hey if you're in the base club go talk to the re-finishing boys wink it what we do in comoxBlkPnthr:
Stripping & painting AL Tanks
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netdoozer
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WreckWriter:
I wasn't able to get to the above website. I know the above message was posted ages ago, so I wasn't sure if they were still around.
I want to get my aluminun's tumbled. I live close to Deerfield Beach, FL, any suggestions?
Bill
Bill, use the PM function of this board to send mail to WW.
And, BTW, you have GOT to be the only first-time poster that used the search function before posting, let me send you a big thank you from all the mods!
Roak
And, BTW, you have GOT to be the only first-time poster that used the search function before posting, let me send you a big thank you from all the mods!
Roak
Diver_Jan
Contributor
Hi everyone,
I have picked up a used tank. The trouble is, I don't like the color and would like to paint it. Any suggestions how this might be done??? It is a aluminum 63. I was even thinking it might look kind of cool to do an underwater scene with air brush. What do you think? How can I prepare the surface??? Steel Wool, or what? And what kind of paint can I use? Rustoleum???
Thanks for your help!
Jan :54:
I have picked up a used tank. The trouble is, I don't like the color and would like to paint it. Any suggestions how this might be done??? It is a aluminum 63. I was even thinking it might look kind of cool to do an underwater scene with air brush. What do you think? How can I prepare the surface??? Steel Wool, or what? And what kind of paint can I use? Rustoleum???
Thanks for your help!
Jan :54:
The color of paint should provide the most camouflage for the place where you will be using it. If it's primarily for driving around the desert, I'd paint it a sandy color. If it's for more of a jungle setting, paint it green. Make sure you use different shades to break up the outline.
Ummmm. Wait a second. Are you talking about a scuba tank? I think I may have made a boo boo. Don't get mad - it just moved your post back to the top of the list
Ummmm. Wait a second. Are you talking about a scuba tank? I think I may have made a boo boo. Don't get mad - it just moved your post back to the top of the list
You may want to think about using some thing else. Some dive shops will not fill a tank if they have been painted. I have seen some tanks that have like a film on them. I don't know how well it works, just have seen it.
RebreatherBoy
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The important thing is to remove all the loose paint and any grease film....
You can sand it with just about anything, or you can take it somewhere where they will sand blast it for about $15 or so dollars, so you don't have to deal with it at all. if they sand blast it down to the bare aluminum, you can always spray paint it but those paints are not catalysist cured, so they will not be particularly hard or durable. There are companies that specialize in custom tank paint jobs who will handle the whole thing for you, but doing it all yoruself has to be a labor of love becaus eif you figure out all the countless hours you will spend doing this, cpampared to whatever your salary is for what you do, your time will be wasted.
Rustoleum is primarily a means to inhibit rust on steel products. If you have a steel tank, don't sandblast off the zinc coating which is called galvanizing. Zinc is harder to paint the more fresh it is as it is sorta oily.
You can sand it with just about anything, or you can take it somewhere where they will sand blast it for about $15 or so dollars, so you don't have to deal with it at all. if they sand blast it down to the bare aluminum, you can always spray paint it but those paints are not catalysist cured, so they will not be particularly hard or durable. There are companies that specialize in custom tank paint jobs who will handle the whole thing for you, but doing it all yoruself has to be a labor of love becaus eif you figure out all the countless hours you will spend doing this, cpampared to whatever your salary is for what you do, your time will be wasted.
Rustoleum is primarily a means to inhibit rust on steel products. If you have a steel tank, don't sandblast off the zinc coating which is called galvanizing. Zinc is harder to paint the more fresh it is as it is sorta oily.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Just don't let them "bake" the finish on. Heat will destroy the tank's integrity.
Most tanks are already painted... a little custom paint should not detract from it any further, and air brushing sounds great. Have fun and let your imagination plummet.
Most tanks are already painted... a little custom paint should not detract from it any further, and air brushing sounds great. Have fun and let your imagination plummet.
Painting tanks can take more time and cost more money than it's worth.
The surface needs to be prepped but using steel wool can destory the tank. Little fibers of steel imbed in the soft alumninum and the electrolytic process between the dissimilar metals will cause an oxidization problem. The tank needs to be blasted with a non-metallic substance, which requires special equipment and extreme caution, since the tank is so soft.
A can of Krylon isn't going to do the job, paintwise, either. You need something that will bond well without the use of heat and that can withstand the punishment that tanks receive. Aside from the inevitable dings, the process of filling and emptying tanks means that they stretch and contract repeatedly, which is really hard on coated surfaces.
If the cover-up paint job is detectable, the tank will most likely fail any subsequent visual inspection, essentially necessitating an annual hydro test - and expensive and time consuming process.
Sorry to be such a bummer, but its probably better to accept the tank as it is or sell it and buy what you really want.
The surface needs to be prepped but using steel wool can destory the tank. Little fibers of steel imbed in the soft alumninum and the electrolytic process between the dissimilar metals will cause an oxidization problem. The tank needs to be blasted with a non-metallic substance, which requires special equipment and extreme caution, since the tank is so soft.
A can of Krylon isn't going to do the job, paintwise, either. You need something that will bond well without the use of heat and that can withstand the punishment that tanks receive. Aside from the inevitable dings, the process of filling and emptying tanks means that they stretch and contract repeatedly, which is really hard on coated surfaces.
If the cover-up paint job is detectable, the tank will most likely fail any subsequent visual inspection, essentially necessitating an annual hydro test - and expensive and time consuming process.
Sorry to be such a bummer, but its probably better to accept the tank as it is or sell it and buy what you really want.
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