petrol tank cleaning

[restoal]

Im not sticking my nuts in no mixer

[Biscuit]

Your not reading the instructions Alistair, OUTSIDE the mixer. Cooler, preserves fecundity.

[Circlip]

I have no idea what fecundity is. But the size of your nuts makes a difference, for instance if you have big nuts then you may do yourself some damage.
If your not very well equiped you could use someone elses nuts. Or ask your neighbour if you could look at his nuts.Edited by - Circlip on 14 Mar 2008 02:17:24 AM

[Rick.Edwards]

Fecund means fruitful in offspring or vegetation.

[T]

the old treacle trick eh ? - i've done a few tanks with a method used by our american cousins that goes like this . . . make up a solution of phosphic acid , ( thats bathroom descaler to you and me ) about 50/50 is plenty strong enough . although you'll need a fair bit but it's pretty cheap , and you can reuse it . fill the tank to the neck , and keep an eye on the level - it will make gas bubbles as it works . ( thats the hydrogen gas coming out - smelly ! ) no naked flames please , and do it on a sheet of plastic in case of spills after a while depending on the rust/solutin ratio is you wil have an etched clean surface . it should be a grey colour - clean , bare metal , -yipee ! if not refill and leave it a bit longer . hours not weeks ! it will eventually eat through your pride and joy , ahem . . . anyway , when you are satified , rinse out the tank with loads of clean water - i used my garden hose , or the shower hose with the head removed to get into the corners . after flushing out the next step is to dry it out . the best way to be really sure of getting it all out is to flush it again with acetone - this combines with and totally neutralizes the water . again this can be reused again and again . you only need a cupfull . voila ! afterwards i usually coat the insides with a sealant . petseal or any of your favorite brands will do , or the ol' rust will come back again , nice bare steel does that y'know . i've done three tanks with a single batch of this stuff and it works well . treacle/mollasses is o.k. but this is the full monty . acetone might be a bit tricky to find but it is the only way to get the water out , a gallon can will last me forever . . . . you can derust all kinds of stuff this way , it's good at stripping old plating and paint too . just be careful , it is acid after all . . . - T .

[Circlip]

Acetone is nail polish remover. Its a funny world but the value seems to depend on what you want it for.

[T]

true , but nail polish remover has lanolin in it to prevent the skin from dehydration . it will leave an oily film in your tank , reducing adheision of sealant . it would need another flush out with a degreaser - celluose thinners would be ideal , although the pukka stuff is trichloroethelene 'trike' - aerosol brake cleaner . if you've got deep pockets , its the real industrial grade degreaser , it'll shift 99.999 per cent of any oil . i'll put my anorak away now . .. sorry about that . . . . T .

[Merlin]

Thought trike had been banned by the great and the good?

[T]

probably , but it was a while ago that i used some . i havn't been to halfords for a bit , they might still sell a similar product that contains perchloroethelene (perk!) which is only a little less powerful , anyway celluose thinners is still out there . don't use turps , white spirit or other similar stuff , they too leave faint oily residues . oh , btw make sure there is plenty of ventilation ( elf and saftey nazi order # 00610p/88x!) it's quite fierce stuff - even the fumes can strip paint from your new shiney bits. at a pinch , acrylic thinners can be used , but beware - it will probably contain touline - a known carciogenic . avoid the fumes with this ! read the labels , many of our favorite brews can contain nasty stuff . it is clearly written on american brand stuff but is often omited in the u.k. - the risks seem remote that you will drop dead with the big c . but why take the chance . headaches and nausea mean you are doing it wrong why spoil the fun !