Bomber Tank Becomes Wading Pool (Jul, 1947)

Bomber Tank Becomes Wading Pool

WARPLANE wing tanks, which can be picked up as war surplus for about $5, make excellent back-yard wading pools. The pool shown was cut from a wing tank made for a B-17 bomber. It was laminated neoprene and cloth and required a couple of hours of cutting time, but it was so stiff that no frame was needed for rigidity.

A line was scribed around the sides and ends about 7-1/2″ from the bottom as a guide line. After several unsuccessful attempts, a linoleum knife tapped on the back of the blade with a wooden mallet was found the best means of cutting. Wedges inserted as the cutting proceeded helped to speed the work, and the hooked point of the knife got a good grip under the material.

The top half of the tank with the filling hole in it was discarded, as was a thin baffle inside that was easily cut loose. An aluminum gas elbow at the outlet in one corner was left in. This keeps the water level at about 2″. It could easily be plugged to make the water level higher.

A duckboard platform was built around the pool. Filling is accomplished with the garden hose. When the tank needs cleaning, it can be propped up on one end and hosed out. —Gerald F. Koepplinger.