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world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


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Gas Tank Rust Removal

I am working on a gas tank that has a lot of sand/rust inside, What type of an acid bath do you suggest to remove the rust inside the tank, and the neutralizer to stop the action. I can tolerate a small amount of etching as I will apply a chemical coating once the rust is removed.

Jim Butterbaugh
- Tijeras, New Mexico, USA
2003

How do you remove the rust from inside a gas tank? Motorcycle.

Samuel Ballard
- Manteo, North Carolina
2004

Ed. note: letter 9428 has some answers to your question.

I want to clean rust out of a gas tank. If I use muriatic acid how do I neutralize the acid after it is clean?

Don Boswell
- Blair, Nebraska, USA
2004

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Baking soda [on eBay or Amazon] (sodium bicarbonate) is a mild neutralizer which should handle that problem--which is not meant to imply that I personally think it's a good idea for you to do that acid cleaning :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2004

Need a chemical to remove rust from interior of the gas tank of a moped or mini motorcycle, which is the main frame.

Donald Kuhn
retired - Titusville, Florida
2005

I have inherited a 1927 Model T Roadster that has been sitting in the elements for some time now and the fuel tank has moderate rust in the bottom and mild rust on the side walls. I have been searching the web for a product or chemical that is both cost effective and user friendly. I also have a secondary situation in cleaning this fuel tank because it cannot be removed without causing damage to the car. All the product I have found are multi use chemicals that require filling the tank for a cost of $400 and up. Muriatic acid while being very caustic is also cost effective and require special handling leaves many questions such as, can it be diluted with water and how much dilution to be effective ?, Once the rust is gone, and the acid bath is evacuated, will a simple water flush be sufficient to remove all residue and neutralize the acid?

James Nolan
hobbyist - Chandler, Arizona, USA
March 21, 2008