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Message started by engineer on 11/25/11 at 18:23:09

Title: tank sealant
Post by engineer on 11/25/11 at 18:23:09

Hello group, I am looking for some advice about sealing a 31 year old motorcycle gas tank. It is not in real bad shape (no leaks or pin holes) but there is a little rust showing on the inside and rusty crud is working its way down into my inline filter.

I was thinking of using the product called Metal Rescue to clean out the rust. What would you recommend for coating and sealing the inside. I have some slow setting epoxy and thinner. I wonder if that would work? I would appreciate your suggestions.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by MotoBuddha on 11/25/11 at 18:36:44

On my modded Ryca tank I used some stuff Caswell makes. It's epoxy based and isn't bothered by ethanol. It dries clear and VERY hard. The instructions say not to worry about getting all the rust out. Just rattle a handfull of drywall screws around in the tank to get off the worst of it, then rinse, dry and coat.

http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by BurnPgh on 11/25/11 at 20:29:46

id just wrape it well in a towel, throw a length of small chain in and put it in the drier on tumble.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/25/11 at 22:25:07

A quart of Ospho costs about 12 bux at Sherwin Williams. It chemically changes iron oxide to iron phosphate. It has phosphoric acid in it, It wont kill scale, only one layer of rust. Id rinse the tank & let it dry, then put a cup O Ospho in & move the tank so every part of it is the low point for a few seconds.
When you dump the Ospho, put it in glass & see what it looks like,.
A flashlight to see if the tank is black . If it is, thats iron phosphate. I think its pretty hard,

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by Boofer on 11/25/11 at 22:38:26

Since you have a 31 yr old bike, I assume it will be hard to get another good tank and you really don't want to mess this one up. I have NO practical experience other than what others say, but the three part sealers seem to work well. You have to follow instructions to the letter and allow drying time as needed, and they are fairly expensive. Also Justin og2 has a lot of experience, and like others on here, can get away with the cheaper version, so I trust his judgment, as well. What kind of bike is it? Just curious.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by verslagen1 on 11/26/11 at 01:54:17

A little more on the dryer technique not just. Towel stuff it with foam you don't want it bouncing around
then I'd ospho it.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by engineer on 11/26/11 at 17:49:06

Thanks for the suggestions. It is an old Honda CB125S. It's a lot of fun and I rode it around in the back lawn this summer. It had been stripped down and made into a dirt bike with some enduro parts but this winter I plan to restore it back to original condition. The guy who stripped it saved most of the original parts. It only has 2000 miles on it and I got it for $250 with title.

That ospho sounds good. I think I will clean out the tank and give it a try. There are some old blankets and things around the house I could fill the dryer with to cushion it.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/26/11 at 20:00:43

Use a blow dryer, man,, thats risky tossin it in the dryer. Do it outside.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by Boule’tard on 11/26/11 at 20:13:23

I've heard good things about POR-15. It is supposed to be like 'kreem' but better. 40 bucks for a turnkey solution.

http://www.amazon.com/POR-15-Cycle-Tank-Repair-Kit/dp/B000H9K4JQ

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by sbaugz on 11/26/11 at 20:14:32

i Used a product called evaporust to dissolve all the rust away. Pour it in and let it sit overnight. I purchased at harbor freight tools. Then, once the evapo-rust does its job, put a handful of drywall screws and some water in there and shake the hell out of it. THen, rinse with acetone and let air dry.
Finally, use some caswell tank sealant. Its an epoxy that dries glass hard. You do not have to worry about flaking or failure like you do with kreem and POR products. Caswell is great stuff and is what Ducati recommends for sealing all their new tanks (ducati had a problem with ethanol eating through their plastic tanks fairly recently and caswell is applied now through ducati dealerships as a fix). Easy to use and great stuff. Cannot recommend it enough.

I did this process with my '75 Honda CB200 tank that was probably the worst tank inside I have ever seen. Looks almost new now.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/26/11 at 21:06:21

Doesnt sound to me like this tank is in such bad shape as to require such efforts & expenditures..
Owner?

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by Markusublime on 11/26/11 at 21:17:47

I second the evaporust idea,another benefit is that you can drain and reuse the evaporust again.not to mention,it works great also.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 11/27/11 at 05:31:18

Whats the $$$ on Evaporust? I think I saw that stuff advertised on a Hot Rod show. If thats what I saw & it works even almost as well as the ad made it look like,, its good stuff.. I dont know about how easy sometjhing so treated rusts again. If youve got the $$ & the time for an Old Feller type test, get a piece of metal, rust it up some in the back yard, treat one end w/ Ospho & the other w/ Evapo & then toss it on the ground & walk away & see which end rusts up. No difference? Take yer pick!

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by MotoBuddha on 11/27/11 at 06:07:34

I got a gallon jug of Evapo-Rust at Pep Boys for less than $10. It worked very well on some rusty external parts. I didn't think to try it on the tank.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by houstonbofh on 11/27/11 at 08:32:17

The problems with coatings is tomorrows fuel. Every time the fuel changes, you see posts all over the net about peoples coatings partially dissolving and gumming up the carbs. It happened with MTBE and with ethanol.

I wrote up a way to "restore" a mildly rusted tank for the Rauder folks. Spacer Jim posted it to his site here. http://www.spacerjim.com/faqs.htm It is "Get the Rust Out of Your Tank" and you can link directly here. http://www.spacerjim.com/Fuel_System_Hygene.txt

Please ignore the spelling errors. I banged it out in a post, and it was copied here. :) There is also a difference in the petcock on the Marauder, and therre is a fuel pump, so adapt as needed.

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by sbaugz on 11/27/11 at 09:30:13

Evapo-rust is absolutely fantastic stuff. I have a 1975 cb200 that I am restoring. It was sitting outside for 30 years in the rain and needless to say, it was coated in rust. A little soaking in evapo-rust and most parts are like new. It just eats away the rust without harming anything else, including paint. Well worth it!

Even if you just slosh some evapo-rust inside the tank to get rid of all the rust, then use some nails to clean up the caked on stuff, then rinse in acetone- you cold probably just stop there and not use a sealer. Just fill with gas and you are good to go.

Great, great stuff. I paid around $25 for a gallon from harbor freight. Wish I had known about pep boys, or I would have purchased there for cheaper according to motobuddha

Title: Re: tank sealant
Post by engineer on 11/28/11 at 10:38:17

I just noticed that in the Savage Scrambler thread there is a discussion about Evaporust. He mentioned that he bought a gallon at AutoZone for about $10. I looked online and everyone wanted $22-$26 per gallon plus shipping. This area is retail deprived but we do have an AutoZone so I will see if they have any in the store.