Years ago when I built my water tank I actually threaded the ends of brass wire to allow me to tighten the straps with small nuts. I apologize for the lack of detail due to weathering in this closeup photo.
Here’s a photo of the entire tank.
Here’s a photo of the entire tank.
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I will work on getting you the pics, Here is a picture of the basic design concept I followed. If you zoom in and squint you can see them.
But the round bar/band is wrapped around the tank and then comes to where they connect and are tensioned. For that it is more or less two pipes attached together on a flat piece. if you notice they are at an angle also so that the nuts are accessible and not up against the other rod. They thread the end of the rods and feed them through the “pipe” and put on the nut. As you tighten the nuts they pull the rods in opposite directions tightening the rod.
For mine It was real simple. I found a suitable wire that I could thread to fit a nut. Off the top of my head I can’t remember the size. But I’d find a nut size you think looks right. I then found some brass tubing that the wire would fit through. I took two small pieces and soldiered them to a piece of brass strip at an angle. Then threaded the rod to fit the nut. Slip each end into the tubing and apply the nut and tighten.
On another note, forgive me if this is common knowledge but I didn’t know this. Each band is not just one rod with one tensioning “buckle” (have no idea what its called). At least on larger tanks. Each band had a few to several “buckles” and sections of rods. If you look the buckles are staggered also not in a vertical line. Just some things I picked up while trying to build a couple tanks.
That’s really good to know! I wanted to use smaller zip ties, but they wouldn’t get around my tanks.
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I saw a neat video about water tanks recently with Neil deGrasse Tyson talking about the bands and how they were placed. Their placement had to do with the weight of the water. He said at the top, say 500 gallons of water weighs less than the middle which has it’s own weight plus the 500 gallons above it so more straps where needed in the middle third than the top third. The bottom of the tank has the most weight pressing on it so that needed the most straps to hold it all together.
It looks like Don Watson followed this practice with his fine looking water tower.
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Jim Rowson pointed this very thing out to me on the little 3D printed tank I made. Mine were evenly spaced and he caught the mistake and pointed out they became closer together at the bottom.
The one I am basing my water tank on shows the bands are three inches apart for three bands the nine inches and as they go up they get spaced out more to 20 inches at the top. This is a 24 foot tank says the capacity is 47000 gallons.
I am changing my bands to 10 ga. wire, sure is fun to thread it, wants to bend, only threading one end the other end will be soldered to the “Hoop Lug”, that is what they are calling them.
Thanks for the ideas and pictures. Mark
That works. Looks great. If I can interject just a bit of suggestion, that would be to nip off the ends of the threaded rod some.
With extreme close up pics the eyes catch what normally wouldn’t be seen. But the ends of the threaded rods look strangely long to me. But I say that only because I am “looking” at then from 5 inches away not five feet. So don’t give it a thought unless you really want to. I am sure it will not at all be noticeable once done, painted, and on the layout.
I agree with you they are long and I will be trimming them, once I am sure I won’t be moving them for some unknown reason. 
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They do look great. It’s coming out nice. How did you end up making the lugs. You painted them so it’s difficult to see what you made them out of.
Oh nice. That’s a clever take on it. Great job.
Geez that looking great also. Between the bridge and the tank you are getting some very nice work done.
Thanks it is fun too.
Mark, beautiful work!
Maybe I missed it, but it looks like you’re using copper wire for hoops? If so, makes sense, far easier to thread!
Your bolt connector joint thingies are great, super strong. And you can solder it to the hoop’s starting end. Sweet.
Yes 10 ga. wire interesting stuff to thread.
Mark,
Would you walk us through how you made your pulleys?
I start with a 1/2" square about 4" long of hard maple, drill a hole for the pulley shaft then mount it in my chuck with a live center in my tail stock and turn it to shape but leave it attached. Then using my band saw I cut the notch for the pulley then did some final turning, cut it off, a little sanding done. The pulley I used 1/2" square of hard maple in my chuck, drill the hole, bring up the live center in the hole ( helps to keep the hole centered) tuned the grove, then with a parting tool cut the pulley most of the way off and finished cutting it off with the lathe stopped, little sanding and done. Used a very small screw eye for the top ring. Hope that was help full.
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