill(the pointy flat ones)  then for center I used a 9/32 regular drill bit

@cany  Thanks I think I'll grab some scrap to experiment with sizes. Did you drill through blue tape to prevent chipping?

[cany]

@Edna  I didnt   but it couldnt hurt too do so

[cany]

@EdnaI just tried my smok beast in it and it fits perfectly   my smaller tanks are loose but they dont wiggle the 510 hole holds tyhem nice

[Earthling789]

13 minutes ago, Edna said:

@Earthling789  The second picture is exactly what I'm thinking except longer with less holes for tanks. I'm going to use cherry wood I think. Thanks, that's a great visual! Which Forstner bits did you use? Also did you use a regular drill bit for the 510 pin hole or a smaller forstner bit?  Now I'm really excited to get going on the shelves

Yay! I get a day in the wood shop   **happy dance***

For smaller tanks (with or without 510 connection), is used a 5/8" wood bit, and a 1" wood bit for the larger tanks... I think... but just use a bit that is slightly larger than the tank diameter... but for the tanks with 510 connections, I just used a standard 3/8" bit to drill the hole to a specific depth (marked with tape on the bit).  On softer wood, tape over the wood will prevent chipping... harder woods (Oak), chipping is not an issue, usually.

[Edna]

13 minutes ago, cany said:

@EdnaI just tried my smok beast in it and it fits perfectly   my smaller tanks are loose but they dont wiggle the 510 hole holds tyhem nice

 

12 minutes ago, Earthling789 said:

For smaller tanks (with or without 510 connection), is used a 5/8" wood bit, and a 1" wood bit for the larger tanks... I think... but just use a bit that is slightly larger than the tank diameter... but for the tanks with 510 connections, I just used a standard 3/8" bit to drill the hole to a specific depth (marked with tape on the bit).  On softer wood, tape over the wood will prevent chipping... harder woods (Oak), chipping is not an issue, usually.

Thanks for the advice! I love working with wood, but I figure you're never too old to seek out advice

Hopefully I'll have something to post in a few days (picture wise)

[Earthling789]

@Edna as you can see on the 3rd picture I posted... it is just a large number of 3/8" holes in the block...  As long as the 510 connection can sit below the surface (and not snag in a hole that is too tight), the tank will be held just fine.  I even move that block around from time to time (and when cleaning the desk/shelf) and unless I tilt it WAY over, the tanks don't fall off of it.  Of course, the smaller 14mm to 18mm tanks may wobble a bit as you move it around... but the larger 22+mm tanks are rock-solid using only the 510 connection as an anchor.