Help removing tank coating

[Deathdeelr]

A past owner coated the inside of my tank and it's peeling off. One of the petcock strainers is broken and the stuff is making its way into the filters and starving the #1 and 2 carbs for fuel. I attempted to remove some of it with some compressed air and it was coming out in sheets but there's still a lot left. I'm about to try that aircraft coating remover I've heard other guys use. We'll see how it works. Anyone have any luck removing tank coatings?

[Incubus]

Depends on the liner, but if it is a Kreme liner you remove it with MEK (methyl ethyl ketone). You can buy MEK in the paint section of your local Home Depot.

Patrick

[mack]

Crap removal

If it's loose enough for compressed air to take some off you can put a length of chain in there and shake it around and get get most of it off before you put in a chemical for the stuff thats still adhered.

[John]

The manufacturers of Kreem recommend acetone. Two gallons will be enought to clean out an XS tank. Let it sit for a while in one spot then turn it so another area is being soaked, and repeat until all areas have been soaked and no more liner can be seen. This could take 4-5 hours so be patient.

[skids]

The manufacturers of Kreem recommend acetone. Two gallons will be enought to clean out an XS tank. Let it sit for a while in one spot then turn it so another area is being soaked, and repeat until all areas have been soaked and no more liner can be seen. This could take 4-5 hours so be patient.

Acetone will remove it with a length of chain to scour it, but it will eat your paint job also. That overflow tube is in the tank too, so be careful with that. A hole in that tube would not be a good thing.

[SthrnSqrl]

Acetone will remove it with a length of chain to scour it, but it will eat your paint job also. That overflow tube is in the tank too, so be careful with that. A hole in that tube would not be a good thing.

Agreed. Acetone...No chain. Unless you like having to re-braze the vent tube into the tank.

[fredintoon]

No! Don't use chain!

If it's loose enough for compressed air to take some off you can put a length of chain in there and shake it around and get get most of it off before you put in a chemical for the stuff thats still adhered.

Hi Mack,
I have a Standard tank that had a length of chain jammed around it's filler cap pocket drain tube after an attempt at Kreem removal. The smart move would have been to leave it there but Mr. Stupid chopped the tank open to remove it then Mr. Bodger did a super-ugly gas welding job putting it back together then buried the welds under a thick layer of Bondo.
Just needs a belt sander on the Bondo to get the shape back.
Yours (anybody's) for postage.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

Por

POR makes a much better coating then anyone. If you have a botched fix job, best bet would be get a used tank that is OK. Do the three part POR fix to it and live happly ever after. Fixing a poorly coated tank is asking for trobble IMHI, you can find good used tanks on ebay for cheap.

[Deathdeelr]

The Mar Hyde aircraft coating remover worked great. I got a gallon of it from Advance Auto for $35. I got about 5 applications out of it and it got almost all of the coating out of the tank. I taped rubber over the petcock and level sender holes and poured the stuff in the filler. Then taped that up and kept rotating it around for about 20 minutes. When I removed the tape and washed it out it looked like vomit in the sink. I washed it out with hot water, used compressed air with an extention tube to get into the nooks and crannies then repeated the process until I was out of the coating remover (about five times). I chased it with some MEK and chased that with some acetone. The paint on the outside of the tank is destroyed but I don't care since I needed to repaint it anyway. I'm going to get another quart of ACR to remove all the outer paint and do the new paint work this week. Thanks for the help guys.

I might add that I did this at the job in a stainless steel slop sink. The drains in the shop are processed before being released. Since the ACR ate the rubber that I used to cover the holes along with about ten pairs of rubber gloves that I used I wouldn't think PCV drain pipes would last long.

[cywelchjr]

Hi Mack,
I have a Standard tank that had a length of chain jammed around it's filler cap pocket drain tube after an attempt at Kreem removal. The smart move would have been to leave it there but Mr. Stupid chopped the tank open to remove it then Mr. Bodger did a super-ugly gas welding job putting it back together then buried the welds under a thick layer of Bondo.
Just needs a belt sander on the Bondo to get the shape back.
Yours (anybody's) for postage.

Hey Fred,

Whats the condition of that tank other than that? I need to repaint my tank, but I tend to not do things that mean taking the bike off the road, since frankly I would rather ride than wrench (unless I can do both at the same time), but if I had a temp tank I could put on to ride with while fixing up the one I have now (virtually no rust, just needs stripped and repainted (again)) that would make it so I could do both. Any idea on the postage cost down here to sunny Kalifornia?

[fredintoon]

Hey Fred,

Whats the condition of that tank other than that? I need to repaint my tank, but I tend to not do things that mean taking the bike off the road, since frankly I would rather ride than wrench (unless I can do both at the same time), but if I had a temp tank I could put on to ride with while fixing up the one I have now (virtually no rust, just needs stripped and repainted (again)) that would make it so I could do both. Any idea on the postage cost down here to sunny Kalifornia?

Hi Cy,
other than the great wodges of Bondo over the weld scars the tank is in OK shape. Of course, no paint. BTW it's a bare tank, no filler cap, no fuel taps, no badges & no sender. If I hadn't gotten a better one from Andreas I would be using it myself.
That tank cost US$65 to send to me from Florida mebbe 4 years ago. As Canadian postal costs tend to be way higher than US ones my best guess would be the thick end of Cdn$100. I just burned myself guessing way low on postage to the USA so if you are interested at that approximate cost I'll get an on-line estimate.

[skids]

Then taped that up and kept rotating it around for about 20 minutes. When I removed the tape and washed it out it looked like vomit in the sink. (snip) I wouldn't think PCV drain pipes would last long.

That is true. Plastic plumbing will not like paint stripper. I had to replace an ABS down pipe in my house and I didn't put much down the drain!!! I Know, I know...serves me right.

[XS1100_OEM4ME]

pipes

That is true. Plastic plumbing will not like paint stripper. I had to replace an ABS down pipe in my house and I didn't put much down the drain!!! I Know, I know...serves me right.

Yes, flush your pluming well I would let the water run for at least a half hour if you put air craft remover down your drain Having been a pilot and also stripping many cars ect with the stuff, it will eat a one inch layer of bondo right off, same with your plumming As far as your tank goes, if "ALL" of the old milk is out you can reseal with POR tank seal but I would leave it to dry in the sun a day or two. You may be supprized how much stuff comes off those inside walls

[Deathdeelr]

The ACR worked great on the outside of the tank as well. I was surprised at the amount of rust that was under the excess coating around the filler neck so after the paint was stripped I ended up putting the tank in the media blaster to get the last bit off. I rinsed the inside with acetone and some nuts and bolts and even more coating came out along with some other chunky monkey. After about an hour of rinsing and rotating, rinsing and shaking, a gallon of acetone, five gallons of jet, and a whole lot of water the tank is finally, officially clean. I put a coat of primer on it for now and will start on the outside tomorrow. After reading the posts concerning the overflow tube I even pressure and vacuum tested the tube with some compressed air and a Mity Vac to be sure I didn't damage it. A-o.k. I decided not to coat the inside with anything else. I don't want to go through this again a few years down the road. If the tank rots out I'll deal with it then. It seems pretty solid now.