Tumbling Media?

[ScubaBunga]

The sand type media won't do anything for you as there is no force making it work. Stainless cutters will work the fastest, but not really cost efficient for doing a couple of tanks.
Best band for your buck in the US is harbor freight tumbling media. They are sharp and cheap. I normally get 10-20 tanks before the edges are smooth and it gets thrown out. Dump the whole bottle in your tank and tumble away.

5 lb. Rust-Cutting Resin Abrasive Tumbler Media

Amazing deals on this 5Lb Rust-Cutting Resin Abrasive Tumbler Media at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I’ve used the harbour freight media as well and it does work well, but creates a lot of dust and a really good rinse is needed. To the question of how fast. I have a pvc with random holes and also have a mount so I can spin the tank. I flush for just a minute getting the tank nice and hot, drain and then dry with tank air. Dries the tank out in seconds with no rust.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I heard of people using shattered safety glass for media. All you have to do is go to an automotive glass shop and ask for any scrap door glass from cars and they will give them to you for free.
Shatter them with a sharp poker tool in a trash can, and wear safety glasses please

 

[Tracy]

I heard of people using shattered safety glass for media. All you have to do is go to an automotive glass shop and ask for any scrap door glass from cars and they will give them to you for free.
Shatter them with a sharp poker tool in a trash can, and wear safety glasses please

Never tried it but it would probably work well. It has a bit of weight and nice sharp edges.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Never tried it but it wouldn't probably work well. It has a bit of weight and nice sharp edges.

It wouldn’t or would work well?

 

[Tanks A Lot]

It wouldn’t or would work well?

It works very well.

 

[Tracy]

It wouldn’t or would work well?

would, mistyped

 

[Waterwulf]

I'll try those Harbor Freight abrasives, maybe mix with the Black Beauty that I have here. That's a good idea. Thanks. This Black Beauty sand actually does a pretty good job in a tumbler as long as you don't want shiny polished.

I have a small tumbler in my shop for polishing brass casings, rocks, etc. I tried it one time with Black beauty in it. It ate the rust and scale off of the small parts nice and fast but it was not a shiny finish.

Does the finish inside the tank matter to VIP inspectors? Does it have to be matte or shiny, etc.?

 

[Tracy]

I'll try those Harbor Freight abrasives, maybe mix with the Black Beauty that I have here. That's a good idea. Thanks. This Black Beauty sand actually does a pretty good job in a tumbler as long as you don't want shiny polished.

I have a small tumbler in my shop for polishing brass casings, rocks, etc. I tried it one time with Black beauty in it. It ate the rust and scale off of the small parts nice and fast but it was not a shiny finish.

Does the finish inside the tank matter to VIP inspectors? Does it have to be matte or shiny, etc.?

I tried some different sand and glass, until you got enough size to have some weight, it didn't really do anything to the inside of the tank. Mixing it with the other may have a nice effect.
Finish doesn't matter. We just want to be able to see if there is any pitting.
Some people go crazy overkill and polish to a sheen or spend days trying to stop flash rust.
It doesn't matter, flash rust in a dry clean environment won't have any effect on anything. Rust heavy enough to have debris is an issue, or scale that could occlude a pit is where you need to be concerned.

 

[Bob DBF]

I picked up a few steel 72's for free. They had their last hydros in the 90's and the first one already passed a new hydro but it failed the VIP.

That's interesting, it passes a DOT hydro with its mandatory visual inspection, but then fails a scuba industry VIP. Does this sound weird to anyone besides me?

 

[Still Kicking]

That's interesting, it passes a DOT hydro with its mandatory visual inspection, but then fails a scuba industry VIP. Does this sound weird to anyone besides me?

Not really. A hydro is a very specific test with hard pass/fail criteria.

A VIP (a scuba specific inspection) is nowhere near as clear cut as a hydro test and there's a fair degree of discretion on the part of the inspector.

In borderline cases, it might be worth getting a second opinion on the VIP (tanks can be condemned for failing hydro but should not be condemned for not passing a visual).