Steel Tanks and Liners? Here We go Again....

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T95

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I picked up a used steel tank thinking I may have avoided dealing with my fiberglass tank. Now I am not sure! It's straight but showing some exterior surface rust, that I believe I can deal with.

The big concern is I can see some rust in the interior including what looks like areas of surface rust and small dime sized areas of scale. I have a good grasp on how to scale the rust off by tumbling with rocks, bolts chains or sand ..... !

I want to know how to make this tank last? I think the saying goes Rust Never Sleeps. So what is the long term solution and do I need to seal this thing or not?

Gary
 
Throw nuts and bolts with some oil and start shaking! Clean with appropriate fluid and coat with Cream tank sealer.
 
there is NOT one slosh sealer that will last with today's fuel and kreem is the worst. I would use a phosphoric acid product like ospho to help nutralise the rust and keep it full of fuel.

bmwbob said:
coat with Cream tank sealer.
Click to expand...
 
What Windy said. Don't coat it. When abrading, make sure they are small nuts and bolts or you will have a dented tank looking like Paul Newman's stomach in Cool Hand Luke. Sheetrock screws work well. Count 'em first.

On one of the other forums someone mentioned that Ospho (good stuff) has been discontinued by Tru-Value Hardware and they are heavily discounting their remaining stock if there is any left.
 
like Bill and Batrider say - sealers to suck that's for sure IMHO - many ways to remove current rust from tank (do a search), but addition of phosphoric acid is a good one for conversion and is also sold as "naval jelly" -

i have old tanks on my BSA, Triumph and Norton -and removed the rust by hydrochloric or phosphoric acid - following this i add a cap full of castor 2-stroke oil to the tank when i fill it up every-other tank or so - the 2-stoke oil is suppose to adhere to the metal and act as a rut preventer - don't know if there is scientific proof for this but I've done it for years and my tanks haven't gotten any worse so maybe there something to it....
 
a simple way is to us an old chain saw chain. one place to find ospho is a auto paint supply house.

batrider said:
What Windy said. Don't coat it. When abrading, make sure they are small nuts and bolts or you will have a dented tank looking like Paul Newman's stomach in Cool Hand Luke. Sheetrock screws work well. Count 'em first.

On one of the other forums someone mentioned that Ospho (good stuff) has been discontinued by Tru-Value Hardware and they are heavily discounting their remaining stock if there is any left.
Click to expand...
 
I've never lined a tank, but from I've read on this forum I wouldn't use any of the slosh liners, even if the manufacture paid me. I replaced my glass tank with an aluminum one. I sold the glass one on eBay, with the caveat: not suitable for ethanol.

No doubt, ethanol laced fuels are here to stay for some time. Investing in a new metal tank may be the best and cheapest way to go.
 
Several old husband's tails out there. Latest one I heard to get rid of rust was molasses. Battery acid and muratic acid will get rid of the rust, but then you need to contend with the after results which will rust in less than 2 nanoseconds. Phosphoric acid is nice, leaves a coating that doesn't rust, but you need to be sure all the rust is gone. How does one tell? There is also something called Evapo-rust. It seems to turn rust to a dark material (like molasses does) and doesn't rust right away afterwards, but no scientific proof of anything. Not sure how deep it penetrates either. I cleaned my oil tank with 1" dry wall screws and plenty of WD40 sloshing around for a day or two in a rube Goldberg device I made. It sure looked clean when I was finished, the screws were even shiny. Not sure how a metal tank would hold up after it's had some rust. I'm not sure I'd leave it full of ethanol for storage. Probably drain it for the long storage times and coat it with heavy motor oil or gear lube.

Anyhow, I'm sticking with my F/G tank and avgas for now.

Just my opinion.

Dave
69S
 
been there done that. same issue with fiberglass tank. looks good on the mantle. i actually filled my steel tank with vinegar. left town for 5 days. all the rust had melted. poured a bunch of junk screws in and sloshed around pouring out vinegar as i went. removed screws and rinsed with clean vinegar and dried by the furnace. had tank done by professional who pressure tested it and sealed it before painting.

i liked the vinegar idea as all the rest of the treatments i have read about seem fairly toxic and hard to dispose of.

yes the garage smelled like sauerkraut for a week but it has gone away.
 
Yamaha makes a good rust remover and neutralizer kit. Any Yamaha shop should have it on the shelf. Under 20 bucks I think.
 
I second the POR-15 metal ready (phosphoric acid) recommendation for eating rust & laying down a protective layer. I've had good results with their tank sealer product too. Not for use on fiberglass tanks.

I had a fiberglass Fastback tank attacked by ethanol & used a product sold by Bill Hirsch Restoration products. It was recommended to me by Doug (?), the guy who started CNW. It was a one-part white sealer that uses MEK as a solvent. I've never used "Cream"; it may be the same stuff, but it worked fine for me.

Good Luck,
 
Whatever you do avoid KREEM. The previous owner coated my tank with that crap and the fuel broke it down and turned it to glue...... nasty stuff. Here's a pic of my tank after I had the Kreem removed......
Steel Tanks and Liners? Here We go Again....
 
The shop here uses a product called Red Coat. They have been using it for a lot of years now and have had really good luck with it.
 
I have been playing with the electolysis on parts other than a tank. I suspect I will be trying it on my oil tank at some point. It does work, but of course it doesn't provide a protective coating. I have used the POR-15 Prep and Ready on items before painting. It is reusable so you could slosh the tank with it, drain it back to the container and save it for another day.

I think ultimately, doing things like periodic cleaning of the tank, storing the bike with the tank full (or completely empty), adding some stabilizer, and maybe some Marvel Mystery oil are all good things. If your bike is subject to a wide range of temp and/or humidity changes then taking steps to stabilize the environment will help with humidity control. Maybe just a heat lamp.

Russ
 
After tumble clean with sheetrock screws and solvent I used Bill Hirsch Restoration products etcher and slosh sealer. Claimed alcohol proof and after two years no sign of deteriation.
 
Yes first thing is to stay far away from (cream) I had a guy coat my hadaka tank not knowing better at the time, then when I picked it up all the chrome was flaked off. Long story short a fight broke out because he didnt want to pay for the re-chroming so I didnt pay him. Latter I had it dipped then chromed and now its top notch.

My 850 had the same problem with rust in the tank I did some searching because I didnt have the money and side covers (still dont) at the time, I found a shop in San Pedro (Century cyc) That told me of this stuff called caswell. I had it done some time ago and its holds up well its not coming apart and im happy for the time when I can get things done right.

http://www.caswellplating.com/restorati ... ealer.html
 
Hey Guys,
Thanks for all the replies but unfortunately the point of my post was missed. I really wanted to know if you have lined your tank or not and how your tank is holding up after descaling it rather than how to descale the tank.

So, if you have a steel tank in use that was previously rusted and you have descaled it and have not lined it :
Has the rust returned and is it causing any issues?
What steps if any did you take to prevent the rust from returning?
 
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