Know there is a ton of stuff listed in the archives concerning rust removal from a tank. What is the latest consensus on the best way to clean and coat the inside of a moderately rusty tank? I have a Caswell Gas Tank Sealer kit that I've had for a year or two but sometimes hear bad things about Caswell. I was recently rear-ended in my Kia and the shop owner says he will show me how to remove dents and paint motorcycle gas tanks. I rediscovered a tank yesterday without any dents (has internal rust) that I didn't know I had so I figured this would be an easy place to start. Most every other tank I have has fairing dents as well as rust. Appreciate all input. BDC
If it's dry inside that's a good start, shake a chain around inside and i use a flattened paper towel tube on the end of a vacume crevis tool to suck out the bigger bits of junk & rust
then i degrease, then clean with something caustic (muriatic acid) at that point you should easily be able to find all the holes..
then i seal the tank (soldering with a topcoat of fiberglass resin lately) then a swish inside with ospho to treat the metal. dry well & seal (POR-15 or Caswells)
use all the safety precautions with the chemicals & protective gear, esp the muriatic acid...
I have heard of this being done a few time, good video series too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCpJRI1mNY8&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL41B05CF000271172 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCpJRI1mNY8&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL41B05CF000271172)
Rory, can you tell me what is put in the tank,is it a liquid that comes with the kit? BDC
After the electrolysis the guy in the video uses POR15 which is a super tough paint. I lined a tank with it which has held gas for about 6 months now and is holding up great. If you have any further questions on the process I strongly suggest you message the person who made the video, he could probably write a book about that paint.
EDIT: Yes it is a liquid paint that comes in a very small paint can. Here is the link to the kit,
http://www.por15.com/SUPER-STARTER-KIT/productinfo/SSKB/ (http://www.por15.com/SUPER-STARTER-KIT/productinfo/SSKB/)
If you do use it be careful with it, it is very difficult to get off.
I was inquiring as to what liquid was used during the electrolysis process not the coating process. BDC
Rm, we've been reccomending POR-15 on this forum for the last 12 years... :)
LOL, great minds think alike? ;D
Re-vision,
He just uses water with either washing soda or baking soda. Google "removing rust with electrolysis" and you will be given loads of information and safety precautions.
Thanks man. BDC
If it was me, I would put in some gravel and shake the hell out of it. This is often times enough, to make it perfectly usable. It's easy to tell, if it is going to satisfactory, or not. I have never coated a tank yet, although I recently bought some Caswell, because I need to coat some Spanish, fiberglass tanks. The gas of today can eat through the old resin.
Has anyone had a tank acid-dipped at a radiator shop? BDC
That reminds me, muratic acid, blended in water, with the gravel really works good. Make sure you stay up wind of the fumes, and dilute quickly when finished.
I don't use gravel , I use old nuts and bolts . I've had problems getting all the gravel out , but nuts and bolts are easy , any that won't pour out can be retrieved with a magnet.
Probably easier to get out, stone hones,, hey Rick ,you remember when guys would put cow magnets on their, car/truck, steel fuel line, saying it improved fuel economy??
Sharp edged window sash chain has worked well for me. Tie a strong string on it, shake very well, declare victory.
QBS , that sounds like an excellent idea.
Super , I remember putting them in the tank and along the fuel line . Seems like pipe dream to me. :D
I read an article from a guy who restored old bikes. If it leaked, he used POR15. If not, he employed a multi- step system starting with an acetone rinse to remove "varnishy gunk" :P Next, 1/4" nuts and muriatic acid to remove the heavy scale - lots of agitation/rotation for 10-15 minutes. After draining and rinsing with water came the phosphoric acid. Not as aggressive but the heavy work had been done by the muriatic. He rotates it a bit then lets it sit for 1/2 hour and repeats for 2 hours or so.
After rinsing thoroughly and draining completely he sticks a hair dryer nozzle in the filler opening and dries it for 2 hours with some rotation along the way to get any trapped water out. The phosphoric acid would be a waste of time by itself on heavy rust but without this step a haze of rust will develop during the drying process. It's main purpose is to leave a rust resistant iron phosphate coating on the steel.
He mentions trying the battery charger and steel rod method but felt it didn't reach the top surfaces. He also mentions wanting to try caustic agents (ie sodium hydroxide) in lieu of acids. He heard good things from a friend who does similar work as to it's efficacy and it doesn't eat the steel like acids. He promised a followup report but I never found one.
My tank was super rusty when I got it. I used Por-15 Gas Tank Restoration Kit and it was awesome! It comes with a product to dissolve the rust in the tank and then another product that preps the tank for the sealant. It is a little time consuming, but the end result is great and if it is done correctly, you'll never have to do it again.
http://www.por15.com/CYCLE-TANK-REPAIR-KIT/productinfo/CTRK/
I concur, I used the POR15 kit on three different motorcycle tanks with excellent results.
But please note: you must follow the directions completely, no shortcuts!
Dan
Quote from: Re-Vision on April 11, 2012, 04:24:46 PM
Has anyone had a tank acid-dipped at a radiator shop? BDC
for about two months I was constantly searching for a place that would dip my tank. Apparently according to regulations they are now not allowed to do any acid dipping. Not sure if that's an Oregon thing or what, but I could not even find a crackhead shop that would do it for me. The only thing I could find was a place that would burn it for me..... I wasn't too interested in that.
The metal in the XZ tanks is very thin compared to most motorcycles, so I would be very gentle to it. The POR 15 folks have an "etching" solution that should be as aggressive as necessary if you don't leave it in too long. Distilled white vinegar is a fairly gentle acid that will dissolve the rust, but again, don't leave it in the tank longer than you need. Once the stuff is removed from the tank you need to immediately dry the inside before it starts rusting again. Either the POR 15 or Caswell kits are good, you need to follow the directions.
One of the reasons I left OR . No offense intended. ;)
I've recently repaired my tanks HUGE :o holes with fiberglass resin/matting and applied Bondo over the resin and have primed the outside of the tank after striping all the paint.(for someone whos never done body work before it doesnt look too bad) ;D I now need to coat the tank inside as well. I want to use the Por 15 kit but does anybody know if the chemicals to prepare the tank will eat the fiberglass resin? ??? If it doesn't and I can continue with the process, will the Por 15 coating stick to the areas that have resin and not metal? ???
it'll stick to any clean (dry, non oily) surface. Marine tanks are commonly fiberglass, which ethanol deterioates. POR-15 is a very common cure for those tanks.
Thanks Lucky, that's what I was hoping to hear! :) I can't wait to order my kit and finish my tank! One more question, rm97 posted a link to a you tube video playlist and in that set of videos the author used a Por15 Kit that was NOT the fuel tank sealer kit. It is only $21 compared to the tank sealer kit which is much more. I don't care to spend the extra but if the cheaper Por15 kit will work that will also be easier on my wallet. ;D
as long as the inside is clean & properly prepped you can use just the sealer, just be careful to leave as pristine a surface as possable.
ive used the motorcycle tank kits with good results, but i think the amount of POR supplied isn't enough. others have used POR kits & had too much (which you want to avoid as well) you don't need a thick coat, and you really don't want to try to fill the low spots, i understand it won't cure properly.
i'm going to clean my tanks out, rinse them out, treat with a cut mixture of muriatic & water, dry well, (it will flash rust, but that's ok) and then follow up with phosphoric acid which will etch & convert the rust. dry well & then coat with POR. I have two tanks to do, so i'm only going to buy the POR itself, enough to do 2 tanks (a quart size iirc) and do both tanks at the same time (with Spectre) because once you open the POR, you have to use it all up. you can't store unused POR.
Also, VERY IMPORTAINT: DO NOT shake POR. you'll create tiny bubbles in the coating & it will fail. instead, use a very small padle on a drill (think popsicle stick) or a dull drill bit to mix it up well.
Well I live in Oregon in the peoples republic of Eugene and there are a couple places that will dip a tank! Though the last one I did myself with electrolycis and it did just as good of job!
Lucky , I had to coat a small tank with por 15 and only used 1/2 of the can. I caped it and put it on the shelf. over a year later I did another small tank and it worked just fine . I know the instructions say you can't save it , but in at least one instance it worked.
Good to know Rick, Thanks.
If you store unused por-15, make sure it's sealed well (i like to put a sheet of syran betwen the lid and the can and then hammer the lid on), and keep it in the fridge, should keep for many months this way. In fact, if you store por-15 for more than a few weeks, you should keep it in the fridge. Says so on their site/instructions. And as mentioned, don't shake it!
Mine sat in the shed in OR and then here in Az for nearly a year and worked fine . Just lucky I guess. I stored it upside down , to ensure that it was sealed.