Removing rust from the tank?

Just rebuilt the petcock and found a decent amount of rust in the tank. The filter wasn't too dirty, but I'd like to get the rust out before reinstalling... Any thoughts on the best way to go about it? Not really interested in any tank coating, it wasn't that drastic.

CLR maybe?

 

Think you'll be doing yourself a dis-service by not coating the tank....even if you do manage to remove all the rust it will reform as soon as air gets to the untreated metal.

 

A product called Evapo-rust, can be had at O rielleys auto parts for 22 bucks a gallon. It takes about 2-3 days of soaking and then it will look dang near brand new. The stuff claims, biodegradable, no alkalines, safe for plastic, rubber, enviroment, etc. Pretty amazing stuff really. I use it for a lot of small parts to save from sandblasting. It will prevent rusting for a week after of removal of part.

 

Here's a couple neat videos on it from YouTube. This guys channel is full of excellent vintage bike info. I've gotten several good tips from him.
(the links are mobile because i'm on my phone but should still load. If not just google mrmaxstorey and you'll find the channel.)

http://m.youtube.com/#/profile?user=mrm ... TKHZSKuJtQ

http://m.youtube.com/#/profile?user=mrm ... 7I1O0K7EF8

 

View this Process:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Electro ... /?ALLSTEPS

::: Tip :::

Go to Auto Junk Yard.
Buy SOLID Radio or CB Antenna
Apply two layers of Heat Shrink at the BEND you need to make to not hit the HUMP below Filler Cap Hole to Prevent a Short.
Use as little Heat Shrink as possible.

POLARITY: RED + 12V Lead -->> to Metal Rod // BLACK Ground -->> Tank

 

That has to be the funniest thing ive seen in ages. talk about doing things the hard way.

just fill the tank up with a couple of handfulls of nuts and bolts and give it a good shake for a few minutes , tip all the nuts and bolts out and use a magnet to get all of them out then wash the inside out with thinners or petrol and then use one of the sealers

 

or give it a Phosphoric acid flush first; then wash out with oil/petrol and put it back in service.

I did one of mine 4 years ago and it's still rust-free.

 

by far the best way in my opinion but the acid is hard to come by for the general public over here and they dont like it being tipped away when finished with , although it cleans Patio's up lovely too

 

Hey guys thanks for all the responses.

Electrolysis looks like fun...but I don't really have the space to get that all set up at the moment. Maybe I'll save the process for the summer-time. It'd be a cool science experiment to show my little brother :lol: .

I'm going to go with streetbrawlers Evapo-rust. Looking at the description and reviews it seems pretty solid. Picked up a gallon of it cheap enough...
Anybody have any thoughts on evapo-rust and bolts swirled? I kinda wanna give that a try, I don't see what harm it could do.

Thanks for the links Jeff, there are some pretty good videos there. Don't think I can bring myself to put the tank in the dryer though...

Fitz, if I hadn't already gotten the rust remover I probably would have given your method a shot. I was wondering about preventing future rust though, do you think the oil/fuel mix is the best bet? Maybe oil/seafoam?

 

Evapo-Rust is around $10 a gallon from Harbor Freight. Yes, it works very well if given enough time.

 

Evapo-Rust is around $10 a gallon from Harbor Freight. Yes, it works very well if given enough time.

 

The funniest thing about it, ... is:

It works.
The Tank is rendered rust free.

The practice has been used for years.
Search the archives and look at the results posted by those who have done it.
Rust: Gone!

You need "Funny"!!!
HERE'S funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYVwD6fm ... re=related

 

por 15 makes a cycle tank repair kit for around fourty bucks. ive used it myself with amazing results, just be sure to follow the instructions precicely to the letter, take your time and more importantly do lots of research online for tips on the process. you can also pm me if you have any questions. i did the kit about a month ago and its holding up just fine but they guarantee it against rust for life.

 

My favorite part about all the "tank in the dryer" methods is the first rule.
"Wait till your girlfriend/wife/mother is gone for the day!!"

If this Evaporust doesn't work I will be putting the tank in the dryer...

My plan:
1. Put my gallon of Evap-O-rust in the tank. Seal 'er off and agitate every so often for about 5 hours.
2. If 5 hours with periodic shaking doesn't cut it (the stuff claims to work in 30 minutes), I'll add a few handfuls of small screws and switch from shaking to swirling. Probably let it soak for a day or so as well.
3. If I make it this far, I'll drain off the rust remover, throw in more handfuls of screws/rocks/whatever, wrap it up in some blankets and put it in the dryer.
4. If that doesn't work for some reason I'll check the price of phosphoric acid and talk to my friend about getting my battery charger back and go with whatever's more convient... :roll:

I'll update with my results...

 

haha great , I get in trouble baking freshly painted bits in the oven , she would kill me if I done that to our dryer . although makes me think getting an old scrap dryer in the workshop may be an idea . 8O

 

I have a really rusty 650 tank to rehab & I've seen the electrolysis before & tried it as well using dishwasher detergent (messy stuff)... I can't find any "Washing Soda" Baking soda, sure... Any other name or product I can look for to get the same pure chemical?

Not sure where I can find phosphoric acid OTC but that might be a good option too.

 

I'm now rust free!! :lol: Thanks to streetbrawler for turning me on to Evaporust!

I put almost the entire gallon in the tank, let it sit for awhile with the occasional shake for about a half a day. When I looked in there was a noticeable difference, but I threw a couple of handfuls of screws in anyways and gave it a good shakin' every once in awhile, let it sit for about another 12 hrs. When I gave it another peek, she was almost rust free! There were a few specks here and there, so I drained off the rust remover, got all the screws out, and poured the rest of the evaporust (about a quart) in. Another 1/2 a day of soaking and shaking and shes clean!

I will give the electrolysis a go in the future to see if there are any remnants, but over all I'm happy with the results.

 

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... CHsQ8wIwAQ


I don't think you'll need 10 lbs, but for 9 bucks you might as well lol...