New steel tank stained, is this common?

[TFT]

I ordered 2 new XS Scuba(Worthington) X8-130's from a reputable dive shop. These tanks were shipped directly to me. I got them and opened the boxes only to find one of the tanks had a large discolored area at the top of the tank and the other had some smaller marks. The factory hydro date on both tanks is 06/07 so they haven't been laying around long in a warehouse. Both tanks were kind of dusty so I assumed it was just dirt or residue from the manufacturing process. I had them filled and used them for the first time this weekend. After I rinsed them I used some Simple Green and a towel to try to clean the stained areas. It had no affect, the stains remained.

Is this normal for galvanized tanks or did I get tanks from a bad batch? Will these stains affect the corrosion resistance of the galvanized finish? The stains are dark and look like dirt or grease.

My dive buddy ordered 2 x8-119's at the same time and his came without any stains.
I'm not real happy that my new tanks might already be compromised!

Anyone else have this problem?

 

[do it easy]

This thread comes to mind, although it sounds like yours arrived stained.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=141554

 

[dlndavid]

complain, they should be of better quality than that, it is your job to mess them up, not the factory or resaler.

 

[XS Scuba]

Hey TFT:
It's not normal. Give me a call tomorrow at 763 424-5332 and just ask for Mike. I'm out in Minneapolis running Sea Pearls for a while. I help resolve the problem.