HO Food Grade Storage Tanks

[rbryce1]

I am looking for some vertical food grade type storage tanks for the Tropicana Juice Plant I am modeling.  I can find fuel tanks, oil tanks, water tanks and grain storage tanks/silos everywhere, but not the smooth looking seamless stainless steel tanks that are used at Tropicana and other makers of mass produced food items.

Anyone know of any tanks Bachmann or any other manufacturer of these types of tanks makes before I start to try and make them from scratch?

[Doneldon]

rb-

How about a piece of PVC pipe? Put a top on it and you're
in business. It comes in many, many diameters.
                                                                            -- D

[rbryce1]

rb-

How about a piece of PVC pipe? Put a top on it and you're
in business. It comes in many, many diameters.
                                                                        -- D

Your idea has merit, but it would be difficult to polish like a stainless steel tank would look like ... however, your idea has brought me to consider doing what you suggest with a small piece of either chrome sink drain pipe or stainless steel pipe which can be polished.  A 1.1/2" diameter piece of chrome drain pipe would be right around a 10'-10" diameter tank if I'm correct (1.5" * 87 / 12" = 10.875 ft.).

Thanks,

Bob

[BaltoOhioRRfan]

rb-

How about a piece of PVC pipe? Put a top on it and you're
in business. It comes in many, many diameters.
                                                                        -- D

Your idea has merit, but it would be difficult to polish like a stainless steel tank would look like ... however, your idea has brought me to consider doing what you suggest with a small piece of either chrome sink drain pipe or stainless steel pipe which can be polished.  A 1.1/2" diameter piece of chrome drain pipe would be right around a 10'-10" diameter tank if I'm correct (1.5" * 87 / 12" = 10.875 ft.).

Thanks,

Bob

Krayon puts out a Mirror paint in spray paint. which could be used to paint the pvc. I saw it at Walmart the other day and almost got it.

[CNE Runner]

A good machine shop can fabricate what you want out of stainless steel rod. Some turning on a lathe would be required; but the end product should satisfy your needs. I strongly suggest that you provide some measurements, and a picture, of what you are trying to accomplish. I also suggest that you are seated when you get the estimated cost as stainless rod is very expensive and shop time ain't cheap...especially a small, special order like yours.

Personally, I would go with one of the other model tanks, sand down the seam lines, and spray it with the aforementioned 'shiny' paint. Keep in mind that it is only a model...the assumption being you are not going to own a scale orange juice producing plant and actually store scale juice in the tanks.

Regards,
Ray

[rbryce1]

I have to look for that paint.  Most of the other tanks have the wrong style tops (they have overhangs) but there are several possibilities that may work if the shiny paint works.

[GG1onFordsDTandI]

Primer before "chrome" paints is a must. Most are a finicky paint, prone to runs and coagulation of pigment. I hate them.

I would check your local hobby shop model supplies for sheets of real metal films/foils, similar to a gilders metal flake but a bit thicker. They come in chrome, stainless, copper, brass, etc. Ive used them for door handles, and trim on model cars before. It looks great and the "grain" of the unpolished stainless will be more correct for scale modeling. The name on my 15+yr old package is Bare-Metal(tm) made by Bare Metal Foil Co. PO box 82 Farmington Mi, 810-476-4366 or 810-477- 0813. Hoping they are still around for you.