tank restoration

[Monkey man]

Can anyone recommend someone in the uk who can de-rust a tank and apply a tank liner or has anyone had experience of doing it themselves . There are many who advertise but who can i trust to do the work ?

Cheers

paul

[akendall1966]

Done it my self - electrolysis to de-rust and POR15 kit to passivate and seal.

The critical bit IMHO is after the electrolysis which is a rust conversion process is removing any loosely attached iron oxide Fe3O4 from the tank so the sealer can bond to a solid surface. Problem being you just can't see inside to be sure it all solid. Too be honest I try to avoid sealer unless the tank is weak and replacement is not an option.

Alternative slightly more aggressive approach is dilute HCL (brick acid from a builder merchant). This is not selective and will etch the steel just as quickly as the rust so only good for tanks with a basically sound structure. Generally it will leave a dull grey metal finish but you might get some black smutt, but I find this is easier to wash off than what gets left behind by electrolysis. The downside of HCL is will leave a very active surface which as soon as you rinse and expose to air will start to flash rust. So with this approach you need to have the POR15 metal prep to hand this is a phosphoric acid zinc system which converts rust and leaves a zinc phosphate layer which prevents rusting and provides a good surface for the sealer to stick too (same principal as an etch primer). After a thorough rinse out of the HCL, in goes the metal prep and get rinsed around.

If your going to seal it you can never put too much effort into drying the inside before applying the sealer, warm air and lots of it into every nook and cranny.

Final comments:
Your working with chemicals: gloves; face shield; cover up; access to lots of clean water quickly in case of a splash.
You will end up with waste which need to be treated and not just dumped to the drains.

[markj]

I used evaporust years ago on a GT550 tank and it worked great. Looked like it had been sandblasted. I used quite a bit of it though and you really need to make sure the tank is as clean as possible beforehand. But it lasted for years without developing rust and the stuff is harmless to skin, pets etc.

[Vintageman]

EvapoRust: I give a B. Decent stuff works faster, only goes so far (just like the pic show above)

Metal Rescue: I give a A-... Takes a little longer but does a better final job. looks like shinny metal. fluid become black,,, if some black on metal still use a little more fresh metal rescue... dang it will turn metal to pitted but shinny metal. Dry tank well or left over moisture wil re-rust. Evapo Rust seams a little more forgiving here. These two seam very different: Evapo slippery yellow juice and Metal Rescue look just like clear water

Maybe I was dreaming (Home Depot Auto section?) but thing I saw WD40 making some metal bath now too.

Well so far I like metal rescue but have to order online (would if I had another tank to do), Evapo Rust is in a couple chain stores around me like Tractor Supply. I get that for general metal cleanup.

[markj]

Have to try the metal rescue - never heard of it before but it's been a while. The Evaporust took a while too. I think I let the tank soak for a day or two tilting it around to get in to all the nooks and crannys. One nice thing about it is it won't harm paint and I can be a little clumsy so that was a plus for me.

[Warehouse1001]

Metal Rescue has been the best and safest solution I've found....and I've tried them all over the years. The key is temperature. Below 70 degrees and it slows down to the point where it will barely work. Ideally, 75 to 80 seems to be the sweet spot, working relatively quickly at that temp. Evaporust is pretty good too but Metal Rescue works better for me. Good luck, Chuck

[Warehouse1001]

If you still feel a tank liner is necessary, I have had great success with Caswell. It is technique sensitive. A heat lamp on the tank to gently warm it will allow the solution to flow evenly, avoiding "tracks." Works well with ethanol too! Chuck

[pearljam724]

You would be insane to pay anyone a dime to restore a tank internally as far as removing rust and sealing. A blind monkey can do it. Takes minimal effort, minimal time and minimal expense. I've learned over the course of my life. When it comes to similiar paths. Do it yourself. There are a lot of people that talk a good game. But, they don't care about you. Are self proclaimed experts. Will take your easy money and could careless how happy or unsatisfied you are with their service. Why risk anything when it's so simple to do yourself ? Evaporust as stated previously, is an amazing product. So is POR-15 for sealing. A lot of choices for sealing. Some of those other choices aren't as good of a product.

[dgoodsy]

I too am interested in different products to de-rust and seal a tank. I have 2 tanks that could use it. I will be looking locally for por-15 and evaporust.

[pearljam724]

Piece of advice for those attempting a first tank seal. After rust is removed. Don't let a tank sit more than 24 hours after the rust has been removed to apply a sealant. Rust will reflash in an amazingly short period. It only takes 2-3 days for rust to heavily reappear. But, most importantly make sure the tank is bone dry. After the tank's rust has been removed. Blow the interior dry with a hair dryer. Allow it to set for 24 hours. Then hit it again with a hair dryer right before you apply the sealant. Allow the metal to cool for an hour or so. Use an expansion plug for the gas filler to allow you to turn the tank upside down to shake and slosh the evaporust around every several hours for a few days. Drain the tank of crud during the process and refill. Screen filter the evaporust before you put it back into the tank. I recommend 1.5 - 2 gallons of Evaporust. 1 gallon isn't quite enough. You can reuse Evaporust dozens of times for other projects if you filter it.