How to strip a vinyl coated steel 72.

[Ghost95]

We sometimes had luck working a small hole into the vinyl liner and then used an air gun to inflate it. The coating would peel away and we would cut it off from there. This didn't necessarily get the whole tank cleaned and we'd have to do this in various places, it helped though and eliminated some of the scraping.

Good luck.

 

[halocline]

That tank looks a lot like a couple that I had several years ago. I used the standard aluminum-safe paint remover, I guess that's methylene chloride, and it worked fine. I was living in TX at the time, and of course it was legal there. Turns out it's pretty nasty stuff, and is now banned in several countries. I like the heat gun idea. The other thing about the paint stripper is that it did attack the galvanizing under the coating, just more slowly. If you can get it off without disturbing that galvanizing, all the better.

Those PST LP72s were my favorite single tanks for local shallow diving. When I moved I sold all my tanks except 2 AL80s for working on regulators and the (very) occasional local SM dive. I'm sure you'll get lots of use out of it!

 

[Boarderguy]

Acetone is really fast. MEK would be better but we can’t get that any more. We can’t even get regular mineral spirits, denatured alcohol, or turpentine!!
I suppose I could try some acetone and try to get it to soak down between the steel and the coating.
It might loosen it?
Lacquer thinner these days is nothing more than acetone with some retarders added. It’s not the same stuff I remember back in the 80’s when I worked in body shops.

Why not go across the border to Arizona and buy MEK there? I use that cancer solution daily in aviation electronics repairs here in WA.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

you can't just throw it on a fire and get yourself high off the fumes?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

That tank looks a lot like a couple that I had several years ago. I used the standard aluminum-safe paint remover, I guess that's methylene chloride, and it worked fine. I was living in TX at the time, and of course it was legal there. Turns out it's pretty nasty stuff, and is now banned in several countries. I like the heat gun idea. The other thing about the paint stripper is that it did attack the galvanizing under the coating, just more slowly. If you can get it off without disturbing that galvanizing, all the better.

Those PST LP72s were my favorite single tanks for local shallow diving. When I moved I sold all my tanks except 2 AL80s for working on regulators and the (very) occasional local SM dive. I'm sure you'll get lots of use out of it!

This one is bare steel under the vinyl, no galvanizing.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Why not go across the border to Arizona and buy MEK there? I use that cancer solution daily in aviation electronics repairs here in WA.

If I got caught transporting it across state lines the fine and jail time would probably be worse than smuggling drugs.

 

[Boarderguy]

If I got caught transporting it across state lines the fine and jail time would probably be worse than smuggling drugs.

How would you get caught? Buy it, drive home, don't advertise you have it. Treat it like a gas generator or lawn tool. What Newsome doesn't know won't hurt him.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Got it all stripped.
Turns out a heat gun and a thin flexible tempered 1” putty knife was the ticket. The vinyl got soft and the flex of the putty knife followed the contour of the tank. I was able to slide the knife right under the vinyl and get large sheets in one piece.
Incredibly satisfying!
Better than popping bubble wrap.

 

[Akimbo]

Since they aren't galvanized, what are you going to protect them?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Since they aren't galvanized, what are you going to protect them?

I haven’t decided yet.
I may use the Awl Grip polyurethane system on it with epoxy primer/linear polyurethane topcoat, which I have all that stuff in stock.
Or coat it with cold galvanizing compound and see how that works.
I’m leaning towards cold galvanizing since it’s simple and can easily be touched up.