Anyone ever use Caswell epoxy gas tank liner?

I think I am giving up on ever having my Z1R gas tank rust free and may now have to submit to lining the tank.

Quick history:
Bought the tank 10+ years ago and had it painted expertly, the tank sat for years in my home and finally finsihing the on agaon / off again resto I discovered the Kreem liner that it had had failed.

Took me forever to finally remove the Kreem and now my tank has become a flash rust factory.

In the last few weeks I've used gallons of vinegar, can of Sea Foam, 2 quarts of MEK (methyl Ethyl Ketone) bottle of Evaporust, gallon of Acid Magic (great stuff) and a few gasoline baths.

I fear the zinc galvanzing is long gone and now the thing rusts before my eyes.

I have heard great things about the Caswell brand of Acrylic tank sealer and I think that is my only plan of salvaging this tank. Some experts rave about calling it simply bthe best.

See here: Caswell epoxy liner

The paint job on my bike is 100% perfect and appears factory in every way. Replacing it is completely out of the question and a re-paint in the event of damage is a horrifying prospect.

After using that shopping list of chemicals I did not damage the pain in any way.

The last thing I want is a tank I have to keep topped constantly and see martian red rust every time I peer into the filler.

This Caswell is given rave reviews by the half dozen forums where I've seen it discussed.

My concern is how the hell do you plug the holes (filler, petcock and the large oval for the fuel gauge sensor)

I have excellent rubber stoppers for the filler and could probably use aircraft tape or gorilla duct tape for the large oval but how do I prevent the drop ipe for the petcock from filling with epoxy?

Do I now have to worry about the tube getting coated or even filled up and then drill the stuff out? And if the inner part of the petcock pipe gets lined will I be able to put the petcock back in with the pipe lined?

I imgine anyone who lined a tank with Kreem, Red Cote, POR 15 or any liner could chime in with their opinions.

Here's the two openings I'm tanking about:



W

I used it recently. It is a thick product. Duct tape will hold it in. I used duct tape and a zip tie. My advice is roll it around slowely, it is thick. I let it drain thru the petcock hole. After drying for a day, I sanded off the resin flush.
I would go over board masking of the original paint. Again it is a thick product and not runny. I would compare it to cold pancake syrup.

Ditto what fhlwesty said but you can just let it run out of the holes. I have used it on a 70 triumph and a KZ900. It comes with more than enough to do two tanks but I would mix it all and let the extra run out just to make sure the entire tank gets coated. It also generates some heat when mixed. If you have some flash surface rust it will still seal it. Make sure the tank is free from any other gunk though. I have followed your thread on cleaning your tank out. I went through a similar experience but mine was not lined just old varnished fuel that was the consistency of silicon chalk. One thing about the caswell sealer, I would not want to try and ever remove it.

I have never seen flash rust act so fast...

I dumped out the quart of gasoline I put in hoping to seal the tank and it all turned martian red in 15 minutes.

I then used the Lynx cleaner which broke down flash rust... It removed most of it in a few hours an then seemed to stop working, so I hosed out the tank with water and parts of it flashed in just a couple of minutes. You could watch it turn. I put 2 gallons of vinegar in it and let it sit for a few hours and the rust is gone except where there is no vinegar. Turning it will remove the rest.

It is getting worse and a worse. I hear Caswell likes to bond to flash rust so it is my only hope at this point. The inside of that tank probably has every atom of zinc stripped and it is now a rust factory.

It can sit while I courier a Caswell kit from Ontario in and hopefully can talk to their experts before proceeding.

There is also a local expert who I can speak to this week. He has a good rep with tank sealing.

It is fine with the vinegar and I have it in a cool room in my basement in a large basket stuffed with soft blankets and towels. It can stay that way indefintely

Truly amazing how this metal can oxidize in just minutes.

I will have to flush it, blow it dry and commence the lining process almost immediately.

Pig9r: The Z1R tank is a maze of sharp corners and recesses. If the Caswell is as thick as I hear, how long will the thing have to be turned and flipped before I am safe to drain the excess?

I am in shape as I've rocked, flipped and shaken enough to make my own fitness DVD.

W

I would seal off all of the openings except the gas cap opening, pour it in, seal up the gas cap opening then immediately hold it to where it gets to the areas you think will be the most difficult to deal with. Then rotate it slowly around so the rest of the tank will get coated. About 30 secs each position. Then open it up and use a dental mirror and flashlight to take a look and see if you can see any areas you missed. Rotate it around some more then once you are happy let it drain out. I think you have about 10 to 15 minutes of working time. Ambient temp and humidity play a roll also. You might pour just a little bit in a cup or something so you can monitor how quick it sets up so you will know when to pour the excess out of the tank.