Ideas on stripping inside of gas tank?

650ed sent this link to me, www.evaporust.com/index.html
I haven't bought/ tried it yet, but it sure sounds good from reading their web site info.

Motor Head wrote: 650ed sent this link to me, www.evaporust.com/index.html
I haven't bought/ tried it yet, but it sure sounds good from reading their web site info.

It works great

BTW, just thought I would add that Oxalic acid can be bought at almost any hardware store (Ace, HD, Lowes, etc) under the term wood bleach or wood brightener.

Jack

Hey guys... Just wanted to add to this topic incase anyone was looking for some info.

I did both my tanks yesturday with the Oxalic Acid was and it worked GREAT! It comes in small like containers (12Oz) from the hardware store. I bought two from Ace in the paint department under the Savogran Wood Bleach. I will attached a pick.

I added one to each tank and filled with warm water, sloshed it around and let it soak for 4~6 hours.. let one site overnight. You could see the results almost immediately. Worked really well and super simple.

Jack

If you have has access to a Sand or media blaster this worked perfect for me.
I took mine to work with me one day and in about 15 minutes I had the out side
and inside done, and it shined like a new Quarter. Then I Kreamed it for a
little added security.

i just used oxalic acid on my 84 z1100r tank,not too rusty but needed done.
got 800gram bottle off egay for 3 quid and mixed it with about 18 litres of water,(basically just filled the tank to the brim).worked great ,no flash rusting,emptied it then filled with petrol.before i had tried 15litres of vinegar which i sieved about 5 times which got rid of alot of the rust deposites
but flash rusted in minutes when empted,unless instantly rinsed out with baking soda and water.

I'm going to be trying some of THIS (PH down - 81% Orthophosphoric acid)) stuff v soon, i have very very light rusting so i'll let you know how it goes.

As my tank wont be going on for a while again is it a good idea put some engine oil inside just to coat it? (then wash it out before use). If not what can i use to 'coat' it temporarily?

TeK9iNe wrote: Quit wastin you're time!

I've cleaned alot of tanks from many things and almost all the chemical solutions are garbage.

The fast and most effective way at the shop to ensure that 100% of the rust is gone out of the tank is to remove it manually.

Rinse it thoroughly, then fill the tank with water and rubber plug/waterproof tape over the fill hole.
Flip it upside down, and using a rot-zip/plunge cutter - cut the belly out of the tank about an inch in from the perimiter. Its gonna be nice and splashy, but well worth it.
You've now got the tank in 2 with an underside pan, and the top and side edges untouched/damaged.
Simply use whatever means (I like a large wirewheel in a fast drill), to crush out all the rust completely! takes minutes!
Once the inside of the tank is shiney perfect new, take it to a shop and have them weld it back shut - no visible welds anywhere except under the tank, and it only cost about $25.

If you're not going to use it right away, fill it with a 1/2 quart of oil and splash that around real good so it dont rust again.
Remember to rinse it out good with gas before placing into operation.

Peace.

I have to do this to the tank on my g3ss. But I think I'll do the acid treatment to it also so it seals up nice. The tank also has bondo on it from the PO who thought that would seal it up. lol

I use "Ospho" (Phosphoric Acid) available at hardware stores. I use it full-strength, but just enough to swirl around the inside of the tank for awhile. Then, I rinse with water a couple times and immediately, I used a rig with a rubber pipe (from an old Supra 7M-GTE Turbo project) and my toolbox hair dryer to dry the tank. That forms a while scaly surface as everything dries but the rust is essentially stopped. Then, I flush the tank out again and again with soapy water, then with a solvent such as Acetone. I like a product from Caswell Plating Co. which is a gas tank sealer kit, a phenol novolac 2-part epoxy. I've had really good luck with this process, having done 4 or 5 tanks so far. I'm in the process of doing this KZ1100 tank right now, waiting for the sealer kit to arrive. It's labor intensive and I end up making caps for the petcock opening and the fuel sender opening from aluminum stock, and you have to be aware of the threads where they bolt to while it's drying. I pour in the mixed epoxy, swirl it around for a long time, then remove the caps I made but stick scrap bolts (proper M6 thread) into the holes and every hour or so until it cures, turn the bolts so the epoxy doesn't weld them in place. 24 hours later, the tank is impervious to everything and will not ever rust again on the inside.

Excess sealer can drain out the petcock hole but I never let it accumulate there while it cures. Rather have any "pooling" occur at the back inside seam, not front -- if you can visualize that.

Epoxy Gas Tank Sealer Kit

Ospho comes in quart-sized containers at hardware stores. Never found it at the big places like Lowes or HD... I get it from a local joint here in town.
Ospho MSDS

Tom in Florida

There's an article on the file base on using Muriatic acid and a length of chain. I did this, worked great. Just be careful of the acid, it's a mutha.

kzrider.com/forum/6-paint-a-bodywork/387...ing-rusty-fuel-tank/

kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_content...view&id=22&Itemid=11

Probably not as bad as you have it, but this was before:



And after:

Great ideas, all. Fact of the matter is, the method of rust mitigation isn't as important as sealing the tank afterwards. That metal isn't terribly thick; pinholes happen and then your tank leaks. Just make sure good prep-work is done per the sealer instructions and run some junk around inside the tank to seal the surface. Light rust might let you scoot by without sealing, but those seams at the bottom are notorious for leaking after rust has developed.