Extra home workshop time

[Kurt]

Nice work, I might steal your idea on my TY80 tank.

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Molasses would be a byproduct in your part of the world wouldn't it.

How long should you leave it in roughly?

[David Lahey]

Nice work, I might steal your idea on my TY80 tank.


Molasses would be a byproduct in your part of the world wouldn't it.

How long should you leave it in roughly?

Very nice work on the TY80.

A couple of weeks max up here in balmy will probably do it. I'll have a look inside on the weekend and report back.
As far as the molasses supply is concerned around here, it is about 200km to the closest sugar mill but I guess that's on my doorstep compared to your situation . I can only buy it here easily because there are cattle farms nearby.
If you're in a hurry, phosphoric or citric acid works much faster. At work we use citric acid for a similar application when cleaning a different form of iron oxide from inside high pressure steam boilers and it only takes a few hours.

[David Lahey]

One thing that came up after I posted the photos about de-rusting fuel tanks was I was asked by someone why their tank formed light rust very quickly after the treatment so for anyone trying this themselves it is very important to use a water dispersant like WD40 as soon as you possibly can after washing out the molasses or acid with water. Seconds count.
Once the WD40 has coated the whole inside surface you can dry the tank out fully and then wash the WD40 out with premix whenever you are ready to use the tank.
The reason for needing the WD40 is that there will be a perfectly clean unprotected steel surface and there will be water and oxygen there so it will rust extremely fast until you can separate the water from the steel. WD40 contains special molecules that have different properties on each end of the molecule. One end attaches strongly to water and the other end attaches strongly to steel. This drags the water off the steel in an instant and holds it there until you are ready to remove the water.

[David Lahey]

I just had a look at how the TY250A tank de-rusting was going.
Lots of dark sandy-looking oxide came out when I tipped out the molasses and gave it a rinse with water.
I reckon about half the surface area inside the tank is now bare grey coloured steel and the rest is still coated with dark red-black oxide deposits. Where I could reach with my finger I could rub the oxide deposits off so I reckon it's not too far off being finished now.
The level had continued to go down since my previous posting.
After seeing how much oxide came out I'm a bit that there might not be much steel thickness left. It hasn't leaked out any molasses.....yet

[brent j]

This stuff on de-rusting tanks is good, I've got the RL tank to do soon.
I don't know what is in it but it feels about twice as heavy as it should.

I've also cut the front 30mm off the tank to suit my frame mods, the mounts on the frame have been altered and while welding the seam will be easy I'm not game to so it myself.
There's a tanker builder/repairer not far from home so I'll prep it and drop it off next week.

[Gary B]

Hi,
I was able to buy my Dad's original TY175 back after he had passed away, the tank outside was still very good.
But inside it was crap. See attached pictures.
I used White vinegar to clean all the rust out. I filled it to the brim, left it for two days, put a short length of dog chain in & shook it round to dislodge the rust.
Emptied the crap out, refilled & left for 3 more days & hey presto.
Just like new.

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[David Lahey]

Well I had another look in the molasses-filled TY250A tank this evening and it is getting pretty close to being finished. I did the Gary B trick today but using 250 large clouts instead of dog chain and it did a good job knocking off more of the remaining scabs of rust. The photo is how it looked after the Gary B treatment. There are still some scabs away from where I could get a photo so it's back full of molasses again. Two weeks so far.

[David Lahey]

Back on the other TY I'm working on.
I'm reusing the steering head bearings that were in it when I pulled it apart because there was nothing wrong with them.
I've been doing the reassembly like this for many years but am always open to learning about other ways that people do them.

First I stick the upper balls in place with grease (more grease to go on yet).

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Then I stick the lower balls in place with grease.

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Then I slide the axle up carefully, put the top nut on and then the top triple.

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Does anyone do it differently?

[Bully fanatic]

That is how I`ve been doing it for years too David. I have put Tapered bearings in my three Sherpas now so I can just add some grease and put it together Mush easier!

[David Lahey]

That is how I`ve been doing it for years too David. I have put Tapered bearings in my three Sherpas now so I can just add some grease and put it together Mush easier!

Ahh that's cheating