painting tank

[boba]

i need to paint a tank, how long does it take to dry one out?
something to do with if it has any gas in it, or its not completly dry the color can change. whats the views on tank painting?

[Nessism]

I can't imagine how having gas on the inside can change the color. How long to dry out depends on what method you are using.

[Dave8338]

I wouldn't suggest painting it with fuel in the tank. It's not like it's going to explode on you or anything...but the quality of your paint job is going to suffer greatly if you are limited to painting it as it sits flat on a surface. It should be empty, with the fuel cap removed, and the petcock removed with the threads protected with a donor bung or tape or something.

To do it right, you're going to need to flip that tank like' yas cooook'n brefest, buba...

It also needs to be spotlessly clean on the outside to avoid fish-eye in the finish. SPOTLESSLY CLEAN. I suggest laquer thinner or surface prep / wash or something on that line to do it. Also a tac0rag is your best friend to rid the lint that you WILL have after you're done getting things clean.

[RobC]

I've always had great results wiping the surface with a lint free rag dampened with acetone. Evaporates fast and removes any oils from fingerprints.