Tank Liner

I am currently in the process of removing the rust from the inside of the tank.
Afterward, should i bother lining my tank with red-kote?

If the tank is lightly rusted you can try going sans coating after derusting. If the tank is heavily rusted though a liner may be your best option.

Rust is like cancer; once it gets into the metal it's hard to get out. And you need to fully remove the rust or it will come back.

What rust removal technique are you using? Some are better than others. The metalworking industry typically uses phosphoric acid to derust steel.

I am using vinegar and bb's like this guy:
The idea is that vinegar is a weaker acid so it takes longer but it is cheaper.

My tank is painted so I made sure to seal the top and bottom holes real good with rubber stoppers to help keep vinegar from getting on the paint.

I've never understood the BB's thing. They will just roll over the surface of the metal, not scrub it.

I've stripped out failed liners (Kreem) a few times and it really helps to have something in the tank to scrub the metal. The liner gets soft but often doesn't want to separate from the tank, thus the need to scrub it off. Best thing I've found for this use is aquarium rocks. The uncoated type, not the ones with sealer on them. I've tried pea gravel before and it was too smooth to scrub the metal. BB's would be next to useless in that regard.

At any rate, one problem many people have while derusting is that it's next to impossible to see if all the rust is gone before they stop the process. You will need a borescope or similar. I use a mirror and flashlight to check the top of the tank, plus you need to look through the petcock and sending unit holes as well to gain a better view of the inside. The goal of all this is to verify that all the rust is gone.

Regarding vinegar, it should work, it's just slower. One nice thing about the phosphate solution is that it leaves a protective coating on the metal when done which helps retard future rust. All the various paint suppliers sell materials denoted as "metal prep", which is phosphoric acid. Production shop powder coaters typically use a phosphate dip tank to clean parts before coating too.

johnnymoff wrote: I am currently in the process of removing the rust from the inside of the tank.
Afterward, should i bother lining my tank with red-kote?

There are some really crappy liners out there. A lot of guys here are against them. I personally do not like battling the rust all the time. Now that I live in Arizona its probably not such a big deal. When I lived in Montana storage a rust is a bigger issue. Short of the story is I used POR15 to coat my tank over 3 years ago. As long as you follow the instructions the stuff is great. POR15 is a 3 part kit and comes with cleaner, metal prep and coat. Where most guys go wrong is the clean it rinse is out and let it dry. You need to do it start to finish which means shaking out the water after the rinse of the cleaner and using a heat gun or the old ladies dryer to get the water out. Once the coat is in and drys for a week it is rock hard.
www.eastwood.com/por-15-cycle-fuel-tank-...7BgO3N5LQaAg-38P8HAQ
I bought mine from Napa, they had to order it in.

Hmm, I'll keep the aquarium rocks in mind if the BB's don't work. The guy in the above referenced video said that BB's are better than other options because they are easier to remove from the tank.
When I rock the tank back and forth to move the BB's around, I do hear quite a noise but it stands to reason that rocks with irregular surfaces would do better.

You can also use a length of small link chain, or a cheap box of 7/16 nuts
Pete

The POR-15 kit is what's up. As kaw-a-holic states, if you follow directions to the tee the inside of that tank will be solid and rust free for years or longer. Definitely has to be bone dry. I make sure it gets almost too hot to handle bare handed when heat drying. And make sure it's coated thoroughly inside. If you're especially anal you can buy an extra can to be safe.

First time I used it a random bolt got stuck in the narrow front part of my Kawi's tank from a previous failed method of rust removal. Being a noob at the time I didn't notice until after the POR-15 was already dried and ready to go. From that moment on the bolt become one with the tank. That was quite a few thousand miles ago and it's still right there where I left it. I believe that's a testament to how solid POR-15 can be if done properly, step by step.

Update:
The BB's and Vinegar did not work all that well. There is still rust along the bottom edge of the tank and flash rust started forming in the tank after pouring out the vinegar.

I've used drywall screws to clean rust out of a tank.

Since it has rust, I'd seal it with Caswell epoxy sealer, $48 on eBay.

My H1 recently sprung a minor leak from rust, so. Sealed it, very user friendly.

www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-gal-Ph...-GKPA30220/100406369

I just etched and sealed one that was bad. See the thread. I used KBS Gold Seal. + 1 on the phosphoric acid. I agitated with 24" of chain link attached to the drill chuck. Had to etch 3x. R