Topic: I am in a predicament

[cb650 bobber]

I am in a predicament my tank re-rusted after doing the works method. I am thinking of either coating or buying another tank...there is a tank I can buy right now in good condition there is no rust on the inside....he wants a good  amount for it. I want to know what you would do...I am talking like 200.00 for the good condition tank. wwsohcfd. what would sohc forum do. and I just bought a brand spanking new oem petcock.

[Hope]

POR-15 the tank you already have.  Last I checked, $40 is less than $200.

[my78k]

I would do a search on here about de-rusting the tank 

J/K...actually you may not need to coat it at all. Many on here have cleaned the tank and not had any rust issues for many years. Are you talking about flash rust right after cleaning or rather rusting over a long period?

Dennis

[cb650 bobber]

it rusted reallly bad and it looked really good when I was done.

[Gordon]

Take a look at this other two-page thread you already started on this same subject.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=35329.msg364140#msg364140

[cb650 bobber]

I know that is before I had this option for a new tank.

[Scrubs]

You could clean it via the electrosis method which is very easy to do and seems to have worked for lots of people.

All you need is a wire coat hanger, trickle charger and some Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda.


Remove the petcock, as the aluminum in the petcock will be destroyed by the process,
Seal the holes with a piece of sheet steel and a piece of rubber inertube. or some other means.
Fill the tank with water and a couple of table spoons of Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda.

Take a bare wire coat hanger and bend the wire so it wont touch any metal when it is placed
inside the tank. use a spray can top placed on top of the petrol filler hole with a hole in it to
stick the end of the hanger through bend it so it doesent slip through the cap and secure the
cap and hanger with tape so it doesent rattle around inside the tank causing a short when
process starts. As it creates bubbles that could move it.

attatch the negative trickle charger clamp to tank body
and positive to that end of the pertruding hanger.

before switching on the charger, check for ohm resistance with a meter to check its not shorting.
if your charger as selectable ratings you want around 2/3 amps. check the current flow if you want.

leave it working the tank for a couple of hours, and look at all the #$%*y rusty water and gunk it collects
As it draws more poo the current flow will drop.

Empty out all the #$%*ty mess and repeat process until clean

*Edit*
I forgot to mention - if you do decide to do this - make sure you use a cheap charger as the newer fancy ones
that shut off when a battery has reached full charge - will stop half way through the process

[Jay B]

If it's just flash rust clean it again with the works and then coat the inside with 2 stroke oil till you are ready to use it.

[GammaFlat]

Here's what I used for the "coat-hanger" part:



The wood is oak.  I predrilled holes smaller than the nails I used - I clipped the head off of the nails and squeezed it together with a vise.  The first generation was the top one.  ...always trying to improve the process I made the one below.  I ran my charger mostly at 2 amps.  The shape of the wood is important so you can get it in the tank.  Not sure if it mattered but I switched sides several times - (dropped the nails/wood in left and right side of tank)  I took it out every 1-3 hours and cleaned the nails with steel wool.  I got some "free" tank liner from a fellow member (leftovers).  Blue stuff -     

I did NOT remove my petcock..... I'll know soon if I've wrecked it 

[asianq]

Just completed my step with the works. Check this thread out.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=35402.0

Go ahead and seal the tank... Much cheaper than buying another tank that you may end up having to clean the rust and lining anyways.

I recommend Por 15. Ditto to Hope.

Good luck.

[vrrvroom]

found a pinhole leak on my bike almost as soon as i got it and coated it with por 15 like many other people here.  the coating is nice and thick, but the process does take time.  give yourself about 5-6 hours to do the job from start to finish.  3 steps to the process:  1. clean up varnish with a bottle of 'marine clean' (1 - 12hrs) depending on how bad the residue is, 2. free up rust and etch the surface with a bottle of metal ready (1-2 hrs) and lastly 3. seal the tank (1-2hrs).  the hardest part you'll find is getting the excess sealant out of the tank.  take your time to do the job right with each step, since it's something you don't want to do again.  you can also incorporate the tips that others swear by, eg - free up heavy rust by dropping nuts and bolts or sand into the tank and then shaking the hell out of it, use something like 'the works' (hydrochloric acid) or 'iron out', and then there's the electrolytic approach which is highly effective as well.

to save you some time, from what i've gleaned after reading through the posts on this board, i've learned that:  kreem is a disaster and tends to break up after some time no matter how carefully it's been applied.  red-kote might also be ok, tends to be the brand that radiator shops use, but it's not easy to find.  that's another option if you want to avoid the work.  find a radiator shop that seals tanks; a lot of them do it and the cost will probably be somewhere between what you'd pay for the por 15 kit and buying that tank you saw.

most people here are diy'ers, so you'll probably get the suggestion that you do exactly that: diy.  good luck.

[lordmoonpie]

My favourite tank inside cleaning tip sounds terrible but it works! Take everything off the tank and seal the petcock hole. Pour in about a kilo of sharp fish tank gravel and a kettle full of boiling water and then put the cap on. Holding it with welding gloves, give it a good old slosh around for about ten minutes or until your arms are long enough to scratch your ankles without bending. 
Then, empty the whole plot out, stones, rust water and all. Add another fresh ketle of boiling water, swill and empty. Job done.

I know the water sound like a bad thing to use to get rid of rust but as long as it's boiling, he first lot warms the metal up and the second emptying will be followed by evaporation of the water really quickly.

Then - two stroke oil it or POR15 if it's real bad and you're away. Worked many times for me