Bike petrol tank, laquer on bare steel?

[michaellane92]

Hi everyone as the title says, i'm building a custom bike and want to leave the tank bare steel, to stop it rusting am i better off laquering it or waxing it every so often?

thanks

 

[the snooper]

Better off with lacquer although how long it will stay on is another matter, I can't see wax stopping rust altogether

 

[grim_d]

Self etching laquer for polished wheels exists, how good it is, I don't know.

 

[norlander]

I have polished some items for my bike and others bikes, the bits I clear used clear laquer on did show rust, despite laying a fair few coats and trying to make sure any edges were covered.
The bits I polished and just left polished seem to have faired better, I have not done anything the size of a tank though.

 

[SmartWerks]

Clear powder coat, you can polish the metal first also without issues.

 

[michaellane92]

Thanks for all the replys, i was leaning to laquer i don't mind if it would show rust after a year or 2 since i'll probably be doing a few other things,

As for clear powdercoat, can you powdercoat a bike petrol tank? since you can never really get rid of the fuel vapour/fumes inside?

 

[SmartWerks]

Of course you can powder coat the petrol tank. The tank requires purging with water first to get rid of the fumes. What sort of look and finish are you trying to achieve?

 

[michaellane92]

aaaah i see i was going for simple lightly polished sides and non polished top, its not a show bike but more a rideable bare bones machine

 

[graffian]

Of course you can powder coat the petrol tank. The tank requires purging with water first to get rid of the fumes. What sort of look and finish are you trying to achieve?

Bloke in Crawley who did a lot of petrol tank repairs, used to stick the tanks in an oven for a few hours before doing any cutting or welding.

 

[SmartWerks]

Bloke in Crawley who did a lot of petrol tank repairs, used to stick the tanks in an oven for a few hours before doing any cutting or welding.

Probably the best option, needs outgassing anyhow and no waste water to dispose off. I would leave it overnight for the fumes evaporate first.

 

[SmartWerks]

aaaah i see i was going for simple lightly polished sides and non polished top, its not a show bike but more a rideable bare bones machine

A chrome powder coat might give the finish your after. It needs a clear coat to stop it oxidizing which dulls the finish so it's not as bright a chrome. Also metal polishing sucks and is a lot of hard work. Where are you located?

 

[michaellane92]

i thought it would be best leaving it open for a week in a dry but drauphty place, then gas it with argon? possibly before attacking it with the grinder

I didn't know you could get chrome powdercoat.. yeah i've just finished polishing some alloy yokes, engine casings levers and so on with nothing but an electric drill, some pads, and that paste stuff, took ages...

i'm in kendal, cumbria

 

[SmartWerks]

Wow,metal polishing with a drill. Very time consuming but of course their is the great satisfaction it gives.

You do get chrome powder, which looks like chrome. But because of its metal content it oxidises so requires a clear coat which does dull the finish to a very bright flat silver.

If you have gone to all the trouble of mechanically polishing the parts a but of autosol after every wash should keep it good and negate the need of a clear coat.

kendal. Beautiful part of the world

I do some powder coating so if you need any help give me a shout. Mates rates to all forum members!

 

[michaellane92]

Yeah i quite enjoyed it, but as you say it took a lot of time and effort.
That chrome powder does sound like the finish i would be after! Won't be for a while yet, i have a few other jobs first, such as make a wiring loom from scratch, fit a new camchain, fab up batterybox and so on, but i reckon i'm about 50% there
Kendal's alright, when its not raining
Thanks pal, when the time comes i'll give you a shout

 

[norlander]

Have a look at the angle grinder kits from weldequip and this place, can be a bit faster than a drill, saw a flat twin beemer with bare polished tank at the weekend, looked good.

 

[graffian]

If you want to polish with an angle grinder look up M14 pigtail.