stripping.....

[ross]

no prom...this is not a link to the website that has been giving the forum problems....this is a honest question....what is the best way to strip a tank that has been painted (very badly if i may say so...)...not sure how many coats are on it, but want 2 take it down 2 the metal and go from there.....also i'm planning on taking it 2 the paint shop after i drop the color on it and making sure the gas tank paint is gas-proof....don't want the paint washing off on the concrete...any advice is appreciated....thanx in advance...ross

[ccogswel]

I've used paint stripper before on my gas tank. Real quick. Just a little smelly. You'd want to use it in a well ventalated area. The stuff I bought was from Ace hardware. In fact it was a Ace hardware brand stripper. Just keep it wet after you brush it on. I found I had to brush it on kind of thick to get it to eat the paint. Took it down to bare metal. I called Autozone the other day to ask about their gallon size stripper and they told me about 23 dollars for it. They may have something smaller too. You won't need much.

[prometheus578]

"Stripping could lead to streaking."

One of the members mentions Aircraft paint stripper.
Do a search here for that.
And do it outside!
(not the search, the stripping)
(I mean... do the paint stripping outside)
(Don't get any on your petcock)
(I mean...)

Yeah, Ross, that other thread has me all frazzled.

[Crazcnuk]

Take it to your local rad shop and toss it in the hot tanks for a few days....

Clean inside and out.

[mro]

If using strippers...
Does not hurt to do a quick sand job to break open the paint surface. Stripper will work a little better.


mro

[ross]

brass poles 4 sale....

hey there prom....am taking your advice and will probably use the aircraft stripper as i can get it as a freebie.....also will be sanding the bare metal and giving it a thinner bath before i lay some primer on it...also, i took your advice and stripped outside (in the wonderful michigan snow), painted my petcock, and am planning on jumping my xs without a parachute....(ya just gotta one up Evil Kenevil by doing it without the parachute, especially when your gonna do it on an xs)....mro, that is very good advice and will be using the idea....thanx....Crazcnuk, that is a very interesting idea....please explain more....cleaning both the outside and inside would be superb....ccogswel, thanx 4 the advice, but i can get aircraft stripper as a freebie....ya know $$$ talks when it comes 2 keeping one of these running....thanx 2 all for the help, will let u know (w/pictures) how it turns out....ross

[Crazcnuk]

You take off all the 'soft' stuff, ie the gas cap, petcocks, gas sender, etc. Then take it to a radiator shop, or any decent metal shop, or auto/diesel shop and they should have a 'hot tank'.

A hot tank is a big heated tank full of caustic solution, used to clean feric and other hard metals. You put it in, and let it soak, and check every day.

If thier solution is good, it will take any and all paint, stripes, rust, and almost anything except plastic glues off. Inside and out.

I left a tool box in a tank once for a week. It came out shiny. Just had some weatherstrip cement still stuck to the inside.

[ccogswel]

Hey ross that's fine.

If I had access to free aircraft paint stripper I'd jump on it too. I'd rather use the aircraft stripper then the other I had mentioned as it is weaker. But I do like the ace brand stripper for the plastic side covers as it's not strong enough to eat the covers.

Keep in mind about the hot tank. Most places like that reline them after wards to keep them from rusting. Unless you want to put some gas in or thinner to slouch it around to keep it from rusting. It's hard to stop rust when it starts. Especially there in Michigan. If you can find a shop that will do a reline that would be a good idea. The local shop around here guarantee their linings for 20 years. I've done 2 standard tanks and working on a 3rd one that I plan on selling.

Good Luck!

[geniusloerts]

when i started my tank i first hit it with some 80 grit to brake the surface up, then proceded to lay on the aircraft stripper, went over it 3 times with that and scrapped off the residue (dont let it dry... can get difficult) DO NOT forget to wear some solution proof gloves. that stuff can burn bad. After stripping was done i toook it over to the media blaster and got all of the little residue and crap off that the stripper was unable to get, including in the seams.

WOW it cleaned up nice.....my friend who has a chrome shop mentioned we should chrome it becuase the tank was in perfect condition....no waves or dents at all. I'm still palying with The idea

[audijunky]

Do it, haven't seen one of them on an XS. and with a tank that big there will be no need for side reflectors

[Erik the Red]

lining a tank

When I was looking into lining a tank, I called a radiator shop, but they wanted way too much to do it. I ended up using Kreem, and I'm happy with it. Just make sure the inside is clean. Any rust that starts and is covered will cause the lining to peel. People who don't like Kreem probably didn't clean enough and then had problems. Kreem link (I don't know if this is a good price, I just googled Kreem -you should be able to find it at your local MC shop)

WARNING: If you go this route, line the tank BEFORE you paint it. If the caustic stuff hits paint, you have about half a second to get it off or it will start to eat the paint.

[Crazcnuk]

Yeah, I just use the hot tank, I line them myself.

Where I used to work had a hot tank, so I could use it all I wanted.

[ccogswel]

The radiator shop here charges 40 dollars. Thats hot tank and reline and a 20 year warranty.

I like it better over kreme.

[Crazcnuk]

That's not too bad. You can do it cheaper yourself, but it's messy, takes a few days of nitpicky labour and it smells! Not good if your garage is in the house....