Rusty tank

[AwesomeDad]

I’ve sourced an interstate tank. Has some dings and rust. I’ve watched the YouTube videos on rust removal and relining the tank. Any other tips or suggestions?

JJ

[Jruby38]

Next time add 3 or 4 oz of Marvel Mystery Oil in fuel for winter storage. No more rust.

[AwesomeDad]

Next time add 3 or 4 oz of Marvel Mystery Oil in fuel for winter storage. No more rust.

It’s a tank I’m gonna put on the bike, needs cleaned first.

JJ

[Ricky-D]

Tank liners degrade over time for different reasons.

Then it's havoc time with the carburetor system.

***

[hubcapsc]

It might be best to use some kind of rust eliminator.

I've used Oxalic acid (sold as "wood bleach" at the
hardware store) and it really kills rust, but might
also harm your tank.

Grumpy used to talk about "evaporust" you might
want to google that, it seems pretty safe...

-Mike

[Pete]

Electrolysis is the better way  verses liner. Leaves a black oxide that is inert. Then use gas and any top oil. Do not let the tank set less than full for long lengths of time.

[AwesomeDad]

Electrolysis is the better way  verses liner. Leaves a black oxide that is inert. Then use gas and any top oil. Do not let the tank set less than for long lengths of time.

Do you have a link for the process? I’m not gonna do it until I’m ready to install the tank...

JJ

[gordonv]

youtube is your friend. There is a lot on there.

I've heard nothing but problems when liner was used. I watched one recently on youtube showing the 4-5 different methods, pros/cons on each. Do a search and figure out which one you want to try.

Does it come with the fuel sensor, and are you planing on getting a gauge to use it?

[AwesomeDad]

youtube is your friend. There is a lot on there.

I've heard nothing but problems when liner was used. I watched one recently on youtube showing the 4-5 different methods, pros/cons on each. Do a search and figure out which one you want to try.

Does it come with the fuel sensor, and are you planing on getting a gauge to use it?

I don’t believe it comes with the sensor and no I don’t plan on getting a gauge.

[Pete]

Electrolysis is the better way  verses liner. Leaves a black oxide that is inert. Then use gas and any top oil. Do not let the tank set less than for long lengths of time.

Do you have a link for the process? I’m not gonna do it until I’m ready to install the tank...

JJ

yes I will post the process later today. When I get to my pc.

[Pete]

 Jason’s de-rusting method

 Hi all, I've gotten a few requests for the magical gas tank derusting
 process.  Wonder if it deserves space in the faq?

 You need
 1 rusty gas tank
 1 small container of sodium carbonate, chemical compound, Na2CO3 pool/spa supplies PH+
 1 4 amp or better battery charger
 1 average bolt approx 3/8 x 1.5
 1 short length of copper wire, ~ 12 awg
 1 qt naptha
 1 qt denatured alcohol

Empty out all the gas, take out the petcock and remove the fuel cap.  Remove  any 
old fuel residue and varnish with a good rinse of naptha, make it
petroleum  free and  then drain / dry.  using a sock with a handful of small
nuts/washers etc, add a little water  and shake this  all around inside the
gas tank to loosen the big chunks, rinse with clear  water scrub well. In a
decent pail (not oil drain bucket), dissolve some of the sodium  carbonate in water,
1/3 cup for say a magna, 1/2 cup for a sabre in a gallon of clear water, 
when its dissolved  all the way stir it a bit more!

Seal up all but the filler cap opening on the top, pour in the well stirred
mix using a funnel if you've had too much coffee.  Fill the tank right to the
top with water,  set the tank so  that the cap opening is the highest part,
burp out as much air as possible  and keep the  tank full for the process.

Wrap a half dozen or so turns of the wire around the bolt to hold it  secure, 
twist it tight  so the bolt won't fall off.  Attach the (-) lead of the batt
charger to  the  outer shell of  the tank, attach the (+) to the other end
of the copper wire, suspend the  bolt in the  solution and turn on the battery
charger to a fairly high rate, an amp or  two flowing is  good, then wait.
Time to process is ~48 hours and it won't overdo itself.


The bolt gets nasty after a day, I cleaned mine now and again  to remove the
crud  but  not  sure it helps.  After a couple days, remove the leads,
discard the bolt, save the wire,   drain and rinse the tank well, drag out
that sock and slosh it all around to remove any loose material. 
Rinse a few more times until the rinse water seems clean, shake well and
then use a bit of the alcohol to fetch out the rest of the water.

Once the tank is dry, you're all set to put it back into service.
More coating not required

Science, maybe remove this junk   The process by which rust forms is
electrochemical in nature so this method employs a reverse current flow
in an alkaline bath at a higher voltage to reverse the process at a quicker
rate. There are actually two forms of rust: iron III oxide or red oxide
(Fe2O3) and iron II, III oxide or black oxide (Fe3O4)(FeO). Black oxide
is a smaller molecule. The electrolytic process converts red rust to
black rust and in the process the black rust becomes weakly bonded to
the base metal. The black rust that takes the place of the red rust can
be easily wiped, washed, or brushed off leaving rust free base metal.
Any pitting that has occurred will remain, this method will not repair damage,
but the pits will be rust free.

This is an alkali process and not acid, so you don't have a lot of pits
in the steel filled with stray hydrogen ions which would just love to start
rusting immediately instead of a much less active coating of black oxide.

 -Jason

[Grandpot]

Caswell Plating makes all kinds of coating and restoration materials.  I've used them for my guns and bikes.  Here's a link to their gas tank coating which can be applied over rusty surfaces.  You'll need to ask them for the details on how that works.

https://www.caswellplating.com/epoxy-gas-tank-sealer.html

[Disco]

I was going to use electrolysis to clean a horrible tank that came with a rescue '97 bumblebee, but was cautioned against it by someone who knows more than me.  The concern was that the electrolyte solution might not be friendly to the beautiful paint.  So, another knowledgeable person who had experience with EvapoRust recommended I give it a try.  It worked beautifully and is absolutely safe for paint.

The instructions say to flush the tank with water after draining the EvapoRust.  I did, and was rewarded with a bit of flash rust.  So, I refilled with EvapoRust to clean the flash rust, drained, and poured about a quart of 50:50 gasoline / 30wt to flush the remainder of the chemistry and coat the tank at the same time.

A five gallon pale isn't cheap, but will do the job, and still be useable afterwards.  It can be reused until it doesn't work anymore.

[AwesomeDad]

I was going to use electrolysis to clean a horrible tank that came with a rescue '97 bumblebee, but was cautioned against it by someone who knows more than me.  The concern was that the electrolyte solution might not be friendly to the beautiful paint.  So, another knowledgeable person who had experience with EvapoRust recommended I give it a try.  It worked beautifully and is absolutely safe for paint.

The instructions say to flush the tank with water after draining the EvapoRust.  I did, and was rewarded with a bit of flash rust.  So, I refilled with EvapoRust to clean the flash rust, drained, and poured about a quart of 50:50 gasoline / 30wt to flush the remainder of the chemistry and coat the tank at the same time.

A five gallon pale isn't cheap, but will do the job, and still be useable afterwards.  It can be reused until it doesn't work anymore.

I ordered a 4 gallon bucket of evapo rust, do you need to fill the tank?
Also looking at the parts fiche trying to figure out what seals and parts I need for the swap. Obviously a fuel sending unit and the oring.

JJ

[Pete]

If the tank outside surface was allowed to have a spec of dust on it when painted electrolysis will bubble the paint at that location. The chemical used in the above has never caused paint issues for me even when it overflowed and ran down the paint.

The flash rust after washing with water is a big issue with the chemical rust treatments and the major reason the coatings process fails along with lack of proper complete application.

Good luck with the process you use, whatever it is.

[AwesomeDad]

If the tank outside surface was allowed to have a spec of dust on it when painted electrolysis will bubble the paint at that location. The chemical used in the above has never caused paint issues for me even when it overflowed and ran down the paint.

The flash rust after washing with water is a big issue with the chemical rust treatments and the major reason the coatings process fails along with lack of proper complete application.

Good luck with the process you use, whatever it is.

Thanks Pete
I’m not doing it until it’s ready to go right on the bike immediately and get topped off with fuel...

JJ

[gordonv]

Also looking at the parts fiche trying to figure out what seals and parts I need for the swap. Obviously a fuel sending unit and the oring.

If you aren't putting in a gauge, then make your own plate and seal the hole, that is, if it doesn't come with the sending unit. Just need to use the proper gasket material for fuel.

O-ring for the petcock to tank. Fuel screen. It all depends on the tank. It's used, so everything is already there, or should be. But change some items now, and you won't ever have to do it again we hope.