tinning steel (2025 Update) FAQ

I am making a fuel tank for a reproduction Briggs and Stratton Motor wheel. I intend to use 2 1 lb Coleman propane bottles, with the bottoms cut off, tig welded together with a steel filler neck also tig welded in. My problem is keeping the inside of the tank from rusting and I came up with an idea - don't know how feezible it is. I am thinking of putting some Oakley 95 tinning flux in the tank after sandblasting it, and before finishing the weld then heating the welded tank to about 700F and rotating it while maintaining heat to totally flow the tinning flux over the entire surface. After cutting out the opening in the filler neck I would tin the inside ofthe filler then flush out any remaining flux - leaving the entire interior of the tank tinned and protected from rust - basically like a terne coating.

What am I missing???? any obvious "gottchas"? ( I WILL braze "bosses" on the outside of the tank to drill and tap for the fuel fittings, and braze or tig on the mounting brackets before doing the tinning so no heating will be required after the tinning process )- then just a good cleanup and paint with gasoline-proof paint. I learned years ago NOT to use spray Tremclad on fuel tanks - - - -

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A small stainless steel gas tank:

Why not use aluminum ? easier to form and since you have TIG capabilities ... I found that discarded late model GM truck aluminum drive lines are just the right diameter for quite a few small projects , I'm using a section to build a ball mill for making black powder for pyrotechnic projects .

Aluminum is an option but the "domed" ends of the tank come ready made on the propane tanks and I would need to come up with the proper aluminum filler neck - not impossible - but I'd need to source a 1 1/2 inch aluminum pipe nipple and I've got the steel one all made already - along with the brass cap and the mounting brackets for the 3

My experience with POR in the past was it did NOT like ethanol fuel. Apparently it has been reformulated for stage II fuels?? I'd only need about an ounce - - - so it's an option - but I like the idea of the "tinned" tank - - -

Will an old school motor cycle tank Kreem kit do the trick? I never used one, but...

Like this

No you got me wondering if I saved the drive line off the 2500 I replaced or not...

Oh, I missed the ethanol on my first quick read. According the the PNW Riders, "It does not do well with ethanol (although they claimed they changed the formula)."

The thing is , you're pretty sure you did , just in case . You just can't for the life of you remember where you put it . I've been there ... way too often lately . They say that your memory is the second thing to go . I'll be damned if I can recall the first ...

Sounds complicated. Most ferrous metal fluxes for soft solder are acid, and can easily etch crevices that will trap moisture and rust. After it's all together there's not a lot of careful inspection of the solder coating possible. Why not sandblast, flux and tin the halves. then clean well and... use the same soft solder on a lapped seam to complete the closure, without flux (because the pre tinned surfaces will wick in fresh solder nicely).

The tank isn't for high-vapor-pressure butane or propane, I trust?

I don't know why this didn't go through yesterday.

Never used POR15 inside a gas tank but it never chipped off of my rear end. Biggest problem for you is that the smallest single can they sell is a pint for about $40. They have 4 oz cans but only as a sixpack for the same price as a quart, about $70ish. I've got about 3 unopened little cans left that I'll "never" use but I shudder to think what it would cost to ship it to you in Canada. They're 15 years old but still slosh when I shake them. If they did reformulate these are definitely the old stuff. If you want to go this way, maybe someone on ebay sells the little cans as singles?

Regards, Carl

Amazon lists half pints of the Fuel Tank Sealer for $19.30, with free shipping if your order reaches $35.

Your tinning idea sounds solid and could work similarly to a terne coating, but watch out for leftover flux residue, as it can cause corrosion over time. Make sure to thoroughly clean and neutralize any flux after tinning. Also, consider using a fuel-resistant tank sealer as an extra precaution.

Funny. I have an old aluminum drive shaft I have been saving that came off my 2500HD. Now I have a use for it.