Exterior tank rust

[ShirleySerious]

I've searched all over the forums for this, but I've only seen people who have problems with their gas tank rusting on the inside. My gas tank has a few spots of rust on the outside. It's not deep. I heard you can use spray paint and seal it somehow, but what's the best way to paint over the rust without spending a lot of money?

[J_C]

If it's not deep it might be better to just sand it off or use some steel wool. Why take chances you know?

[ShirleySerious]

But could I possibly paint it over to coat it and prevent it from rusting further and make it look better?

[J_C]

Sounds like you're in for a new paint job

I was in the store the other day (pepboys i believe) and in the paint section I saw something called rust converter. Supposedly sprays on like a paint but goes on clear, it suppoesdly turns black after converting the rust, or something. I think this is what I saw: http://www.duplicolor.com/products/rustfix.html

[jm_foote]

If you are really cheap, go to a hardware/automotive store (in canada, good ol canadian tire, i'm not sure what you folks have down south). There you can get aformentioned primer-like stuff called rust converter for about 5 bucks and paint it over the rust (make sure you scrape/sand off all the rough stuff). This stuff reacts with the iron oxide, stabilizing it and preventing the rust from becoming "cancerous". Just check in the painting/rustproofing aisle.

Personally, I would do this until winter comes, at which point I would repaint properly (if you have a heated garage, of course). It's not a big job (i've painted a car before, what a nightmare). You can probobly get away with your automotive store (Canadian Tire) stuff in the aerosol cans since the job is so small.

[Clone]

Anytime you paint over rust without sanding it off first it will look like, a too lazy to fix it right spray circle with a bunch of beading around it. Oh, then the first time you put gas in your tank and it runs over, it will cause that paint to wrinkle and look even better.
Just take some 1000 grit wet-dry paper, tape off the section with the rust, along the pinstriping or along the edge, sand the whole panel then go after it with some color match primer (I like the red-oxide), sand it with some 1500 lightly, another coat of primer, then put the color match for your bike paint over it, 2-3 coats, a coat or two of clear coat and it will good enough until you get the whole tank painted.