Here's how to strip aluminum tanks...

[DNScarboro]

I can strip any glav off any tank to bare metal!!! contact me directly scubaparts@gmail.com

 

[Gilldiver]

The way I understand it is that 6061 is harder than say 5052 because of a higher silicon content but not necessarily more corrosion resistant.
Aluminum is a horrible metal to try and protect from corrosion.
I have gone to using an epoxy primer/topcoat made by DuPont called Corlar 25P. It's basically like sprayable JB weld.
It's a two part 1:1 part A/ part B material available in limited colors or grey, white, or black. It can be used as a primer or singular as a final coat. However like all epoxy materials it is not UV proof and will chalk out quickly when exposed to UV.
It is designed for immersion service meaning it can be submerged in water indefinitely and will not be subject to water penetration via osmosis.
I use it on white clean sand blasted steel with excellent results but will not use it on Aluminum because it would be like powder coat, one tiny nick and water will creep under and cause a white rust blister. At least with steel you can see the red start up and can do something about it before it becomes problem.

There is a light metal anodize that is rarely used call Keronite or Tagnite. Both are patented systems that go back to original research done by the Soviets in the 1970's for protection of magnesium on the Mir Space station. Tagnite is only for magnesium but Kieronite has a version for aluminum and titanium. The oxide coating produced is white and very good as a corrosion barrier and has a good affinity for paint.

I'm still trying to figure out a way to have my aluminum Freedom plate processed by Kieronite.

Plasma electrolytic oxidation | Advanced Surface Treatment | Keronite

 

[Couv]

I can strip any glav off any tank to bare metal!!! contact me directly scubaparts@gmail.com

This is a genuine question-I'm not trying to be a smarta$$. What would be the purpose of removing a galvanized coating from a tank? Most of us are sold on ZRC Galvite http://www.zrcworldwide.com/galiteds.htm as a DIY coating.

Do you also galvanize tanks? Do you have a web page with a FAQ, etc.

Thanks,

Couv

 

[SparticleBrane]

I WISH I had success like this with stripping cylinders.

I have (4) AL40s that were ordered as brushed aluminum but showed up as neon green. To make a long story short I couldn't send them back.

Thus I tried to strip the paint -- so far I have used three different paint strippers, and the paint just laughs at me.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I WISH I had success like this with stripping cylinders.

I have (4) AL40s that were ordered as brushed aluminum but showed up as neon green. To make a long story short I couldn't send them back.

Thus I tried to strip the paint -- so far I have used three different paint strippers, and the paint just laughs at me.

That's because the enviromentalnistas decided that the good stuff that actually worked shouldn't be around anymore so they made them take out the stuff that worked and now you have crap that doesn't work.
I had a guy come to me with a plane that had to be stripped and he tried everything. I told him I had one gallon left of the good stuff but I was keeping it. It would only be enough to do not even one wing but he was going to look nation wide if he had to to find enough to do the job.
He's screwed.

With your tank. just sand off the paint carefully and then you can rig up the tank on a tumbler roller or treadmill and put the lines back in by holding a piece of 180 on it and slowly moving the sandpaper up the tank as it spins. That will give it that brushed look like the factory.
They put a clear coat on it to keep it bright, screw that just leave it open, good enough.

 

[Topbodz]

I do pretty much the same with al tanks. But after the stripping, (btw: I use a aircraft grade stripper) I wire brush all the saltwater spots to get the aluminum shinny, wet sand the whole tanks with wet 220, just enough to clean the surface & then primer with "Direct to Metal" epoxy primer (sprayed on) then topcoat with Polyerathane.... tehy look beautifull

 

[FireInMyBones]

Perhaps the paint on my tanks were a little less interested in coming off. This has been an all day project and I have had to get some steel wool involved. The result is a nice brushed look. I have 3/4 of one tank done and 2/5 of the second done.
I hope to have them both finished by tomorrow afternoon.

 

[yukoneer]

steel wool?

I'd be worried that your tank will be "rusting", because you used steel wool. The fibers of the steel wool would be embedded in the tank.

Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Topbodz]

Aircraft quality Stripper (about $40.00 a gallon) that should strip anything off.... although someone ( i think caltalina, but it could be someone else) is using a rubbery coating thats really hard to get off.... you have to scrape it off while it is still wet.... but all other coatings come right off with this stipper.

 

[FireInMyBones]

I will be finishing the up tomorrow. I only have to make them pretty now. They are only very slightly spotty.
To finish, I'll use some supper fine grit sand paper for a brushed/polished look.

Thanks for posting the how to. I'm not concerned about the steel wool, but if there ends up being any issues, I'll let you know.