Tool to bleed AirForce tanks

We can bleed air from an AirForce tank without removing the tank from the gun.

In an earlier thread, we talked about using an 18” clamp to bleed the pressure from AirForce tanks. I dropped by Harbor Freight today and purchased a clamp that looked like it would do the job. It did!

One of the problems that I encountered in an earlier attempt was that clamp had soft plastic ‘caps’. The Top Hat Valve Probe cut into the plastic and contributed to a problem of air escaping too fast. I didn’t have enough control with that clamp.

With this new clamp, I had to make a slight mod. I attached a coin(penny) to the plastic cap with double sided tape. The coin interfaced with the Top Hat. That’s the same Top Hat interface used in the current procedure using an old style fill adapter.

With this clamp, just span the tank and Top Hat and apply pressure with the clamp screw.

Doing that, I was able to ‘dial in’ the rate the air escaped from the Top Hat. It worked great with the tank installed on the gun!

The ‘Tool’ is only $4.99 at Harbor Fraight

http://www.harborfreight.com/18-inch-bar-clamp-96211.html#.Uxd-QeNXp7o