fuel tank restoration and modification (formerly "Science!")

I got a rusty tank and decided to try my hand at electrolytic rust removal. the pics are kind of dark. I will have to get better pics tomorrow.

the first thing I did was wash the tank inside and out with a strong degreaser. then I gave it a good rinsing before setting up the electrolytic bath. it took 25 gallons of water to cover the tank. so I added 25 tablespoons of arm and hammer washing soda to the water, as per a video I saw on the tube of you. I am using an automatic charger set on 10 amps.


rust 1 by bmonkey36, on Flickr


rust 2 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

in the second pic you can see the rust moving to the (sacrificial) brake rotor.

CN

 

Re: Science!

There's a few things going on here that might hold you back from greatness.
Think of the + rotor as a light bulb, where the light is the brightest gets the best results
That's why guys put the + lead to something inside the tank and move it once in awhile.
And I don't know what it's going to do to your gas cap.

 

Re: Science!

I have seen some mention about "line of sight" in my research but I am not real certain about that. we will see. the gas cap and all other hardware has been removed. there is nothing in the tub but the tank and rotor.

CN

 

Re: Science!

Light bulb ..........."we will see".....

 

Re: Science!

I have done this before to clean the inside of a tank on my honda i did not submerge it pulled and plugged the petcock and made a proper anode taped everything off so it would not hurt the paint. It worked well changed the solution several times. Never had to seal it been on the bike for 3 years now. I have done a really rusty header also. Took its tole on my roll around battery charger. Ran it about 4 days straight between all the parts. Just do not try aluminum does bad things if you leave it in to long

 

Re: Science!

here is a better pic of the entire setup...


set up by bmonkey36, on Flickr

the rotor seems to be picking up quite a bit of rust already...


rotor by bmonkey36, on Flickr

and the filler neck looks a lot better so far...


filler neck by bmonkey36, on Flickr

I think I will pull it out tomorrow and give it a good rinsing out to see what has happened so far. then I will probably put it back in new solution for a second round. I have had some thoughts of putting an anode in the filler hole. I will make that decision tomorrow when I rinse it out and have a look inside.

CN

 

Re: Science!

so I am trying the internal anode...


electrolosys 2.0 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

I cannibalized a rattle can cap for an insulator...


insulator by bmonkey36, on Flickr


insulator detail by bmonkey36, on Flickr

CN

 

Re: Science!

so, the internal anode was looking promising...


science 1 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

but after rinsing it out and looking inside, I decided to cut it open...


science 2 by bmonkey36, on Flickr


science 3 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

and now the upper half is on solution and we will find out how well this works in a few days...


science 4 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

I love science, but it is slow.

CN

 

Re: Science!

slow is an understatement! so I decided to throw it in the blast cabinet.


after science by bmonkey36, on Flickr


blasted by bmonkey36, on Flickr

but I found the paint to be extremely thick! like, original paint, primer, glitter paint, primer, more glitter paint, primer, and a metallic silver topcoat.


blasted paint by bmonkey36, on Flickr

so I got out the can of chemical stripper...


stripper 1 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

I found a little bondo on the right side...


stripper 2 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

after several layers, I am close to being done with the stripper...


stripper 3 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

ready to go back in the blast cabinet...


tripper 4 by bmonkey36, on Flickr

stay tuned to see the clunk style pickup, drain bung mod and sealing the inside with por15 gas tank coating.

CN

 

Re: fuel tank restoration and modification (formerly "Scienc

Could try white vinegar or the cheaper cider vinegar (white vinegar is easier to judge the amount of debri during the process). I left my rusty tank submerged in a plastic tub for a week. Had to submerge it since I had holes in the tank, otherwise I would have only filled the inside of the tank and placed it in the plastic tub for safe keeping. Anyhow, submerged it had the added benefit of completely pealing off the paint. And all the internal/external rust was gone. A warmer ambient temp will speed up the process.

 

If you want to clean a tank up super quick, use some watered down Hydrochloric acid. It will do the same job, in about half an hour. You will have to wash it thoroughly with a degreaser after several times, the result will speak for its self.
(Try it on rusty nuts and bolt first to get your mixture correct, you will see how nice the result is)

Cheers

Gauge

 

I prefer phosphoric acid. If you leave your parts in HCL too long you will find the item weighs somewhat less than when you started! . It also eats rubber seals where the sensor lives. Whatever you use please use eye protection!

 

Use phosphoric instead........ it eats the rust, and leaves a protective coating on the metal. HCL will eat the rust, some of the metal, opens pores, and does not leave a coating......and the metal becomes MORE prone to flash rust.

dave F

 

Re: fuel tank restoration and modification (formerly "Scienc

I am planning to use phosphoric acid on the interior of the tank before I weld the 2 halves back together. then once It is a "tank
again I will coat the inside with por15 fuel tank coating.

CN

 

Re: fuel tank restoration and modification (formerly "Scienc

Cyclenoob, IMO I wouldn't coat the tank unless it absolutely needs it. Unless the tank has pin holes (but I assume you would braze that from the inside of the tank since it is open) or the metal has thinned due to rust in any areas and you want added protection. I guess in your case, since you have it sliced open and all the rust and debris are 100% have been eliminated, it is safe to coat the tank. It's just that I have heard people say that either the coating works great for years and others say it started flaking or dissolving after a few months. But that is most likely due to poor preparation and application. In my nephews case, he took it to a radiator shop who boiled and coated and even painted his tank. The inside coating started melting immediately and got into his carbs. Ruined the carburetors. Total disaster.

 

Re: fuel tank restoration and modification (formerly "Scienc

I am fairly confident that the por15 coating will last the life of the bike. I expect that when I weld it back together that I may not get it completely sealed up, so coating the inside will take care of any pinholes it may have.

CN

 

The only issue with using an epoxy tank liner comes from people not doing the prep work correctly.