Just bough a lighlty used tank from my LDS. Is theur a plastic part to the neck of the tank? It seems that a "bubble" has formed on the top of the neck which look like a piece of plastic; however, I can't seem to find the source of this "bubble".Thanks
Is this a problem?
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The tank has no plastic and there should be no bubble. Is the tank painted? Is it a bubble in the paint?
Beware; that "bubble" is hiding corrosion under it.
It should be removed (use something like your fingernail - NO METAL TOOLS!) or get some aircraft paint stripper (specifically made for Aluminum) and strip the entire tank.
Any significant corrosion will condemn the tank; I'd get a handle on this immediately because it will only get worse and may cost you the tank down the road.
The "best" finish for Aluminum tanks is shotblast/bare - any painted finish is bad news. Those beautiful Catalina tank paint jobs don't stay beautiful long, and then water gets in there, starts the bubbling of the paint, and you end up having to strip it anyway in order to stop it before real damage is done.
It should be removed (use something like your fingernail - NO METAL TOOLS!) or get some aircraft paint stripper (specifically made for Aluminum) and strip the entire tank.
Any significant corrosion will condemn the tank; I'd get a handle on this immediately because it will only get worse and may cost you the tank down the road.
The "best" finish for Aluminum tanks is shotblast/bare - any painted finish is bad news. Those beautiful Catalina tank paint jobs don't stay beautiful long, and then water gets in there, starts the bubbling of the paint, and you end up having to strip it anyway in order to stop it before real damage is done.
ScubaRon
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This does not look like corrosion to me. It appears that this bubble is on top of the finish and I wonder if it is just a drop of something (plastic?) that somehow ended up on your tank.
You could try very carefully to scrape it off, but make sure you don't damage the finish.
ScubaRon
You could try very carefully to scrape it off, but make sure you don't damage the finish.
ScubaRonSome tanks have a clear coat on them. I've seen it peel but never bubble. My concern is that I wouldn't expect it to bubble unless there was something under it that couldn't get out. What? It's hard to tell from a picture, I'd have it looked at.
is visible underneath.
There DOES appear to be a small amount of corrosion right at that second shoulder. That could cause trouble in the future.
This is why I hate clearcoats or any other kind of paint on tanks.
I bet if you took a fingernail to it you could scrape that part of the finish off - if you can, go ahead and do so, but expect that it'll start flaking off as the clearcoat disbonds over time.
There DOES appear to be a small amount of corrosion right at that second shoulder. That could cause trouble in the future.
This is why I hate clearcoats or any other kind of paint on tanks.
I bet if you took a fingernail to it you could scrape that part of the finish off - if you can, go ahead and do so, but expect that it'll start flaking off as the clearcoat disbonds over time.
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