Topic: Anyone use the Kreem line of products?

[6pkrunner]

Anyone here use the Kreem kits for cleaning their tanks? I got a few tanks they I'd like to try it on. But if its junk then I don't want to waste the time nor money.

Kreem

[my78k]

I have but I didn't use the sealer.  Heard too many horror stories about it peeling etc. It cleaned the tank out pretty well though. If your not going to seal it then there are way cheper ways to clean the tank. Do a search on it on this site and you'll find a ton of threads discussing various methods but after spending $50 on the kit last time I won't be doing that again.

Personally I would rather go to the hardware store and buy some phosporic acid...let it soak for a while...rinse it and then rinse with Acetone beofre putting gas back in...do the whole thing for like $8 instead.

Dennis

[eldar]

Well it depends on how many hoops you want to jump through. The kreem in most peoples experience is junk. Some have had it work but it takes a lot of work.
Por15 seems to work very well and no one has said anything bad about it that I have heard or read.

[dusterdude]

yamaha sells a good kit too

[ofreen]

I've used Kreem on four tanks.  The first tank I did was about 15 years ago for the tank on my '75 CB750F.  It is still fine.  The coating has not flaked or peeled.  I only know the whereabouts of one other tank that I did about 8 years ago.  It is still OK.  The other two bikes were sold a few years ago, so I don't know how they are doing.  As others have said, I believe the preparation is the key to success with this stuff.  I followed the directions and it seems to have worked out great.  The coating is very tough. 

I've heard good things about POR-15, but haven't used it.  I am going to am going to try the POR-15 on a GPW jeep tank soon, and will see how it goes.

[cbjunkie]

i'll just step in and say 2 things:

1. por-15 is great...in my experience - a word of advice if you go this way: follow the rules!

2. if you are just de-rusting or cleaning just go to Home Depot and buy a bottle or two of "The Must for Rust" and dump it in, shake it around, leave it, shake it around, leave it etc.etc. for at least an hour if not more...

the cleaner/de-ruster that comes with the por-15 kit is remarkably similar to this very inexpensive alternative product.

tip: a quick forum thread search with POR-15 will get you several great threads where we have hashed and re-hashed our experience with all of the available products and a few of our own ideas as well...

best of luck,
cbj...

[Buffo]

not ony does kreem suck but the finished product looks like #$%*.
If you are going to go through all the trouble of properly treating your tank use por-15

[cbjunkie]

not ony does kreem suck but the finished product looks like #$%*.

and peels off...

[stingray]

Used Kreem on two British tanks and on a Honda CB200 more than 5 years ago.  All were flaky and rusty, all turned out great no peeling.  I can't stress how important it is to shake the cupfull of bolts and screws or gravel which ever you use, until your arms feel like falling off.  Then after I did that, I would load up another bunch and do it again.
The tank prep (etching solution) product works exceptionally well to prepare for the coating.  I like the stuff.  The first step is the most important what ever you choose.
Good luck.

[BobbyR]

Once you clean the rust off the metal, keeping your tank full will prevent further rust. I would suggest you install a good quality inline fuel filter to catch any small particles that may come loose.

[Terry in Australia]

Like most "do it yourself" products, Kreem is the victim of the fools who applied it, and to say it's "crap" and it "sucks" is unfair in the extreme. Until POR 15 came along, it was all we had and it was a much better alternative to replacing rusted  tanks.

I've "Kreemed" a couple of tanks, and watched my cousin do many more in his motorcycle repair shop, all with good results. POR15 looks like an excellent product and I've heard excellent reports about it, just like the ones I heard about Kreem when it hit the scene 20-odd years ago. Cheers, Terry.

[ofreen]

Like most "do it yourself" products, Kreem is the victim of the fools who applied it, and to say it's "crap" and it "sucks" is unfair in the extreme.

You are exactly right.  Besides the ones who had bad luck because they didn't follow directions, many others I've heard bad-mouth Kreem haven't even used it.

[quietlikeachurch]

I used Kreem on my tank a while back and have had no problems.  The process is sorta annoying and takes alot of patience...I took too long on a step about halfway through and the tank flash-rusted so I had to de-rust it all over again.   BUT, when it's done right the stuff doesn't peel.  Just follow the instructions to the letter.

-Ian

[Objectionableone]

This stuff is excellent for treating your tank:

http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm

[eldar]

I think what the problem with kreem is that it takes so long and has to be done just right. Many do not have the patience for that and so now comes por-15 which does work better in many people views with much less prep work. you no longer have to rattle bolts around in your tank. Things get better and por15 is better. In another 10 years, there will be something better than por. just the way things go.

[my78k]

I noticed someone mention using gravel in the tank to loosen things up...just a suggestion here but I found the nuts and bolts idea to work better as I could use a magnet to get all of them out. Also not a bad idea to know how many you put in so that you know you got em all out...I had one or 2 little bolts that didn't want to come out...

[Bob Wessner]

The subject of tank cleaning comes up pretty regularly. When I did mine, I used the box of bolts approach. Got them all out, but kind of a pain. Shortly afterward someone posted an alternative suggestion that sounded pretty good. They used a length or two of sash chain from the hardware store, no individual loose pieces to fish out and account for.

[cbjunkie]

bob, i always thought you were the chains type..

[TwoTired]

Like most "do it yourself" products, Kreem is the victim of the fools who applied it, and to say it's "crap" and it "sucks" is unfair in the extreme.

I wholeheartedly agree.  It's particularly interesting when people who have never used the product, disparage the product, as well.  This speaks volumes more about them than the product they abhor, IMHO.

The Kreem process is a painting process.  Albeit a painting process that is subject to a much harsher environment than most paints.  I suspect that people who can't perform a successful Kreem, can't produce a successfull paint job either.

My experience with Kreem extends to one tank.  Followed the directions.  And, it worked as advertised.  I will use it again.  I did the last one in 1998 or 99,  it was still intact and working fine when I sold the bike last year.

My only complaint is that the kit didn't have enough of the rust eater to fill the tank.  This required multiple repositioning events to get all the interior surface cleaned, and extended the time to complete the prep longer than it should have.  It would be better to fill the tank to process the entire interior at one time.

Cheers,

[Ted Nomura]

I actually bought a spare CB750 gas tank from ebay with Kreem line in it. It seem to work pretty well but the gas tank wasn't really rusted through to begin with. So far it hasn't peeled.