rust removal using electrolysis

[Guest]

I decided against trying to remove a grapefruit sized dent from my tank. Instead I traded it for another tank without dents but lots of rust from a local salvage shop. I'm using a 1.5 amp trickle charger and steel wire that I purchased from Ace Hardware. so far it's working although I think it might take a long time to remove all the rust in the little nooks and crannies. I've been moving the wire around from place to place inside the tank to try and get it all the corners. my computer laid an egg the other day so I won't be able to post pictures but I'll see if I can snap some later. with any luck I'll be able to put bondo on the dings and paint it sometime next weekend or the weekend after. I'm hoping to have the tank done before the end of January.

Anybody have any insights in this process? I'm pretty confident it will work but I'd love to hear your stories.

Also, any suggestions on fuel safe epoxies so I can seal up some iffy spots? I'm also looking to coat the interior with a rust preventative/sealant and would appreciate any advice on reliable brands

[daturat100r]

Have done a lot of electrolytic rust removal and found an ammeter in the circuit is a must and in a petrol tank with the high chance of a short a light bulb in the circuit to limit the current would not be a bad idea.Get as much surface area for the scrap electrodes,use a bundle of wires or a bundle of thin strips rather than one will speed it up along with scraping the **** off them regularly as the current drops off as shown by ammeter.
A simple treatment with a proprietary phosphoric acid would be all i would do if tank has no holes.Acid will remove converted black oxide and leave a phosphate coating that resists rusting.Should give a good key for any lining u choose to use but i would only use a lining as a last resort
This method works very well as long as you monitor it regularly and just having done a whole motorcycle eying up chucking my new project z1000 thru the tank as well.As an aside this method is a superior method for cleaning up chromework requiring no abrasives to scratch the chrome.

[Nessism]

Metal prep, as sold by Home Depot, will eat off the rust in just a few hours. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...&storeId=10051

Make some good plugs for the various openings and dump in the sauce (phosphoric acid solution). Rinse clean with water, followed by some WD-40 to retard flash rusting. Simple and effective. I suspect your electrolysis will work as well, but if you get frustrated...

[chuck hahn]

Depends on if he is trying to save the paint as to if he wants to use Phosphoric Acid products.

[tkent02]

You will want a bigger charger.

[chuck hahn]

What Tom means is....SHOCK THE MONKEY!!!!!!

[MOC]

part of the reason I chose electrolysis is because I already had the chemicals and the charger on hand. I didn't want to go out and buy anything. The charger I'm using has a current sensor and will shut off if there's a short. I tried using steel wool as an experiment because of the surface area but it rots so quickly that it loses its effectiveness in about a half an hour. I've got it set up in the basement right now and I'm going to let it run overnight and through tomorrow. Hopefully that will take most of the surface rust off of it so I can scrape the rest with a wire brush.

regarding of phosphoric acid, I have discovered a small hole in the left shoulder of the tank that was rotted through with rust. It's about 1 eighth of an inch in diameter and I am planning on fixing it using some silver solder. I don't want to take any chances using JB Weld or bondo. Has anybody patched a tank using silver solder before? does it react with phosphoric acid? I would like to seal this tank when I'm done anyway because of this so I need a good bonding surface.

[Nessism]

Caswell's Epoxy tank sealer is thick. A good choice for tanks with thin metal. I've patched tanks with silver before. Works fine. The clean the metal the easier it will be to braze.

[MOC]

Went out and got some silver solder which has worked pretty well. So far it holds water, so I'm assuming it will hold fuel after it's been sealed properly. I've got to get a metal file from the store to knock down some of the ridges, but it's done. Phenolic Epoxies are really good against solvents, and Caswell tank sealer is getting rave reviews all over the internet so i think that's what i'll use. Thanks for the tip.


The electrolysis works marvelously, btw. the more surface area you have on your sacrificial steel, the faster it works. I used the bent up steel wire/round stock up where the tank rides on the rubber grommets near the triple tree and it worked really well. most of the surface rust just flakes off, and a once over with a wire brush removes the rest. This is a must try for anyone who doesn't feel like using abrasives, power tools, or chemicals. it's very hands off. i've dried it off completely with a quick warm up using the torch, and stored it somewhere dry. With any luck this might actually turn out ok.

thanks fellas.

[BigD_83]

I've borrowed a tank for my 650 while mine is being painted. The borrowed tank is from a poorly stored bike, and needs some cleaning. The clearcoat on it is going a bit, and also will need some work, but I don't want to damage it any more than it is, as I will be returning it to its owner, hopefully in better shape than I got it.

a. How did this turn out for you?

b. how did you suspend/insulate the electrode so it didn't short against the side of the tank? If the 450 tank is as cramped as the 650, this might not be an easy task, and

c. I used Caswell sealer on a Rebel tank, and despite being as thick as honey, was very pleased with the results. I didn't bother taping up any holes, let it cure for a long time, and I have had no problems with seepage so far.

[MOC]

It worked marvelously. I didn't have much interior rust to worry about but i used a piece of steel wire bent up in such a way that i could hang it insde the tank from a piece of broken broom handle above the basin. the battery charger i used has a short indicator light, so i moved it around until that light went off and then i knew i was ok. for the exterior of the tank i used the same wire, re-shaped to get it close to but not touching the worst rust spots.

I'm also very pleased with the caswell product. so far so good.