Cleaning out white death
- Thread starter Boomer 87
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Canyon Angler
Addicted to ArboristSite
Don't know how/whether it would work for chainsaws, but I've had good results using Red Kote fuel tank sealer on metal boat fuel tanks...you have to clean out every bit of the old crap first (acetone, I think they recommend) and be careful not to get it where you don't want it, but it seals things up good.
Not sure how to get out the corrosion...a strong base maybe like lye/oven cleaner? I know that works for degreasing and etching aluminum for paint...good luck. (And be careful if you use oven cleaner/lye because it dissolves aluminum and creates heat in the process.)
Not sure how to get out the corrosion...a strong base maybe like lye/oven cleaner? I know that works for degreasing and etching aluminum for paint...good luck. (And be careful if you use oven cleaner/lye because it dissolves aluminum and creates heat in the process.)
This is just me talking and I don’t know what I’m talking about but- Chemically, you need to dissolve the white stuff which is magnesium oxide. You can do this with a dilute solution of hydrochloric acid a.k.a muriatic acid. But it will also react with the magnesium metal so the best thing is to be able to test your method first on a part. Do not leave acid on any mating surfaces. Rinse with copious amounts of distilled water or de-ionized would be better. A sodium hydroxide solution would be ideal to neutralize the acid to stop any reaction but if you don’t know what you’re doing... just make sure you have a gallon of white vinegar within reach to neutralize any sodium hydroxide you get on you. DO NOT get the hydroxide in your eyes. Rinse again with water and dry. Water in contact with magnesium will produce the oxide. So get it dry and seal it. Question for you - do you seal it with paint and what do you use to prime the metal?
Canyon Angler
Addicted to ArboristSite
If you get the white crap dissolved and removed and rinsed out good with water, alcohol will dissolve and reduce the surface tension of the water left in the tank and help drain and dry it out quicker...then you can move on to acetone or whatever solvent the tank sealer manufacturer recommends. (If you use acetone, be careful about getting it on paint and plastic parts, it can dissolve a lot of things.)
As well as all the above suggestions, some mechanical method added will help. I keep a container of small (about 1/4") clean crushed stone gravel that I dump into the tank and shake like crazy for awhile.
Are you asking about a chainsaw gas tank? (or what kind of equipment tank)
Boomer 87
Addicted to ArboristSite
I know i had a super xl tank that had the white death. I pressure washed it out and sealed it, but it didnt kill it. So it sill ate through the bottom eventually.
What about hot tanking. Local diesel parts place has a hot tank. I could put it in thier solution submerged for a day or so
What about hot tanking. Local diesel parts place has a hot tank. I could put it in thier solution submerged for a day or so
Canyon Angler
Addicted to ArboristSite
FWIW, the Red Kote stuff will bridge and seal small holes. On one steel 6-gal boat tank, I dikked around and dikked around, filling it with water to prevent explosion while I tried to tig braze and O/A torch braze the holes closed with silicon bronze, but never did get them all completely sealed. The Red Kote sealed all the pinholes, though.
Yeah, for that boat tank, I put a 10-15' long piece of chain into the tank and shook it like crazy to bust off the rust and scale in the tank before drying it out and applying the Red Kote. The chain busted off a LOT of trash...
I clean tanks really good using a redneck tumbler method. I jack up the rear tire on a tractor, place a padding under the tank and ratchet strap the tank to the rim and place a piece of porch swing chain in the tank with usually little water at first and just let the tractor idle in gear to tumble the tank. (run it slow enough that the chain will tumble inside) Strap the tank so as you can rinse it out after awhile with water without having to unstrap from the tumbler. You can go do other things while the tank is tumbling and during final tumbling I add little bit of lacquer thinner or acetone then air dry using a low speed fan and heat lamp to dry the tank, then two coats of red kote. Don't ruin the plastic gas tank cap if it has a vent in the cap.
The red neck tractor tire tumbler method will get er really clean and cuts down on the physical labor.
I suspect your tank was left completely dry for long period of time and the air was what allowed corrosion to start.
I suspect if you got it really clean of the white cancer corrosion using the tumbler method and did not leave the tank completely dry of mixed gas the gas/oil might prevent future corrosion, but I'm not sure. That tank corrosion is also really fine particles that will get through the in tank filter and clog any filter or screens in the carb, quite often. If you can see pits you will probably have to red coat the tank and red kote has one that is for the stronger ethyl alcohol also and only costs few dollars more than the standard.
The red neck tractor tire tumbler method will get er really clean and cuts down on the physical labor.
I suspect your tank was left completely dry for long period of time and the air was what allowed corrosion to start.
I suspect if you got it really clean of the white cancer corrosion using the tumbler method and did not leave the tank completely dry of mixed gas the gas/oil might prevent future corrosion, but I'm not sure. That tank corrosion is also really fine particles that will get through the in tank filter and clog any filter or screens in the carb, quite often. If you can see pits you will probably have to red coat the tank and red kote has one that is for the stronger ethyl alcohol also and only costs few dollars more than the standard.
trappermike
ArboristSite Guru
White Death in magnesium gas tanks is caused by alcohol in the fuel. As a test I took a small piece of mag. casting and dropped it into a small cup of alcohol,a week later only the paint remained... You can buy coatings to cover and seal inside fuel tanks,motorcycle shops sometimes sell it. Basically I would not use "gasahol" in a mag. tank saw,they were designed before it's use.
tomdcoker
Addicted to ArboristSite
I use white vinegar, but do not put the top back on the tank. Tom
"White Death" is corrosion caused by the oxidation of the metal. Alcohol is more chemically aggressive (better oxidizer, that's why it is used in situations where fuels need to be oxygenated to reduce certain polutants) than gasoline so it can contribute to accelerated corrosion but it is not primarily responsible, long exposure to the atmosphere (oxygen) particularly if there is moisture available (water gives up its oxygen to combine with the magnesium, aluminum, etc.) and releases the hydrogen. Contact with concrete is also bad since the concrete is porous and will always have some water in addition to being highly alkaline which also creates a chemically aggressive environment.
I fill the tank 1/3 to 1/2 way with BB's and tumble it in my small lathe. If the tank has some varnish or other fuel residues in it I will add some acetone to help with the cleaning process. I have done 3 or 4 tanks in the past week. One had a large hole after cleaning (there was still a lot of corrosion left so I hit it in my sandblast cabinet), I taped over the hole from the outside and carefully poured some JB Weld through the filler hole and let it flow over the affected area. Last step was Red Kote. I have now coated 10 fuel tanks with one quart and have enough left to do one or two more tanks.
This was that tank from my Poulan 4900 in the lathe.
Mark
I fill the tank 1/3 to 1/2 way with BB's and tumble it in my small lathe. If the tank has some varnish or other fuel residues in it I will add some acetone to help with the cleaning process. I have done 3 or 4 tanks in the past week. One had a large hole after cleaning (there was still a lot of corrosion left so I hit it in my sandblast cabinet), I taped over the hole from the outside and carefully poured some JB Weld through the filler hole and let it flow over the affected area. Last step was Red Kote. I have now coated 10 fuel tanks with one quart and have enough left to do one or two more tanks.
This was that tank from my Poulan 4900 in the lathe.
Mark
happysaws
Addicted to ArboristSite
They work great. I've done a few tanks using BB's.
deezlfan
Meadow River Lumber Co. 6
I have no experiance with cleaning magnesium but a basic chemistry class rule that must not be ignored is NEVER pour water into concentrated acid.
"Do as you oughta, add acid to watah"
Edit: In remembrance of Mrs. Wiseman, Chemistry 11th grade, Advanced Placement Chemistry 12th grade, my all time favorite teacher. She was the best of the best. My Chemistry AP: 5/5, SAT Chem: 800/800.
