NEED HELP - who does aluminum gas tank lining??

[uglyducky]

HELP!!!! Does anyone know of a tank lining service that does aluminum?  GTL in Los Angeles no longer does aluminum (http://www.gastanklining.com) and i'm at a loss at this point as I don't want to go to paint until i have the tank lined.

[ducpainter]

Why not just do it yourself with Caswell?

[GK]

Pardon the ignorance, but why does an aluminum tank need lining? I thought the problems arose only from the plaso tanks and ethanol.

[He Man]

I dont think it needs to be sealed if the welding was done properly. But the caswell should seal the tank entirely no?

I had a road racing aluminum tank on my old monster, but i dont recall if it was coated or not. unlikely though.


Thats one PURDY tank though!

And I second ducpainter. Just caswell it yourself. The kit runs about $100 and should be easy to do since you dont have to do any intensive prep work like you would need to with a rusty steel tank.

[ducpainter]

Pardon the ignorance, but why does an aluminum tank need lining? I thought the problems arose only from the plaso tanks and ethanol.

It seems that the issues that ethanol creates are not friendly to aluminum either. It's all about the water.

[uglyducky]

Why not just do it yourself with Caswell?

it's looking like that is the move i suppose. the manufacturer suggested "red kote" - has anyone used that?

[GK]

It seems that the issues that ethanol creates are not friendly to aluminum either. It's all about the water.

Right.

Makes me glad my tank is steel and Ethanol here isn’t standard.

[ducpainter]

I haven't used Red Kote. I got out of the business myself.

I watched a quick video, and it seems straightforward. The biggest issues with a Duc tank is covering the openings so you can slosh the coating around. I suppose on an unpainted tank it wouldn't be that crucial as you could clean up any mess with solvent.

I'd clean the tank interior with solvent before coating to get any contaminants from forming off the aluminum.

Red Kote is available on amazon.

I think that Caswell would work fine also. It's more expensive, more finicky as far as mixing, and would need to be reduced. I used Caswell straight one time. The stuff is so thick it's impossible to get it to flow all around a tank before it cures.

Give the RedKote a try.

[chipripper]

Duckpainter,

I have the same tank in the S2R version, and am in the same boat as UglyDucky. I want to coat and paint, and will likely DIY the coat.

When you say "I'd clean the tank interior with solvent before coating to get any contaminants from forming off the aluminum."

Any specific recommendations on the solvent, and would you do any other prep to the interior, like roughing it up, before applying the coating?

[Speeddog]

I talked to one of my resources on this topic, he said the main issue is getting a good etch on the aluminum prior to coating.

Different alloys etch differently, and there's no way of knowing what alloys are used in the various parts of the tank.

[ducpainter]

I talked to one of my resources on this topic, he said the main issue is getting a good etch on the aluminum prior to coating.

Different alloys etch differently, and there's no way of knowing what alloys are used in the various parts of the tank.

That's true, but Alodine is a proven etch for aluminum. There are different kinds of adhesion, however.

There is chemical adhesion, provided by etching, and mechanical adhesion, provided in many ways.

Without testing, I can't say if Alodine alone will work for either RedKote, or Caswell.

If I was using Caswell, I'd pour a quart of solvent, like MEK, into the tank and slosh it around, drain, and then add a hand full of drywall screws and shake the shit out of it.

Epoxies are tenacious about adhesion to clean surfaces.

[cayman s]

You might phone them and check with these guys.  They coated the plastic tank on my RSV4 and may be able to do aluminum too. 

T.Markus Customs

Attn: JC PAK BIkes

6909 farmdale ave., unit A

North Hollywood ca 91605

818 759 4724

Interestingly enough, when I Googled that 818 telephone number, I was led this this website, on which they say they do do aluminum:   http://www.gastanklining.com/

[uglyducky]

You might phone them and check with these guys.  They coated the plastic tank on my RSV4 and may be able to do aluminum too. 

T.Markus Customs

Attn: JC PAK BIkes

6909 farmdale ave., unit A

North Hollywood ca 91605

818 759 4724

Interestingly enough, when I Googled that 818 telephone number, I was led this this website, on which they say they do do aluminum:   http://www.gastanklining.com/

they have told me definitively that they do not. (GTL that is)

[ducpainter]

The other purpose of etching aluminum is to remove any oxides, which can affect adhesion in the very long term. All aluminum aero-space pieces are etched and primed with a zinc rich primer to avoid corrosion long term.

That is possibly what Speeddog's connection was alluding to.

I think it's overkill for a bike tank interior, and unnecessary for adequate adhesion of epoxy. If I was painting the outside, I'd absolutely use an etch.