I want to create a little hydraulic fluid reservoir (for steering on my boat, not brakes or anything like that) which will connect into a
I can find 6mm compression Tees, elbows etc, but how do I make the conenction into the reservoir? I can't find anything like a 6mm tank connector.
Do you need too big a reservoir to use a brake fluid reservoir for a car or lorry which comes with an outlet and add a union designed for 6mm brake pipe?
Not answering the question but ... consider whether it might be good to have a flexi pipe from the tank to wherever the rigid pipe is anchored.
You could silver solder a 6mm fitting onto the tank, or use a standard
15mm tank fitting and a reducer, or use some sort of expanding bung (a threaded tube, rubber grommet and a couple of back nuts and washers). Check that the rubber is OK with the hydraulic oil, of course.
That would be perfect, where does one buy a 'generic' brake fluid reservoir? I'll take a look on eBay for a start.
You can get 15mm tank connectors, and then 15 to 10mm reducers. Add a 10 to 6mm reducer onto that, and you should be there.
Solder this:
Compression coupler. Drill a hole for the body in the tank and secure with a nut to give stength. Solder to get a decent seal.
Ebay or some of the shops (online and physical) who sell parts for modified cars and kit-cars.
And it doesn't need to be generic. Assuming a single outlet suffices there is e.g.
You don't need a generic one, just one from a particular car model that suits you and is cheap.
What's the reservoir made of?
Nothing yet! :-)
It can either be plastic or metal, metal might be more in keeping with the boat's looks but it's not that critical. I could just use a small plastic screw top jar (I have a load of 250cc ones which used to contain vitamin D capsules), what I need to do is drill a hole in the bottom and make some sort of connection to 6mm copper.
Alternatively if I could get a metal container (brass or copper ideally) then I could solder a short length of 6mm copper into the bottom. However a proper tank connector would probably be more robust than a soldered 6mm tube (I don't have brazing equipment).
For something more ship-shape - as in shiny metal that needs polishing - you could think vertically. Mount 1 meter of 15mm copper pipe with a
15 x 6 mm reducer on the bottom and a stop end on top and you have a a tank with a capacity of 145 ml. Use 22 mm pipe and the volume is more than doubled but I think you'd need to use 2 reducers.Lifetime cost in copper polish not calculated :)
Sorry, forgot need hole - eg in side wall near top - to vent
The trouble is that since this is (inevitably) at the top of the steering hydraulics I don't really want it to be too tall as it would stick way up in the air above the wheel.
FWLIW I had thought the pipe would be fixed flush to a bulkhead (or mast?): not something you'd want used as a grab rail.
If not under pressure connect with rubber (brake) hose and jubilee clip type clamp.
How much fluid has it got to hold? How do you plan to stop water getting in the breather hole? What is normally used in this situation?
Drill a hole through a brass bolt to make your own tank connector.
The cu pipe can be mounted horizontally or on a short slope and even have bends in . The cu pipe idea sounds great just adapt it to fit the space available.
I though of a "sight glass"
Aliexpress offers a "1/4" 3/8" 1/2" BSP M12 M14 Brass Oil Liquid Level Indicator Sight Glass Gauge" which is a pleasing brass tube with a glass tube inside, with a vent cap, verious threads available etc.
About 20 Eur for 200mm height, shipped.
Thomas Prufer
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