removing rust from a gas tank.

[taxonomy]

I tried out this method, it works great. You get Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (laundry detergent) and mix 1 tablespoon to a gallon of water. Fill the gas tank with this.

Get a battery charger and connect the negative lead to the tank. Place something iron into the tank but suspend it so that it does not touch the tank. I stuck a file through some foam into the gas tank. Connect the positive lead from the charger to the piece of iron.

This works amazingly well!! I was having an awful time of getting the rust out of the tank of my Honda Super Cub. This worked great.

After about an hour the water was rusty brown and the file was covered in some strange green slime, the tank had improved remarkably! This is truly magic. My tank has numerous structures in it and it appears to be cleaning from all sides. It's really amazing. Simple and easy too. I had been using CLR (phosphoric acid) and it was working OK but this is WAY faster and better. Plus it's just soapy water.

If anyone is working on getting an older bike going again I cannot stronly recommend this enough.

[GixerJockey]

Seriously? This isn't a joke? You put a positive charge through a rusty fuel tank and now it's not rusty anymore???

[MattyC]

I can vouch for Taxonomy, the chemical electrolytic process he is describing work miracles on all sorts of things. No smoking

[bigred875]

neato

[taxonomy]

It really works. Just connect the negative pole to whatever you want cleaned and the positive to the "attractant" metal.

You could clean parts of rust by taking a piece of rebar and connecting the postive pole of a battery charger to it. Then connecting the negative clip to the part you want cleaned and then putting them both in the plastic bucket with the soap solution. No scrubbing, no acid, no nothing.

All you need is Arm and Hammer laundry "soap" and a battery charger!

[Honclfibr]

It's got what rusts crave.

[reiobard]

cool science lesson by our very own Mr.Wizard!

[vintage ex race]

I did this same thing with an entire frame but put it in a big plastic livestock tank, I was cleaning parts up for my Dads 36 Indian 4,Worked perfectly,it even gets the rust out of the almost impossible crevasses that are so hard to clean out

[KB]

No shit who'd have thunk it?

KB

[Doc]

I am amazed at how many people have not heard of this.

[ZX-12R]

I'm amazed at how many people didn't pay attention in high school chemistry!

[taxonomy]

I'm amazed at how many people didn't pay attention in high school chemistry!

It's one thing to pay attention in chemistry and quite another to be looking a rusty gas tank and suddenly remember something useful 20 years later!

I do find it seriously amazing. It is like magic.

[Doc]

Honestly I have yet to try it but I have a perfect oppourtunity in my garage.

Do you put the charger on 2 amp, 10 amp or 50 amp?

[MattyC]

Just as a note, anyone doing this sort of thing on a large scale should be aware that the "bubbles" formed by the cathode are flammable. you might want to make sure this project is not in an enclosed room or you could end up detonating your garage. oops

[Doc]

My garage is already flammable with all the gas and oil I have spilled. I guess I will do this outside.

[taxonomy]

Just as a note, anyone doing this sort of thing on a large scale should be aware that the "bubbles" formed by the cathode are flammable. you might want to make sure this project is not in an enclosed room or you could end up detonating your garage. oops

It's hydrogen gas, but in tiny, tiny amounts. I think it would be pretty much impossible to get a mixture rich enough to detonate


My tank it still cooking but wow, it's like bright metal now. Just soapy water! No acid!

Adam

[JunoAF]

im going to try this tonight! i have a rusted out 88 ZX6 that im working on. what do you do after that hour? is the rust attracted to the file? or is dissolved into the soapy water and you just drain it out?

[taxonomy]

im going to try this tonight! i have a rusted out 88 ZX6 that im working on. what do you do after that hour? is the rust attracted to the file? or is dissolved into the soapy water and you just drain it out?

A little bit of both. The file will get coated and the soapy water will get rusty. Don't forget! Use Arm and Hammer brand. It's a chemical thing, Arm and Hammer is the correct chemical.

You can let it sit overnight or however long you want. You'll need to top up the water as some evaporates and some is turned into gases by the process.

It seems like a good idea to rinse and change solution ever 8-12 hours but the time frame isn't critical.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Adam

[Kham]

can't pay attention cause i skip high school.

hey thanks for the secret formula. what brand laundry detergen to use?

[Slyder]

electrolysis.....there's more than hydrogen coming out of the tank, there's oxygen as well...but probably not enough to cause any mushroom clouds.

Good info though, never heard of this before.

And we sure as hell NEVER did anything this cool in chemistry class. bummer

[joeswamp]

I've used this method many times to clean up ancient woodworking tools, it's fantastic. Never thought to use it on a gas tank, what a great idea!

Just make sure you get "Washing Soda" and not "Baking Soda". Not even sure what washing soda is supposed to be used for, but it's near the laundry detergent in the grocery store. Also make sure you get the polarity right as the scrap metal piece does get consumed IIRC.

[Loun]

ive been trying this using a trickle charger, its working but it seems slower than I thought it would be. Do I need more of a charge? How much time should it take to clean out a tank that had some surface rust? its been on for only 4 hours or so at this point but.. just trying ot understand what to expect, thanks!