SparticleBrane
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Can you bead-blast aluminum tanks?
Sticker removal from Tanks
- Thread starter sarita75
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oxyhacker
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There is a fine line (so fine that many ignore it) between removing the old finish and texturing the metal, and removing metal. The former is OK, and the latter not.
Luxfer is coy on this topic. In the warranty they refuse coverage to " Cylinders damaged by unauthorized repairs and modifications, including (but not limited to) grinding, cutting, sand-blasting, shot-blasting, media-blasting, sanding, brushing, polishing, engraving, scraping and any other activity that removes metal and thins cylinder walls".
But in their refinishing instructions they say "To remove paint from an all-metal cylinder and prepare the surface for repainting, blast with plastic, glass or other soft media just long enough to remove most of the old paint. Do not blast with sand, steel, grit or aluminum oxide media, which are too abrasive. Heavy or improper blasting with hard or overly abrasive media removes metal as well as paint from the cylinder, which can thin the cylinder wall and make the cylinder unsafe to fill or use."
So while cautious texturing is probably OK, one should keep in mind that one might be challenged at some point by an inspector or fill station to prove it did not remove any metal (something that would be very difficult to do). It is interesting to note, though, that Luxfer is now offering brushed and shot blasted finishes, and some tank vendors are apparently buying plain finished tanks from Luxfer, and shot blasting them themselves.
When I want to strip an aluminum tank I tend to use a chemical stripper to get off the finish, then blast or brush just enough to get a pleasing texture.
Luxfer is coy on this topic. In the warranty they refuse coverage to " Cylinders damaged by unauthorized repairs and modifications, including (but not limited to) grinding, cutting, sand-blasting, shot-blasting, media-blasting, sanding, brushing, polishing, engraving, scraping and any other activity that removes metal and thins cylinder walls".
But in their refinishing instructions they say "To remove paint from an all-metal cylinder and prepare the surface for repainting, blast with plastic, glass or other soft media just long enough to remove most of the old paint. Do not blast with sand, steel, grit or aluminum oxide media, which are too abrasive. Heavy or improper blasting with hard or overly abrasive media removes metal as well as paint from the cylinder, which can thin the cylinder wall and make the cylinder unsafe to fill or use."
So while cautious texturing is probably OK, one should keep in mind that one might be challenged at some point by an inspector or fill station to prove it did not remove any metal (something that would be very difficult to do). It is interesting to note, though, that Luxfer is now offering brushed and shot blasted finishes, and some tank vendors are apparently buying plain finished tanks from Luxfer, and shot blasting them themselves.
When I want to strip an aluminum tank I tend to use a chemical stripper to get off the finish, then blast or brush just enough to get a pleasing texture.
SparticleBrane:
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