kai564•6d ago

Found a cheap trick for marking bolt holes on curved tanks

I was lining up a support bracket on a big propane tank last Tuesday and kept messing up the transfer marks. Tried using a soapstone but it just smeared on the curve. Ended up cutting a piece of cardboard to match the bracket shape, taping it in place, and punching through with a center punch. Took me like 10 minutes total instead of fighting with it for an hour. Has anyone else got a better method for odd shapes like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

nora1846d ago

Man that's a solid trick, I've been there with curved surfaces and it's maddening. I've done almost the same thing with a piece of thin sheet metal instead of cardboard when I needed something more durable for a repeat job. Once you get it taped down tight and punch through, the marks transfer perfect every time.

hugos676d ago

Hell yeah, that sheet metal idea is genius! I did the same thing last month on a tricky motorcycle fender and that thin metal held up way better than cardboard for the whole job. Once you get that template snug and start punching, it's honestly one of those "why didn't I think of this sooner" moments.