On 5/7/07, Steve Shipley <shiples@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> At 11:56 AM 5/7/2007 -0400, Marc wrote:
>
> >Hi -
> >
> >I have a 25 year old moped fuel tank that I need to clean the rust out of.
> >I was advised to use muriatic acid, but frankly I'd rather avoid that if
> >possible.
> >
> >What are your tried & true methods for tank cleaning?
>
> I don't remember what sealant I used but I recently cleaned it out of my 55
> F-100's gas tank. It came loose and looked like it had been removed with
> paint remover. If you use a sealant, remember that the refiners can change
> the chemistry at any time. The sealant that works fine for gas might not
> work for gasohol, or whatever "fuel" is available.
>
> I use a length of chain to knock out loose rust and sediments. It is
> easier to remove a chain from a tank so long as you remember to hold on to
> one end.
Most sealant failures are not caused by attacks from the contents of
the tank, but rather by improper bonding to the surface. That's often
caused by insufficient cleaning of the tank, but not always. What
happens is that sealer sticks to some parts of the tank, but large
areas aren't attached, and are dependent on the strength of the film
of sealant. When that fails, it comes loose in huge sheets.
There are places that coat tanks commercially. The usual process is
to bake the tank at low temperature for several days to remove any
gasoline that remains. The inside of the tank is sand blasted,
cutting a hole in the tank for access if needed. Then it's coated
with an epoxy, inside and out. This works really well, if it's done
well.
--
David Scheidt
dmscheidt@gmail.com
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