Stand material

[rayn]

Wife and I are talking about the stand for the upcoming build and she has a idea. We are going to make the tank sit on a stand with a counter coming out in front of it. Allows us to eat there, kids to play there, just a bunch of activities there in front of the tank.

She found some chairs she likes repurposed. So she would like the table/stand made out of gas pipe or galvanized pipe. Can this be done or will it just rust to pieces? Will this even hold?

 

[justingraham]

Maby if it is power-coated it won't rust. As well as will it hold how long is it tank? If u put enough braces in it I would think it will hold. U will def have to put a piece of ply wood or something flat across the top of the gas pipe.
Also if ur scared u could fill the inside of the pipe with concrete. The stand will be heavy but piece of mind would be worth it.

 

[rayn]

What about clear coat? That I could do easier. I understands the need for a plywood top for the tank to sit on, that's no biggie.

I'm also thinking something like 1" or bigger too.

Tank going on top of this would be a 240 acrylic tank.

 

[justingraham]

Yea I think clear coat will work.
Acrylic tank I think u will be fine then

 

[WilRams]

I don't know that I would trust an entire stand made out of galvanized pipe if that's what you mean. Could you get a steel stand made and finish it in a hammered finish to get the rustic look maybe?

 

[justingraham]

I would brake it up into two to three foot sections with 1 inch pipe. I know for a fact an 8 foot 1 inch pipe that the wife made as a clothes hanger with minimal support can hold 250 easily it does start bending around 150 lbs but a piece of wood at 8 feet with no support would bend as well. Also like I said before fill it with concrete

 

[rayn]

I don't know that I would trust an entire stand made out of galvanized pipe if that's what you mean. Could you get a steel stand made and finish it in a hammered finish to get the rustic look maybe?

I am debating on this point. I would like the look of the pipe stand, but it is already on a perfectly good wood stand. So we were thinking about making the pipe stand around the wood one so as not to loose the wood one.

 

[Rpujol85]

That pipe is extremely strong. I would not think twice about it. Also, since you would have some sort of flat surface between the pipe and the actual tank you really don't even need to paint/clear coat it; it's never really going to rust through.

 

[rayn]

That pipe is extremely strong. I would not think twice about it. Also, since you would have some sort of flat surface between the pipe and the actual tank you really don't even need to paint/clear coat it; it's never really going to rust through.

It is t going to rust through, but wouldn't it surface rust? This would be almost a focal point and I wouldn't want the focal point to be rust.

 

[Duke4Life]

I'd clear coat, paint or something. The chances of rusting would be high I think otherwise.

 

[rayn]

That what I am thinking too. When working on a tank, if I have a tool around it it will begin to rust if I leave it laying there.

 

[Duke4Life]

I look at metal similar to wood, would you build a stand out of wood and not seal it in some form? Metal rust and wood absorbs.

 

[Rpujol85]

Only the surface of the pipe will rust or oxidize. It just depends on the look you are going for (and how much saltwater it is realistically going to come in contact with), as to whether you want to finish it or not.
No matter what it will be structurally sound as long as you have proper cross bracing. This stuff is TOUGH.