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Lining rusted gas tanks. Pix added! 10/28/13


Allisgrandson

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Caswell-1.jpg

This is the stuff I'm going to use. It's made in New York and shipping was cheap.

caswell-2.jpg

The cans as they are packed in the box. It is a two part epoxy that is supposed to be resistant to ethanol, racing fuel additives, water, gas, and heat, it bonds to rust, and it also seals holes, provided you duct tape the outside of the hole before you put this stuff in the tank. Sealing holes becomes very important in a couple of pictures down.

Caswell-3.jpg

4 of the 5 tanks being sealed. I forgot I had the 5th infront of the tractor. I threw a handful of sheetrock screws and some acetone into the tanks, strapped them to my tires, and drove them around for awhile. I dumped out a lot of rusty acetone and rust afterwards.

caswell-4.jpg

This little guy showed up though. He's about the size of a pencil eraser. I'm going to put a little duct tape on him and see how it goes.I won't get around to sealing it until next week. I'll let you know how easy it is to use.

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caswell-4.jpg.a2e4fdec60e08cf75ff0f4f70d1110ba.jpg

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I did one tank several years ago with a motorcycle tank repair kit from Eastwood...I worked real well. I did not get in a hurry and made sure I did all of the steps according to the instructions. jh

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Saw your post,I have found to clean the tank with BB's work well,and a cleaning solvent, never tried screws,.Have used a CREAM kit that worked well (3 part)most motorcycle parts houses stock this. GOOD LUCK

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Looks like some good stuff Brian. Luckily my tanks are good for now, but in the future I might try that stuff. Good idea of strapping them to the tires. You can mow & clean your tanks at the same time.dOd

Good luck,

Tim

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Thanks for the post on this. I have to do the tank on my 2010 im restoring, but havent done research on products yet. Please let us know how this goes once you have a chance to do it.

Thanks

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I used a product called "Kreem" on the tank on my 700. It's holding up great! You'll find it on a Google search. I bought it through my local marina. It was a 16 oz. bottle, and if I remember right, I paid about $20.00 for it. It's one part, just shake it up, and pour it right from the bottle, swirl it around in the tank, and drain off the excess back into the bottle. I did two coats. It sets up fast, and is pure white in color.

I used pea gravel, acetone, and a "whole-lotta-shaken" to clean the tank, and expose any tiny holes.

I did some experimenting, and also used this with a small paint brush, and coated the steering wheel and lift bar handle with it. It worked great, and is holding up excellent. Just pour enough into a small container, and paint it on quickly, using only what you can use in a few minutes, as it sets fast, once poured from the bottle.

You can see pics of my 700 in my profile picture gallery.

Just thought I'd chime in on this topic.

Mike.

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I use Red-Kote, but do not follow label directions. I talked to others who have used it, and the first coat is thinned 50/50 with MEK. The Mek is also used as a last rinse in the tank to remove all moisture. Second coat can be either the 50/50 mix, or full strength. I usually use the 50/50, and occasionally do a third coat, depending on how rusty the tank was when I started. I have done a welding machine, several old lawnmower gas tanks, a tractor (A Farmall) tank, and still have about half of a quart left. I bought it locally from a tractor parts company(Not the farm/city Tractor Supply) a couple of years ago for around $30. No problems at all with anything lined with 2 coats of the 50/50 mix. Tape over holes, clean out the tank, remove all fittings and cover with tape, then pour a small amount in. If it wasn't enough, pour a bit more in, or use more coats. Did I mention anything about WELL VENTILATED?????

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I myself did NOT have as good of luck with Red Coat. I did follow instructions and tank leaked after a few days after two coats of STUFF. Not real happy as now what do I have to do to the tank to retry with additional coats of Red Coat?

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The secret to Red Kote is to not put in in too thick, or, without thinning, then allow it to dry completely. The tank has to be turned over until no more movement of the film can be seen. I always leave them upside down after I can no longer see the material oozing, so that if there are any puddles, they will be on top

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I tried exactly what you said...My tank might of had too many pin holes to start. I really wanted to save the B-10 tank.Not sure what I will do now that I have the Red coat in the tank along with gas residue.

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Mayhaps I should say what "dry completely" means. In low humidity, that is about 3 days, at least. High humidity, longer. And all that at 50 degrees or higher. I usually let one sit a week in cool weather before the second coat, a week again, if I am going for a third. If you can smell the least hint of MEK in the tank, it is not ready for additional coats or gas.

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01cans.jpg

The cans came with clips to keep the lids on. I used a screwdriver and gave a quick twist to pop them off. Dented up the lids a bit, but they came off easily.

02tankbolt.jpg

The directions recommended using putty or Play-doh to plug the outlets. I didn't see how I would be able to easily remove either, so I went with bolts that I had in my junk bin. They ended up working great!

03tankdrain.jpg

I mixed up the complete batch, which is supposed to be able to do two 5 gallon tanks. I ended up being able to do four 1 gallon tanks, which I was pretty happy about. The gallon amounts don't equal out, but the surface areas are the important measurements. I missed the part of the instructions that said that if you were doing two tanks, that you should thin it with acetone or Xylene. This picture is where I am draining out the excess material.

04tankrustinside.jpg

This is the inside of the tank after coating. It ended up curing clear also. The insides still look rusty, but it's a shiny rust now!

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02tankbolt.jpg.30d6c9bdf3c0cf85bf6374fdb3e38d7f.jpg

03tankdrain.jpg.425a4c8ea870c5daf3ca5f0e65df26b4.jpg

04tankrustinside.jpg.a83b353e3e0ba29c94c0e1163a9eeda8.jpg

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05tankpatch.jpg

As I was handling the tank, I poked a hole in the bottom of it. I didn't have any time to JB Weld it like the other one, so I just grabbed a piece of tape and cut out the top of a plastic container to cover the hole. I stuck the piece of plastic to the tape, and sealed the tape around the hole. It came out nice and smoothly, as you can see. I hope to be able to sand it to rough it up and paint it at some point. I'll use it for a while and see how it holds up first. It feels quite strong for now.

06tankpatchoutside.jpg

This is the plastic and tape set up.

07pluggedoutlet.jpg

The only problem so far. I used one of the original elbow joint shut-off valves to plug the outlet. It wasn't long enough and the tank liner plugged the end. It doesn't seem to be in the threads, so I'll just drill the lining out tomorrow. The instructions say to wait 24-36 hours. I'm in no hurry, so I'll wait until tomorrow as I am just at 24 hour now.The other nice thing about this kit is that there is no odor to it, even after you mix the epoxy together. I did this on my kitchen table while my wife was gone, and she didn't even know I had done it. I also put the tanks to cure in the unborn baby's room, and she couldn't tell. Total price for the kit was $55. That includes the $11 shipping price. The lining seems durable and did a good job of covering the metal, from the little I can see and feel

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07pluggedoutlet.jpg.00dca97047777af323a83c94cfd098bf.jpg

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  • 5 months later...

UPDATE:

I've had gas sitting in a couple of tanks all winter and the lining is holding up great. o rust or particles in the fuel filter and the patched holes are not leaking.

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UPDATE:

I've had gas sitting in a couple of tanks all winter and the lining is holding up great. o rust or particles in the fuel filter and the patched holes are not leaking.

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Solder and muriactic acid work great. The great thing about this is the gas won`t eventually eat through the solder. Muriactic acid is cheap and easily neutralized. 5 minutes and you are done with a clean tank.

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Thanks for all the info,

I have always used Red Kote with good results, did not know about thinning it, will have to try that.

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