Removing old kreem job

[headsbikesmopars]

I have researched and don't find anything on how to remove old kreem coating job. Trying to save my '85 GS1150 tank the paint is flawless. PO kreemed it, not a good job. Want to remove the old coating and recoat with Caswell or Pore-15. Please advise and thanks.

TB

 

[loud et]

I did this recently. It calls for Acetone or MeK to soften the liner and a couple large handful of sharp nails/screws to scour the liner away as you shake. Back and forth sloshing and sliding of the screws works better than trying to shake it.
As you can imagine, the danger lies in risking a leak and the solvent getting on your paint.
It is a lot of work to remove the liner. The other danger is the tank slipping out of your hands as your grip fatigues.
The fuel sending unit hole and petcock hole are easy to plug, the fuel filler hole requires special attention .
I have devised ways to effectively plug all 3.

 

[wymple]

When you get it all out, use Red-Kote.

 

[Nessism]

I've posted extensively here on how to remove old liners. I have used MEK and/or paint stripper with good results. I also use a quart or so of sharp edged aquarium rocks, the uncoated type. They are smaller than screws and get into the various nooks and crannies inside the tank. They are a pain to get out but it's doable. Oh, and you are going to be really challenged to strip the liner while keeping the chemicals off your paint job. GOOD LUCK!

 

[BurntKittyForge]

Mssg. would be too long IF I go into similar personal experience detail, Perhaps it'll save some grief:

-A paint stripper containing "methylene chloride" .(then the ONLY coating I'd reapply is the two part Caswell epoxy, and that was a last resort ...)

-I ordered from Oceana Cycles on ebay and recommend them because of fast shipping (3 or less days) AND they're actually mentioned/listed on own Caswell's site.

BTW, -Acetone:NOPE ,
-Pea Gravel w/ Acetone:NOPE+ gravel is PITA to get out.
-The drywall screws= stuck in tank for ever and wouldn't even try it.
-Setting entire tank on BBQ grill and burning : frys ALL paint off, risks melting the weld seams maybe(?) and left me with a cool looking tank and burnt Kreeeeme and burned up rust flecks.
oh also Phosphoric acid stuff : nope just Kreeeme w/ black rust instead of orange
-Muriatic acid: NOPE stripped rust, Kreeeeme stayed and it flash rusts...

Just get the "methyl Chloride " paint stripper and two part Caswell epoxy . they don't mention/stress enough it has consistency of molasses and starts setting in like minutes though...Good luck.

 

[geol]

POR-15 sells a product made specifically to remove Kreem. Kreem is not particularly durable and needs to be installed while rotating the tank for HOURS to get it evenly distributed and seldom is. Nothing is more depressing than have it delaminate and start floating in the gas.

 

[hannibal]

I'd suggest Caswell for the relining. It's the only one I've used but it worked great for me. I tested a small mixture to see how fast it set. After that, I was confident I could coat the tank properly. I'd suggest leaving it in the tank for longer than Caswell recommends. I poured out about 4 ounces that should have stayed in to give me a thicker coating.

 

[TeamNeal]

I had to remove a poor Kreem job on my 750. I also had quite a bit of body work to do as well. So to "kill two birds with one stone" I decided to slice the pinch weld the whole way round the tank and shuck it like an oyster. Scraped out the liner and hammered out the dents. When I was done the inside was nice and clean and rust free. Then I simply gig welded it back together. POR-15 went in after welding. No leaks or delamination so far.(since October last year)


Here is a video. Sorry for the cell phone quality...https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hEhKOAj2iNY

 

[Nessism]

Wow Neal, you must be a master craftsman to cut the tank open that way and put it back together! Great video!

One of my pet peeves about the Por15 and Caswell's sealer products is they suggest that derusting the metal before sealing is optional. Caswell's goes so far as to say the rough rusted surface is good for the sealer to bond to and the Por15's info shows the sealer going down right on top of rust. In my view this is BAD information. I strongly advocate derusting as completely as possible before sealing. I use phosphoric acid in the form of Kleenstrip's Metal Prep as sold by Home Depot.

Por15 is the best sealer in my opinion unless there are holes, in which case the Caswell's stuff is thicker and better suited for the job. In either case the quality of the job depends on a proper derusting job first and careful application second. Getting a good coating on the inside is not trivial and many people mess up on that because they get in a hurry.

 

[TeamNeal]

Thank you Nessism! It took some work for sure. I originally wanted to paint the tank but ended up wrapping it in 3k carbon fiber instead to give it some looks as well as impact resistance. I stand by the POR-15. Always have, always will.

 

[bwringer]

As mentioned above, POR15 sells a product called "Tank Strip" for this exact purpose:
http://www.por15.com/POR-15-Motorcycle-Fuel-Tank-Strip-Repair-Kit_p_60.html

I don't know why anyone still sells Kreem or why anyone still buys it. That crap is downright fraudulent, and you'd think the word would have spread by now.

 

[geol]

Kreem does a great job for at least 4-5 weeks before delaminating. The statement was made that it peels off easily if the tank isn't prepped properly. Actually it peels off easily even if it does. The reason the OP saw the Kreem clump in low sections of the tank is because you MUST rotate the tank for several hours while it sets up, otherwise, CLUMP.

I have used POR-15 and it also takes a lot of patience to apply it properly but at least the effort yields positive results.

I would be interested to see if anyone has used Red-Kote tank liner. I always hesitate to use a product of this sort for the first time without knowing how others did with the product's use... ease of use, durability, etc.

 

[gs45082]

Avoiding the debate about the best tank coating nthego:

But to clean out the old stuff, use a length of chain! Hang onto one end while you shake it around the tank. I never understood why you would use rocks or whatever and have to fish them back out of the tank.

 

[Guest]

I just ordered the Caswell sealer. I had used a deruster last weekend, rinsed well, dried with a compressor, then put a little 2 stroke gas in, sloshing to coat the entire surface. Looked at it today, and it's crudding up again with rust. Looks like it had moisture in there even after I dried it. Thanks Nessism for the Kleenstrip suggestion. I'll pick that up and try it again before I put the sealer in. This is for my 900F tank. I had also read to help preserve the paint is to wrap it in the stretch wrap like shippers use. I'm not too worried about that as I actually have an 1100F tank on it, and it still has that paint job.

 

[Nessism]

I just ordered the Caswell sealer. I had used a deruster last weekend, rinsed well, dried with a compressor, then put a little 2 stroke gas in, sloshing to coat the entire surface. Looked at it today, and it's crudding up again with rust. Looks like it had moisture in there even after I dried it. Thanks Nessism for the Kleenstrip suggestion. I'll pick that up and try it again before I put the sealer in. This is for my 900F tank. I had also read to help preserve the paint is to wrap it in the stretch wrap like shippers use. I'm not too worried about that as I actually have an 1100F tank on it, and it still has that paint job.

Caswell's sealer is really thick. I'd cut it to the max allowable per the instructions and mix up the entire batch. Be really careful to coat the entire insides of the tank. It's not easy to get the hump fully coated. You also have to turn the tank upside down to get the filler neck area. Turn it around and around for 15 mins and then drain as much of the extra out. Once you did that then keep turning the tank some more until it firms up.

Personally, I think Por-15 is much easier to work with, but Caswell's is the better product if the metal is thin or there is pinholes.

 

[BurntKittyForge]

Caswell is the Only one I've seen mention that it is unaffected by alcohol and methanol (other additive forgot) ...

IF there is alcohol or methanol (other additive(s)?) in the gas with red kote for example, it will turn the gas red ...the kreme will melt and strands will be in/throughout the carburetor (In any/every capillary sized crevice ) ...

I could not figure how some of the stuff got through the fuel filter in my current bike (and in the carb bowls etc.).

Oceana mentions rumor that Caswell could seal probably a "cardboard box" for fuel tank use.
IMO it's true because I used a cut paper orange juice carton for mixing and the left over resin was clear, hard and flexible some and would've held gasoline fine. Oceana Cycles has a service of coating for the owner but I don't know the cost or shipping.

ALSO, there's mention of about twice the drying time at room temperature (or with some heat) for use of alcohol/methanol , So I left my tank open on top of a cabinet indoors for about 8 days.

One problem with removing Kreme using acetone or MEK is that it softens the Kreme , but then it's still sticky goo and even using a shopping bag of pea gravel and leaving it in w/ a can of ,around $20, acetone and shaking each morning for a week all that happened was it was a major pain to get every piece of gravel out...ALL the way to rinsing with small amt. acetone there was one piece of gravel I finally got with some putty on end of coat hanger...

I Still have one or more small pebbles lodged in the tank's water vent tube which P's me off to think of...By the way, the Caswell is thick enough that it'd probably harden the vent tube in place (IF it's weld has broken loose) (In my case, rain could get through the broken weld on tube in the gas cap socket portion...).

Man, I wasted a cr@pload of time and money on multiple chemicals on my tank last year: several "$1 Works toilet cleaner", "Krudcutter Must For rust", Actually a decent product otherwise (about 7-$8 @ Lowe's), jug of acetone, Pea gravel (got free from walking path and cleaned with water/filtered) , had to clean carbs TWICE, Plus the chemicals killed some grass and burned nose and throat a lot. In the future I'll use Caswell before any other liner/ after maybe one attempt at rust removal.

Oh, since I didn't anticipate the thickness , viscosity of the mix, I'd roll the tank a lot more for longer than I did while it's setting...My wife was in a hurry for me to give her a ride to vote right when it had barely set, (it was very important to her), anyway, I left my tank upside down (since it had gotten rolled every direction, when got home there was about 3/8th inch of resin hardened in top and it added some weight !
(It should've gotten drained out and unused) No biggie just would do it different NEXT time!
Well good luck and hope you mask off the paint very well since the stuff is very durable (like 3000PSI or such)...