Leading

[Anonymous]

Ok, the first statement I would like to make is that I'm no expert. Now that that's out of the way, on with the show.

My tank had a few minor dents. They weren't that deep (about 1mm) so I decided to fill them rather than pull them out. Now, I'm not a big fan of body putty, so I decided to try filling them with lead (in this case silver solder - more on that later).

After a miserable time with the first dent using a solder gun, on the second dent I used a propane torch. I have to warn you that what you are about to see below is not pretty!

The first pic shows the virgin dent, waiting to be filled. OK, OK, I won't say that again.

http://groups.msn.com/SuzukiGSGarage/yoshimurags1000article.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=4762

I then roughed up the surface and made an outline to help in determining exactly where the filler should go.

http://groups.msn.com/SuzukiGSGarage/yoshimurags1000article.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=4763

Next apply the flux and heat. Then apply the 'lead'. The results that I got at this point are simply horrible. I didn't use and paddles to spread the lead (like real body mechanics). I was lazy (and cheap) and only had a few areas to do, so I just globbed it on.

http://groups.msn.com/SuzukiGSGarage/yoshimurags1000article.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=4764

The final step is to file it down. The end result is below.

http://groups.msn.com/SuzukiGSGarage/yoshimurags1000article.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=4765

Now that the dog an pony show is over, let me give some details.

Due to my cheapness I used silver solder and flux that plumbers use for copper pipes. Again, I didn't try to spread the filler, I just gobbed it on and applied heat until it flowed. If it didn't adhere properly in spots, I brushed some more fux in that area while still hot, then added more heat and filler. It seemed to work for what I needed.

You can probably see that the silver solder is not a perfect fill. I didn't get all of the edges to an exact fit. That's ok with me. I'll now use some putty for the final smoothing. It should be just a few thousands thick. I can live with that.

Note: I also used this same technique to fill aound the badge area on the side of the tank.

[shaftzuki]

Looks to me like you did a great job!! Shouldn't take too much filler to finish it off. 8) What color have you decided on?

[crag antler]

Doesn't look bad at all. 8) 8) 8)

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the compliments. It's a wonder what a file can do. 8) The tank doesn't look as good as the photos, but I didn't evpect a perfect job. That's what the plastic is for.

The color - I'm thinking either flat or satin black.

[earlfor]

Looks pretty doggone good Swanny. Not too shabby at all for an old fella. :-)

Earl

[Hoomgar]

Looks good to me. What did you use the strip the tank down originally to get it down to bare metal like that?

[Anonymous]

Looks good to me. What did you use the strip the tank down originally to get it down to bare metal like that?

Paint stripper from the home repair section. It's comes off real easy.

It's been sitting like that for a few months. We have a dry climate in Colorado. If I had done the same thing when we lived in Chicago, it would have surface rust all over it by now.

[fast eddie]

I'm assuming you emptied the gas out first (or maybe that's how you stripped the paint!)

Don't apologize for the looks:
1)it looks great
2)even if it wasn't perfect, you have more to be proud of than somebody who just has a dented tank.

[Anonymous]

I'm assuming you emptied the gas out first (or maybe that's how you stripped the paint!)

Don't apologize for the looks:
1)it looks great
2)even if it wasn't perfect, you have more to be proud of than somebody who just has a dented tank.

The gas was dumped out quite a while ago. It's been sitting partially open for the last year, so I didn't take any more precautions. No boom - so we be OK. 8)

The metal was used for one reason, so that when I apply the plastic filler it's in a very shallow coat - the thinner the better.

[earlfor]

Swann, the plastic fillers such as Bondo (brand name) are polyester base.
They absorb moisture. This is the reason every car you see that has had damages/dents filled with dondo, sooner or later (usually sooner) develops rust lines, surface washboards and the paint chips and cracks. For a filler,
it is much superior to use an epoxy based compound. If you have access to epoxy resin and catalys, you can mix it wil common generic talcom powder to form a peanut buttter consistancy paste to use as a filler. Usually, epoxy resin is sold in quarts or gallons and is 4-5 times more expensive than Bondo, so if you only need a little bit, buying alrge amount is probably a waste. However, once again there are alternatives. :-)

J.B.Weld is an epoxy filler (well doggone he says :-) ) and has excellent tensile and bonding characteristics. It also sands well, is immune to any kind of paint you wish to use and is temperature stable up to about 800F.
And..................best of all, it comes in small tubes that you can buy for about $5. Much much better choice than Bondo.

I would be happy to send you all the epoxy you can use, but with the Federal laws and ICC, shipping HAZMAT is not a sticky wicket I want to get into. :-)

Earl

The metal was used for one reason, so that when I apply the plastic filler it's in a very shallow coat - the thinner the better.

[Anonymous]

Earl, yea, I knew that Bondo absorbs moisture. I didn't know that you could use JB Weld as a filler. That's some good advice, thanks! I haven't applied the filler yet, so this is the way to go for me. 8) I was just about to call the local automotive paint supply shop and see if they had anythign in small quantities.

Right now I'm looking into getting a damaged tank for a newer bike, the ones with the flip lids. If I can get one cheap enough, I'll cut the filler out and weld it into my tank.

[solo suzuki]

been following your project bike for a while...lookin' real good

keep posting for all us voyeurs out there!