Brought her home...

old_kaw wrote: Rotisserie? I'm curious how well this works out for you. As I stated in other posts, I sealed up my tank with block off plates, then did the dryer tumble with it packed in tight. (~30 minutes, then reversed) First I did the tumble several times with MEK to remove the kreme crap and stop my carbs from plugging / flooding. Then I did the tumble with metal rescue and drywall screws to remove the trapped iron oxide. I now have a perfectly clean metal tank on a bike that never misses a beat. :whistle:

I'm sure everyone is sick of posting this pic of the block off plates, but this is how it's done.

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It cleaned up nicely.

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old_kaw wrote: Rotisserie? I'm curious how well this works out for you. As I stated in other posts, I sealed up my tank with block off plates, then did the dryer tumble with it packed in tight. (~30 minutes, then reversed) First I did the tumble several times with MEK to remove the kreme crap and stop my carbs from plugging / flooding. Then I did the tumble with metal rescue and drywall screws to remove the trapped iron oxide. I now have a perfectly clean metal tank on a bike that never misses a beat. :whistle:

I'm sure everyone is sick of posting this pic of the block off plates, but this is how it's done.

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It cleaned up nicely.

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Scirocco wrote: Why drywall screws?
Drywall screws has sharp edges that cut into the rust layer.

Scirocco wrote: Why drywall screws?
Drywall screws has sharp edges that cut into the rust layer.

old_kaw wrote:

Scirocco wrote: Why drywall screws?
Drywall screws has sharp edges that cut into the rust layer.

In hindsight I would not use them again. They are really pointy, but I wanted something that would knock all of that coating loose and get into all of the seams. I have some light chain that would have probably been easier on the tank but it would not have been as effective on the crap in the tank. I highly doubt there was much rust coating left inside this tank . It does look good inside.

old_kaw wrote: I agree with oldjeep. The blaster should be used for parts, not the tank. Use stripper for the tank. Aircraft stripper is nasty stuff, but the coating will scrape off without damaging the metal. Be sure to use eye protection, and rubber gloves. It splatters and burns the skin when it gets on you. MEK, BTW, eats rubber gloves, no matter what glove you use. :pinch:

Use the blaster for parts, and I would be very cautious with blasting anything internal to the engine. (hitting the tank rust spots with some media.)

Webbie1 wrote: After the gas tank, I'm not really sure what's the next logical thing to attack.... Warner

slmjim+Z1BEBE wrote:

Webbie1 wrote: After the gas tank, I'm not really sure what's the next logical thing to attack.... Warner

We've always held the position that's it's best to make sure it'll stop before it's made to go. Brakes first. But that's just us.

We've dealt with tank rust very effectively in the past by using electrolytic rust removal. Cheap, very effective & non-toxic. Do it outside, as hydrogen gas is produced as a byproduct.

Googling on the term "electrolytic rust removal" will return many results describing the process, supplies & equipment needed. The thing we do that differs from most setups is, we use a turn signal bulb in series with a lead (doesn't matter if it's the + or - lead) as a current-limiting resistor and process indicator. Don't despair if the results aren't thourough in just a few hours. Heavy rust can require 24 ~ 48 hrs. to be effective, especially on large areas.

This is a typical tank cleaning setup:
www.secondchancegarage.com/public4/gas-tank-cleaning-1.cfm


Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE