Rusty fuel tank

Guys,

I cannot get a fuel tank sealer kit in time to do what I need to accomplish -- this weekend.

I have an old 8HP upright Briggs with the square 1-gallon tank affixed with "saddle straps". The interior of the tank is rusted to the point where pebble-chain-roofing nail treatments won't get enough of the rust out to prevent clogging the filter ASAP.

I can acid-etch the tank OK. I have hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, citric, and phosphoric acids available. I can sandblast it, too. But I expect after an acid etch, I'll probably have some pinholes.

So here's the question -- Is there anything really special about the epoxies used to seal old tanks? I have a solvent-free two-part material normally used for "clear-coat" applications on wood. It's a true epoxy, not an acrylic or a polyester.

Should this stuff work OK for gasoline contact? I work with chemistry a lot, but have little experience with solvent-resistant coatings.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh
Loading thread data ...

"Seal-all"

formatting link
-MAGIC!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Yep, but I need it by tomorrow, noon, and I was thinking more on the line of a "liquid tank liner" rather than just patching up the holes. If all I needed was to fix pinholes, I'd hard-solder them shut from the outside. I want to seal off and further protect the inside of the tank so I don't have to do this again any time soon.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

See if a nearby auto/motorcycle/marine store has some "creem" fuel tank liner.

Dave

Reply to
spamTHISbrp

Yeah... they don't stock Kreem or the O-13 goo. I can get it all mail-order, but not by tomorrow.

This is the old case of, "The boss wants to borrow the log splitter this weekend" syndrome. The splitter's been sitting idle for more than a year, and the tank's gone to hell.

I did the "Briggs shot rattle" last night with pebbles, then a chain, then roofing nails, but just couldn't get it clean enough to run for more than ten minutes between screen cleanings. If I owned a paint shaker, or could noisy up a local store for about a half-hour, I bet I could get it clean that way .

Still would like to seal-coat it, though.

So, the original question, modified -- Have any of you used any "non-traditional" tank sealer/liner products that worked?

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

Go to the airport and see if anyone has some Randolph sloshing sealer. Used to seal the insides of floats, and also to seal fuel tanks although it's "Not Recommended" for that purpose. Works fine, and the gasoline catalyzes it to set it. If you are in a lrage enough city, a local aircraft parts supplier will likely have some in stock.

Dan

Reply to
Dan_Thomas_nospam

Here's a link:

formatting link
Dan

Reply to
Dan_Thomas_nospam

The epoxy you have should do the trick. Damn few solvents on the planet will affect epoxy and gasoline isn't one of them. I have used 'cold cure' epoxy for a similar application with no problem.

Reply to
Ken Davey

Thanks. I have two licensed A&P-equipped FBOs within a half-hour's drive.

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

Thanks, Ken. That's good news in light of the fact that I have everything already.

(Even a gallon of MEK, Dan )

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

2nd try: How about fuel-proof paint? Swish it around and cure it in you wife's oven. Don't blow-up!
Reply to
Tom Gardner

Reply to
JR North

I have been using "Red-Kote" for years with great results. i get it from my "local" (town is 35 miles away) radiator shop. Rinse with MEK or Acetone and slosh it, set an old computer cooling fan over the opening to create a moderate airflow and speed drying. "Muffin fans" are brushless and won't make sparks. I a time pinch like you are, i would just get a new gas can, solder a tube into the side near the bottom, and set it on a stump with a hose feeding the splitter.

Reply to
Stupendous Man

I use old battery acid all the time to clean old tanks... Then neutralize it with baking soda...

Lloyd E. Sp> Guys,

Reply to
kbeitz

You need to work , instead ( Chemistry ) , with Briggs/Stratton ........ A Honda will outlast it by 100% ! and get better fuel econo .

Gas tanks are lots of trouble . A friend wanted to build his own for a custom , MIG'd it 3 times , still leaked .

I guess thats why they use expensive steel seam welders , and now plastic .....

Thats a crime ....PLASTIC , but it will be OK since the government sues Doctors out of business for liability , not car makers .....

I make shop gas cans from Propane or R-12 or Helium balloon bottles , cause i only have to weld a small hole in top ...

I made a air tank from 6 old R-12 tanks , but i inverted them so all rust would be at the neck ...

BTW anyone know Digi-mikes from ENCO that have 2 memories , so i can switch back/forth effortlessly between ABS and RELATIVE reading ? how about SPI set of 3 for $250 ?

Reply to
werty

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

formatting link
Seems like a no-brainer.

Chuck

Reply to
c.h

Right. The engine is over twenty years old, and runs fine except for my bad of not winterizing it before I put it to bed. It cranked on the third pull after over a year of sitting.

I don't think a twenty-plus year service life qualifies that engine, Briggs or not, as "unreliable".

LLoyd

Reply to
Lloyd E. Sponenburgh

Put a fitting in the side of a jerry can and stand it up next to the log splitter. Your current gas tank is toast..so get another one ....work around it.

Adapt, improvise, overcome. I one ran a gas genset with a hose connected to a motorcycle gas tank..still on the bike, to give it some elevation. Thats all we had and we needed the genny.

Gunner

Rule #35 "That which does not kill you, has made a huge tactical error"

Reply to
Gunner

Lloyd, Call B&S dealer. pick up a new tank. Cheaper and more reliable than fancy epoxy sealers and hoping that they work.

Bob

Reply to
rleonard

Okay, so I'm late and catching up, but Gunner wrote on Fri, 08 Dec 2006 17:02:24 GMT in rec.crafts.metalworking :

I saw photographs of a swamp truck with a can of gas on the roof of the cab, and a tube to the carb. Seems the fuel pump had quit, and he didn't have time, inclination or money (anyone or all three) to replace it. And for where he was driving (the swamp) didn't matter no how anyway.

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.