Surface rust

[krispykritter]

I just bought 2 steel 72 tanks. One is galvanized and the other is painted. The painted one has surface rust in the boot area. How should I remove it and protect the surface after? Could I use a rust remover then sand the rest of the tank and paint it? Should I strip the whole tank with a chemical stripper? What products should I use? (product that I can find at the hardware store)? Is it ok to paint the galvanized tank too (so they match)?

[Teamcasa]

Surface rust (outside) is no big deal to clean up. Light sanding or scrubbing should do the trick. I'd avoid any rust removers. I would not paint the galvanized tank, is does not need it and paint has a hard time sticking to it. Besides, tanks do not have to match

[Bob DBF]

I'm with Teamcasa, scrub off the rust and buy a boot that drains and it will be just fine.



Bob
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I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

[krispykritter]

Once the rust is scrubed off how should I cover the area to prevent future rust?

[Teamcasa]

Once the rust is scrubed off how should I cover the area to prevent future rust?

This applies to the painted tank only: Once you have cleaned to rust off and sanded it smooth, you can paint it with a quality spray paint.

[spectrum]

Grit blasting will really clean rust from the pores. Start with a cold galvanizing finish. Rustoleum has a few, one matte and one with a little sheen. These are zinc rich coatings. There are other brands out there.

You can use this same finish to touch up any blems on the galvanized tank like a hydro stamp or big gashes that have not healed. Other wise leave the hod dipped galvanized au naturale.

Pete

[Paladin]

I would strip off the paint, clean off the rust and give the tank three or four coats of a good cold galvanizing compound. It's better than paint.

[cbrich]

Just make sure you do a very good job at refinishing it, otherwise you might get questioned about it.