Redneck Tank Derusting

[JEEPRUSTY]

I am not sure why this is an issue.
If the tank can be sealed then the occasional brisk agitation of the tank should be all that is needed.

I have used this product to dampen cloths and derusted vertical surfaces.
Just keep it wet.

In a closed tank the vapours would fill the cavity yes?

[verde]

^^^ Trust this guy. He has Jeep in his username, Chevy in his avatar, and is on a GS forum. I don't know him personally, but I know he knows rust.

[Redneck]

I originally used vinegar this past summer and more rust developed in the following week than what developed when it sat for 10 years!

I plan on coating it with por 15 too

-Dave

Vinegar is awesome to remove rust and very inexpensive and where ever you store your tank will smell like the day before easter and all the kids at the house painting eggs. The thing to know that people forget to keep mentioning is that you have to put some kind of sealant on the metal the moment you pour out the vinegar. Normally a full tank of gas will do the trick. The Gas will actually bond with the metal and form a protective layer. Not as good as a POR-15 or Kreem coating but if you don't want to spend the extra $50 bucks and you plan on keeping gas in the tank then you are good to go. Just remember you don't pour out the vinegar till you have something to put in the tank.

Paul

[5azzmonkey]

I am not sure why this is an issue.
If the tank can be sealed then the occasional brisk agitation of the tank should be all that is needed.

I have used this product to dampen cloths and derusted vertical surfaces.
Just keep it wet.

In a closed tank the vapours would fill the cavity yes?

I had the Evaporust in the tank for a week shaking and flipping it several times a day and it wasn't cutting it, that is why I needed a different solution.

I also like the BB/ball bearing method too but I don't own enough of either one.

-Dave

[5azzmonkey]

Tons of BBs to displace the evapo-rust and raise it up to the level of the hump? Let's just assume 50% void space, you could get the evapo-rust up to the 2-gallon level of the tank with 2 gallons worth of BBs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_close_pack

Great idea Just need BB's and/or some ball bearings

-Dave

[5azzmonkey]

Beautiful. You a NASA engineer?... Looks suspiciously like a prototype for the Project Mercury capsule.

Upon re-entry my paint burned off ..................

[1_v8_merc]

I've replaced the entire floor of a Jeep Cherokee.
Nearly destroyed two angle grinders in the process.
I've spent more money on rustoleum, than gas!

Good times...well not really

[Octain]

I originally used vinegar this past summer and more rust developed in the following week than what developed when it sat for 10 years!

I plan on coating it with por 15 too

-Dave

Hmm, I did mine with great results and it was bad, really bad.
I wonder if letting it sit in the tank for a month made the difference?
No coating here! I played heck getting the coating out of mine before the soak. I will never coat a tank

[Octain]

I saw a video on youtube were this good old boys fills is tank with old bolts, wrap it up in a blanket and stiffs it in a drier for an hour.

Seemed effective.

DP

I did mine by hand but lemme tell ya, a few shakes with a tank full of vinegar and aquairium rocks almost made me wanna hit Craigslist and look for a cheap dryer.

Thought about duct taping the tank to the drive wheel of a car. Jack the car up and put it in gear. Round and round we go..

[Sc0ttzi]

Alright folks, stop dealing with expensive chemicals and weird processes that don't seem to do anything. No matter how rusted your tank is, here's what works. Go out and buy a couple bottles of Sno Bowl toilet cleaner. That stuff eats through anything oxidized or rusted, but it doesn't actually etch the metal, and it doesn't damage paint if a few drops spill out, just make sure you wipe it off fairly quickly. Also, it is so effective there is no need for rocks, bearings, BB's or whatever. Pour a bottle in the tank, close it up, and shake it up. Let it sit for a bit, it doesn't take long, maybe twenty minutes. Pour it all out and do it again. After you pour it out the second time, rinse it out with water. It doesn't etch the metal like muriatic acid so it's not going to instantly rust again. Check to see if there is any sediment left. If there is it should be loose, just keep rinsing with water til nothing comes out. If the tank is really bad I still might do it a third time after all that. Also, generally this works well enough that there is no need to fill it up over the "hump" of the tank. Just shaking it up will clean the hump off.

I have used this process many times. The first was on a 1979 Triumph Bonneville that had gas sitting in it for almost 10 years. The tank was disgusting, had a nice layer of varnish on the bottom and the whole tank was filled with rust. It was BAD. Before knowing this process I would have called it a total loss. A few treatments of Sno Bowl later and it looked like it had just been pulled off a brand new bike.

If you're worried about the strength of it affecting your paint, you can cut it with water, it'll just take more treatments. But I can assure everyone, I work in a dealership that sometimes has to deal with older carbureted bikes that have sat with gas in them for years. This is the only process I use. IT WORKS.

[Octain]

Alright folks, stop dealing with expensive chemicals and weird processes that don't seem to do anything. No matter how rusted your tank is, here's what works. Go out and buy a couple bottles of Sno Bowl toilet cleaner. That stuff eats through anything oxidized or rusted, but it doesn't actually etch the metal, and it doesn't damage paint if a few drops spill out, just make sure you wipe it off fairly quickly. Also, it is so effective there is no need for rocks, bearings, BB's or whatever. Pour a bottle in the tank, close it up, and shake it up. Let it sit for a bit, it doesn't take long, maybe twenty minutes. Pour it all out and do it again. After you pour it out the second time, rinse it out with water. It doesn't etch the metal like muriatic acid so it's not going to instantly rust again. Check to see if there is any sediment left. If there is it should be loose, just keep rinsing with water til nothing comes out. If the tank is really bad I still might do it a third time after all that. Also, generally this works well enough that there is no need to fill it up over the "hump" of the tank. Just shaking it up will clean the hump off.

I have used this process many times. The first was on a 1979 Triumph Bonneville that had gas sitting in it for almost 10 years. The tank was disgusting, had a nice layer of varnish on the bottom and the whole tank was filled with rust. It was BAD. Before knowing this process I would have called it a total loss. A few treatments of Sno Bowl later and it looked like it had just been pulled off a brand new bike.

If you're worried about the strength of it affecting your paint, you can cut it with water, it'll just take more treatments. But I can assure everyone, I work in a dealership that sometimes has to deal with older carbureted bikes that have sat with gas in them for years. This is the only process I use. IT WORKS.

I've heard of a product called "the works", also a toilet bowl cleaner.
Read some where that if used in the same process you described you'll get similar results. Cheap and can be had at WalMart.
I wonder if it's the same product?

[kdo58]

hydrogen chloride is the main active ingredient, I did a search and it is used for de rusting metal.

[1_v8_merc]

Actually if time isn't a luxury, just go straight to Muriatic Acid(hydrochloric acid).
Actually it works a little "too" fast depending on dillution. Becareful, it will etch the **** out of your tank if you throw it in Straight and leave it even a short period of time.
I tried the "green/safe" version at home depot, and was very impressed.
No flash rust either.

Phosphoric Acid works wells too!(Naval Jelly)
If you use this, it will buy you Major time before it flash rusts.

[gerb73]

I am currently doing the electrolytic process. 2nd time doing it and it seems to work great. especially when you see the rust floating to the top of the water and the sacrificial steel plate is cover with the bad stuff. will try to add some pix.

[gerb73]

That is about 15minutes after start. Here is 3-4 hrs later.