Internal coating of tanks

Has a pore come out in the tank of your Derby and oozes causing the drawing to spoil? Do you have the inside of your tank rusty and want to protect it?

In this article we are going to show you an economical way to solve it.

Materials for making an internal coating of tanks

• Pure acetone

It is a solvent that helps remove the viscous remains of some products, and thus keep the surface clean to be able to work on it.

• Pure petroleum jelly spray, Kontakt

Pure petroleum jelly spray Kontakt 701 is perfect to help unmold, it is also very useful as a lubricant and anticorrosive. Its aerosol applicator makes it easier to correctly impregnate the surface.

Depending on what we need, we will use a thinner or thicker layer on our tank surface.

• Epoxy resin for tanks, Epofer EX8151

This resin is used specifically for solvent-resistant laminates. Mainly for the interiors of unleaded gasoline tanks.

• Nitrile gloves

They are special gloves that do not inhibit silicone or resin. They have great resistance and are for a single use. They adapt to the anatomy of the hands regardless of whether they are right-handed or left-handed.

They always have to be taken into account as a protective measure.

• Resin diluent cleaner, Epoxy Cleaner

This diluent cleaner of Epoxy resins is perfect for cleaning tools and molds, so it serves to make the finish of the tank in perfect condition. 

Step by step to make the internal coating of tanks

Cleaning and preparation of the tank

• The first thing we have to do is empty the tank and clean it well inside. This is achieved with some industrial degreaser.

It is very important that there are no traces of gasoline or anything, since when applying the resin it would act as a release agent and would not stick to the tank.

• Once it is well cleaned, you have to see if it contains rust. In metal deposits it is usually generated, since the lack of use and humidity  cause these deteriorations. In case if there is rust you have to remove it as best as possible.

Our recommendation is to rinse the inside 2 or 3 times with acetone. To do this we are going to pour the acetone and some screws or nuts inside.

With this we are going to achieve two things. Scratch the inside of the tank so that the resin then grips better and tears off as much rust as possible.

We recommend that you count the screws that enter, since one could get stuck inside and obstruct some exit or entry of gasoline.

There are people who use more homemade methods to clean deposits such as vinegar, salfuman... Any of these works very well, but it can rust the tank a little.

Application of products to cover the tank of a Derby

Now that it is clean we prepare it for the application of the resin.

• With adhesive tape we cover all the exit and inlet holes that it has except the one of the gasoline cap, which is where we will pour the resin.

If you want you can use a little petroleum jelly in the threads so that you do not lose resin. It is very important to do this immediately after the reservoir is re-oxidized in contact with the air.

• When we have it ready for the casting we make the mixture. Resin E pofer Ex8151 is an Epoxy resin with chemical resistance so it will not be affected by gasoline solvents.

The percentage of mixture is 20% so for every 100 grams of base or part "A" we put 20 grams of catalyst or part "B"..

The amounts depending on the capacity of the deposit are as follows:

1. 5 to 10 liters: 200A + 40B 
2. 10 to 20 liters: 400A + 80B
3. 20 to 30 liters: 700A + 140B
4. 30 to 40 liters: 1000A + 200B

• We make the mixture well and making sure that it is well dry we pour the mixture inside the tank.

This Epoxy resin is slow curing so there is no rush. It has a working time of 90 minutes and 24 hours of curing.

• When the mixture is inside, close the tank.

So that the plug does not stick you can put a piece of transparent film and close it, thus preventing the resin from reaching the thread.

Drying process

• For 90 minutes or so we will be circling the tank. In this way we will get the whole interior to permeate.

It is not necessary to spend the 90 minutes going around.

You give it a couple of laps, you leave it, after 5 minutes you go back to give it a few laps... So for 90 minutes.

It is very important that you do not always leave the tank in the same position, because if it does not opt in that position. Try to support it from different positions.

For this application we recommend you to wear gloves, if you stain any part of the body with this it can cause irritation and other skin problems.

If you get out or stain your hands or tools with resin, it is best that before it heals it is cleaned with Epoxy Cleaner, this cleaner is special for epoxy resins.

Epofer Ex8151 resin is a resin that once cured cannot be dissolved so it must be cleaned quickly.

• Once those 90 minutes have passed, you let it rest in the position most similar to the one that the tank will have once placed in the vehicle.

• You have to remove the plugs and tape stops that we had put in and leave it 24 or 48 hours to cure well.

• If you see that when removing the stops and ribbons there is some burr or something you can remove it with a cutter or a stick that the resin will still be tender and will be removed easier than when it is cured.

• Once everything is well dry we can install it in the vehicle and use it. If you want you can give it a rinse before acetone to check that everything is well cured and that there is nothing left inside.

The best products for coatings in Feroca

Buy in our online store Feroca the materials you need to repair your tank like a professional.

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