Topic: AMAZING Gas Tank Rust Removal Trick!

[phil71]

OH , i don't know what battery.. what ever I have around that holds a charge really

[ncstatecamp]

this may be a stupid question/suggestion (since i dont know that much about metalurgy). After you've removed the rust would it make any sense to reverse the process and add some copper plate to the inside? I know they use a bit of copper in carbs so its fine for gas. Would this be helpful?

[Terry in Australia]

I tried this awhile ago with pretty disappointing results. It works, but is slower than a wet week in winter, so I gave it the arse and bought a gallon of "Phos-Wash" (phosphoric acid based dairy equipment cleaner) and cut it 1:3 with tap water and filled my tank up, (cut a rubber bung so I wouldn't have to bugger my petcock) and swished it aound every other hour.

Next morning I dumped it out, flushed and dried the tank, and it's like new inside. Unlike most acids, phosphoric acid doesn't attack your paint either. Cheers, Terry.

[HondaMan]

I tried this awhile ago with pretty disappointing results. It works, but is slower than a wet week in winter, so I gave it the arse and bought a gallon of "Phos-Wash" (phosphoric acid based dairy equipment cleaner) and cut it 1:3 with tap water and filled my tank up, (cut a rubber bung so I wouldn't have to bugger my petcock) and swished it aound every other hour.

Next morning I dumped it out, flushed and dried the tank, and it's like new inside. Unlike most acids, phosphoric acid doesn't attack your paint either. Cheers, Terry.

I discovered that it is hard on bluejeans, however!

[Terry in Australia]

I tried this awhile ago with pretty disappointing results. It works, but is slower than a wet week in winter, so I gave it the arse and bought a gallon of "Phos-Wash" (phosphoric acid based dairy equipment cleaner) and cut it 1:3 with tap water and filled my tank up, (cut a rubber bung so I wouldn't have to bugger my petcock) and swished it aound every other hour.

Next morning I dumped it out, flushed and dried the tank, and it's like new inside. Unlike most acids, phosphoric acid doesn't attack your paint either. Cheers, Terry.

I discovered that it is hard on bluejeans, however!

Not if you're not wearing any pants Mark!

[Esprit Performance]

For gas tank rust removal, Chewbacca has documented the use of non hazardous rust remover from http://www.rustdepot.com/. The post is here: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=95114.25

Wondering if grcamna2, GSX69bun, AEngelsrud, Irutt or others have any feedback and/or photos of their tanks using the Esprit

[Rigid]

Beautiful bike. Have used baking soda, battery charger, plate steel, and water in a 5 gallon plastic bucket for derusting springer frontend springs and various other loose parts like brake levers and hardware.  Works great, fun to watch bubble.  I have used the works toilet bowl cleaner on rusty seat pans in the same bucket with water.  Stick it in, wait 3 hours, flip, another 3 and done.  Unlike sandblasting, i can mow the yard while it works. 

[Hondawggie]

I used the works toilet cleaner on my sportster tank,worked like a charm

Pinhole leaks though -- that is a possibility -- but after my riding buddy showed me a cleaned Yamaha tank that had been rusted I went out and bought the same type of toilet bowl cleaner and read up on it -- turns out this bowl cleaner was muriatic acid which is a weak form of hydrochloric acid supposedly -- all the reading I did on it say that if you miss any during the rinse, if any is left behind in nooks and crannies you'll get pinhole leaks in the tank

Anyone seen nice looking gas tanks with 'unexplained' pinhole leaks?  I have. 
I use Phosphoric acid on my rusty tanks.

But dang the job that muriatic acid does on a rusty tank is incredible, compared to the 'before' so it's real tempting. 

I like this battery trick and am gonna try it, thanks dude!

[Hondajohn88]

I just did the 2 gallon cheap vinegar and Dollar store aquarium rocks thing
Swished and turned a few times over a day long period
Rinsed with diesel ,rinsed that with gas then filled my beatifuliy cleaned tank with clean gas!

kept the used fuels in old vinegar jar for future paint brush cleaner or whatever

same with vinegar but strained through nylon sock in funnel and will reuse for next tank....ps. had  about afist size clump of rust deposit in nylon after straining

Stinky and a bit messy but no damage to the paint and please use safety glasses if you try any of these methods guys....and gals

[Deltarider]

Dollar store aquarium rocks

What are those?

[kybushdr]

Hate to throw a chemistry lesson into the mix but citric acid neutralizes iron oxide.  I got citric acid in a powder form (websites for making bath powders, scented bath stuff etc...). Mixed with water, put In my cb350f tank, let it sit overnight and poured it out in the grass.   Harmless, non-toxic (didn't kill a blade of grass, heck you could drink it) and my tank was bright, rust free and shiny.  I put the stuff in plastic containers to soak rusty tools and parts, no fumes, no electricity, works great.   Will not plug holes/synthesize new metal, but it sure sounds safer and easier than all this other stuff.   All the best,  Kentucky Ken

[Tews19]

Hate to throw a chemistry lesson into the mix but citric acid neutralizes iron oxide.  I got citric acid in a powder form (websites for making bath powders, scented bath stuff etc...). Mixed with water, put In my cb350f tank, let it sit overnight and poured it out in the grass.   Harmless, non-toxic (didn't kill a blade of grass, heck you could drink it) and my tank was bright, rust free and shiny.  I put the stuff in plastic containers to soak rusty tools and parts, no fumes, no electricity, works great.   Will not plug holes/synthesize new metal, but it sure sounds safer and easier than all this other stuff.   All the best,  Kentucky Ken

Ken I'm curious you mixture ratio? I see 2lbs can be had for 11 bucks. I've done evaporust, works great but expensive. Vinegar is good for a tank I've done but this tank I want to clean is pretty rough. 

[kybushdr]

A teaspoon per quart, a cup per gallon, I should warn you about the timing, I had a backup tank just in case.  It would be safer to fill the tank and empty every hour into plastic container.   Then check the progress of your rust removal, if it needs more time, pour back from plastic container into tank, check in an hour etc..... my personal experience has been that it has never done anything more than remove the rust, but acid is acid, better safe than sorry.    All the best

[kybushdr]

Sorry, cup is too much per gallon, 10% solution so 1 part citric to 10 parts water and always add powder to water, never water to powder

[Hondajohn88]

Dollar store aquarium rocks

What are those?

The little coloured round  about half inch size stones  ,quickens the removal of really thick rusty gook in when you shake it round with vinegar .

[74CB400FFourSS]

Has anyone tried vinegar?

[new2bikes-again]

74CB400, yes I've done the vinegar. I was happy.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=112255.msg1261004#msg1261004

[Rudi91]

What do u do with your fuel cock/cup while doing this?
Won't it get filled with rust?
I was thinking about disasembling it and replacing it with a screw so the tank isn't open at the bottom.

[acollin]

I too used " evapo rust" and there are companies making like products. I found the stuff remarkable. It was not as inexpensive and the "electrolysis", but the tank is grey again on the inside. I bet you could drink the stuff.

Paint was unaffected. I put about 50 golf balls in the tank to take up the volume and save a little cash. I let it sit for a few days- repositioning the tank every so often. I bought it at Harbor Freight.

Not cheap, but it was trouble free and persevered the original paint.

[754]

If youpute steel parts in vinegar, and add a piece of copper pipe the steel parts will get  a thin layer of copperplate.

[jason41987]

i used this method on my tank.. i didnt complete the process, only did it about half way.. i used baking soda which isnt as efficient as washing soda, but it cleaned up a lot of the rust

as for the sacrificial piece of metal... your best bet is to have as much surface area as you possibly can... threaded rod would work VERY well and what i do after the sacrificial piece of metal gets a thick enough layer of rust on is i clean the rust off with a brass brush in my dremel to expose more un-corroded steel

[jason41987]

i just got an idea that im testing out now with good results... see, the goal is to have a sacrificial piece of metal to collect the oxygen and to form the rust... some people use rebar.. but the goal is to have as much surface area as possible, and its good to mechanically clean the rust off of the sacrificial piece of metal every so often so more clean metal is exposed

my idea was to use a piece of small diameter plastic rod... something non conductive because we want this piece to be reusable... then what i did was took some steel wire and wrapped it around this piece... this steel wire will collect the rust, and instead if cleaning the rust off, i can simply re-place the steel wire wrapped around it... and since the wire is coiled around it gives much, much more surface area than a chunk of steel alone would, which will increase the efficiency of the process, and clean the rust even quicker

ill take a photo of my tank when its clean.. both inside and out as i have a USB borescope i can stick in and look around with and take some photos of the inside from another perspective, from inside the tank... then i was actually going to give it a once-over with some rust reformer to get any bits of rust that may still exist where i cant see it, then line the inside of the tank with red-kote (this tank had a hole repaired onces before, so im not sure i trust it enough to not coat this particular tank

[ncstatecamp]

If youpute steel parts in vinegar, and add a piece of copper pipe the steel parts will get  a thin layer of copperplate.

How's that? Don't you need an electrical charge?

[MJL]

Sorry, cup is too much per gallon, 10% solution so 1 part citric to 10 parts water and always add powder to water, never water to powder

which is it? 1;10 comes out to 13 oz acid to one gallon, one cup is 8 oz

I've got some vinegar and have done the vinegar treatment to other rusty things, but I didn't like the way it continued to eat away at the base metal and flash rust when it was dry so I bought some citric acid and want to try.

[754]

No electricity, i was a bit surprised.. Seems the copper gets into solution and and the steel attracts it.