Easiest & Cheapest way to remove paint / stickers / gunk from old aluminum tanks.

[Allen-1]

This SEEMS to make a lot of sense. We use aluminum pans and posts to cook with, we use aluminum foil when baking, so a thick aluminum tank should be able to take some heat right?

Using a fire to remove paint from an aluminum tank is however, the worst advice I've seen on this forum.

“the worst advice I've seen on this forum.”

Seriously?

In the running; a candidate for, perhaps. But “the worst”??

I find that hard to believe.

 

[Xhris]

If it's out of service and want it the quickest fastest way, then 120 grit flap disc in a hand held grinder going in straight lines down the tank. Should take about 7 minutes & $5 disc per tank and it will be down to bare metal. No paint, no stickers, no pits, no stamps. Just a hunk of bare metal.

I’m not much for sanding anything, but I do own an orbital sander that came with my Dewalt kit. If I gave the employees a project, could they just use that to strip / polish up the tanks?

Or, if we did make some ugly lines with the grinder, could we use the orbital to clean it up?

-C

 

[TrimixToo]

I'd go with chemicals. Paint stripper, followed by a rinse and a soak in a strong lye solution seems like it should take off just about anything.

 

[Johnoly]

Or, if we did make some ugly lines with the grinder, could we use the orbital to clean it up?

I don't know how thick the paint/stickers/Pitts are on the tank, but start with 120 grit and then work up to 300 grit. I don't think you are trying to achieve a BMW mirror finish in your new paint on the tank. But use your orbital sander and then end it with just hand sanding to smooth it out. Start with just one of your tanks and then repeat on the others after you see what works. I've done it on a steel tank with 3 layers of paint and you'll be surprised how fast it goes with 120 grit.. Going in straight long lines will let you track and see your sanding results rather than just going around in circles where you will miss spots on a curved tank.

Best of luck and post your progress pictures !!

 

[Litefoot]

This stuff is the best sticker goo remover I have ever used…and it’s biodegradable.

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[coldwaterglutton]

Find a local CO2 blaster, best way to do it and leave the tanks nice and shiny. Sand or media blasting will work too and would be OK since the tanks are not in use anymore.

 

[Belzelbub]

I would like to use them in a new display. But to do this I need them to “match”. Is there an easy way (Chemical maybe?) way to get all the crap off the tanks? I can also scrape with a razor, prime, paint. I will repaint them either chrome or a metallic black.

Depends on the type of paint used. My experience stripping Catalina (n=1) and Luxfer (n=1) tanks is that the Luxfer paint is a heck of a lot tougher.

I used Citristrip which is a gel stripper. Just paint on and wait (30 minutes to 24 hours). As mentioned, the Catalina was easy. After about 15 minutes, the paint started bubbling. I waited 30 minutes and the paint came right off with a plastic scraper.

The Luxfer was harder. Took a couple applications and significantly more wait time. Pressure washer helped. Luxfer has two different recommendations, either the gel stripper or a plastic media blasting.

Try the Citristrip first. If that doesn’t work, maybe use a nylon grinding wheel. Since they are all condemned, a belt sander could work as well. Just finish with a fine grit to remove/minimize sanding marks.

 

[Dsix36]

This SEEMS to make a lot of sense. We use aluminum pans and posts to cook with, we use aluminum foil when baking, so a thick aluminum tank should be able to take some heat right?

Using a fire to remove paint from an aluminum tank is however, the worst advice I've seen on this forum.

You did read that it was for an already scraped tank rather than one that will ever be in service again, right?

 

[johndiver999]

You did read that it was for an already scraped tank rather than one that will ever be in service again, right?

NOW I did.

 

[stretchthepenn]

I used Citristrip which is a gel stripper. Just paint on and wait (30 minutes to 24 hours). As mentioned, the Catalina was easy. After about 15 minutes, the paint started bubbling. I waited 30 minutes and the paint came right off with a plastic scraper.

Same here. Citristrip and a plastic scraper. It's super-easy and cheap.