• Can't post after logging to the forum for the first time... Try Again - If you can't post in the forum, sign out of both the membership site and the forum and log in again. Make sure your COG membership is active and your browser allow cookies. If you still can't post, contact the COG IT guy at IT@Concours.org.
  • IF YOU GET 404 ERROR: This may be due to using a link in a post from prior to the web migration. Content was brought over from the old forum as is, but the links may be in error. If the link contains "cog-online.org" it is an old link and will not work.

Rust removal techniques

Bud

Bud

Member
Member
I got a little nudge to share my experience with electrolysis and rust removal. I've used metal rescue, rust911, molasses and this round electrolysis. This method is cheaper than the commercially available products, but a bit more than molasses. This can be time consuming, so it's probably best to perform off season. I'm talking weeks. I fill partially with soft water and add one half cup of washing soda available at Walmart. You can add a liter of white vinegar if desired. The tank is topped off with soft water. The pictures and videos tell the rest. I'm debating on getting what's left with molasses or running it.
photos.app.goo.gl

Electrolysis ZG1000 Gas Tank

36 new items added to shared album
photos.app.goo.gl photos.app.goo.gl
 
I've (thankfully) not yet owned a bike with enough rust in the tank to worry about. I'm sure at some point I will, though.

What's your preferred method so far? I've used Evaporust and phosporic-acid products (e.g. Krud Kutter) on small parts and hardware, but have never tried electrolysis.

If the rust was minor enough that a coating system isn't warranted, do you do anything to protect against flash rust? I hear mixed opinions on treating with Ospho or similar products.
 
After having two (2) tanks (’86 and my present ’95) rust through in the low, suspect areas….. even after several off-season gas treatment exercises. Apparently, that wasn’t sufficient. The ’86 got a quick patch, but then I was run over by some a$$ that ran a light and the bike was totaled. The ’95 tank got sent off to a place in PA (Moyer Fuel Tank Renu) that were supposed to be experts in tank repairs, but they totally destroyed the tank…… claiming it was far worse off that I had envisioned. BS! My .02 - Avoid these people!

I found a decent tank in FL, different color, but at this stage, who cares. I treated it with POR-15 and it’s in use on the bike now. If I live long enough, the bike may get a complete re-paint if I’m able to park it long enough.

I’ve treated two other tanks with the stuff:: my ’67 Honda CL77 Scrambler, and my 2002 KLR 650. It’s a good product and I’m totally satisfied with the results. A little time consuming, but well worth the effort.
 
When I purchased my ‘00 in ‘07, it showed the signs of the lower rust. I was lucky at the time to find an identical color tank. I washed it out with alcohol and treated it with POR15 to prevent any future reoccurrence. All these years later, still good👍😎
 
Preference would depend on maybe a few things. If cheap is what you're looking for, either the molasses or the electrolysis. Electrolysis is probably the cheapest. Molasses and the others above that. Electrolysis seems to be the slowest. Metal rescue is the most expensive . It's in the $100 for 5 gallon range depending on where you buy it. It does a very good job. Rest 911 is considerably less expensive than metal rescue. 1 gallon will make 16 gallons of rust 911. It needs to be mixed with either soft water or distilled water. The creator of rust 911 okayed soft water because I called him and asked. As for flash rust, I just rinsed it out with a garden hose hooked up to a soft water supply. I sucked out all the water with a shop vac and then I hit it with diesel fuel. You might see a little bit of diesel fuel in some of the pictures.
 
Clarify, I grew up with well water, we used salt pellets to "soften" our water, is your "soft" water treated salt water?
 
Bud said:
Preference would depend on maybe a few things. If cheap is what you're looking for, either the molasses or the electrolysis. Electrolysis is probably the cheapest. Molasses and the others above that. Electrolysis seems to be the slowest. Metal rescue is the most expensive . It's in the $100 for 5 gallon range depending on where you buy it. It does a very good job. Rest 911 is considerably less expensive than metal rescue. 1 gallon will make 16 gallons of rust 911. It needs to be mixed with either soft water or distilled water. The creator of rust 911 okayed soft water because I called him and asked. As for flash rust, I just rinsed it out with a garden hose hooked up to a soft water supply. I sucked out all the water with a shop vac and then I hit it with diesel fuel. You might see a little bit of diesel fuel in some of the pictures.
Click to expand...
I did the electrolysis thing on my CL77 tank. It was in pretty bad shape when I bought the bike-in-a-box. I wasn't aware of the molassas addition, so just used laundry soda and a pinch of salt. It cleaned it up nicely and was given the POR treatment once it was flushed and thouroughly dried.
 
gbyoung2 said:
I did the electrolysis thing on my CL77 tank. It was in pretty bad shape when I bought the bike-in-a-box. I wasn't aware of the molassas addition, so just used laundry soda and a pinch of salt. It cleaned it up nicely and was given the POR treatment once it was flushed and thouroughly dried.
Click to expand...
Molasses and water is a separate process. With the electrolysis I've used just the washing soda and soft water. I've used vinegar and salt and soft water. I don't know that I noticed any difference.
 
Bud said:
I have a water softener. Our water here is relatively hard.
Click to expand...

I've always have "distilled" water around from the garage dehumidifier (protecting the machine tools) or purified distilled I use in my CPAP machine. I probably just used regular tap water when I did my tanks. They didn't complain.
 
gbyoung2 said:
I've always have "distilled" water around from the garage dehumidifier (protecting the machine tools) or purified distilled I use in my CPAP machine. I probably just used regular tap water when I did my tanks. They didn't complain.
Click to expand...
I was using distilled water. I just got tired of paying for it. If soft water was good enough to mix with rust 911, I thought I'd try it rinsing the tank. Rinsing with hard water seems to promote flash rust.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top