stinggirl
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I have a VERY hard time carrying a tank because of my rheumatoid and it's weight. My instructor advice me to buy a hp steel 80's. They are not very good looking. Can they be painted and how???
Painting steel tank
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jswantek
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There's quite a few threads in the DIY forum about this. They can be found here...
halocline
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I have a VERY hard time carrying a tank because of my rheumatoid and it's weight. My instructor advice me to buy a hp steel 80's. They are not very good looking. Can they be painted and how???
A good choice would be the faber FX 80 at just under 30lbs. That's pretty light. Those tanks are painted white and are about as "good looking" as any scuba tank, whatever that means. They don't come in pink or leopard if that's what you're looking for!
Don't get the regular faber HP80, they weigh a lot more.
You could get an old LP72, it's a few pounds lighter, great size for shallow dives or for air-sippers, and you could find one really beat up and covered with old stickers. Now that's good looking!
beanojones
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Have the carbon-fiber wrapped tanks been sold anywhere? I know that Canada says no to them, but I thought they got an OK for diving in the US.
Chugwhump
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I think that it has been firmly established that the Carbon Fiber tanks will be way-way-way too bouyant when filled with gasand you will need to put on a bag full of lead to offset this issue.
Or so I recall from some reading on this board.
Chug
Or so I recall from some reading on this board.
Chug
I just saw one for sale... now just need to remember where...was an 80 cf one
The Faber fx series in either the 80 or the 100, as they also take 5 lbs less lead, are great tanks to save total weight when diving...any they are powder coated white.
DoubleHoseDiver
Contributor
The best way to paint a steel tank is to use a product called Galvilite. Looks very good and is very durable. Thye second way is to paint with cold galv spray, sand and then use the spray color of your choice in an enamel. The cold galv will help with stopping rust if you scratch your tank. I have a pair of 38's that I painted with just the cold galv and wish I had used the Galvilite. Tim
Not a bad product, as long as one preps the properly first... and you need to be careful what you put over it... just an "enamel" may not work.
Note: Enamel is not a type of coating, it is a generic description of coatings.
See the top coat comments:
ZRC - ZRC Galvilite Galvanizing Repair Compound
I would suggest a 2 part marine epoxy over the top... a two part urathane would take sun better, but it takes a very long time to dry to a hard finish (over a month)...
I have a VERY hard time carrying a tank because of my rheumatoid and it's weight. My instructor advice me to buy a hp steel 80's. They are not very good looking. Can they be painted and how???
You might ask Netmage. I understand he has some friends that are very good at painting tanks.
In fact, I think there's a video of the whole procedure...
And, that last tank he had customized is in pristine condition, not a scratch on it. Looks like it has never been dived.
YouTube - Deflowering Netmage's Deco Bottle
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