Anyone pre-emptively coated their tanks with Caswell's?

[Heath]

I read the directions and it doesn't sound too hard to use.  It does sound like one of those things though the more you do it the easier it gets.  How much would someone charge to do it for you? Not including the $40 product.

[duccarlos]

From what I understand it's a 2 hour job.

[ducpainter]

From what I understand it's a 2 hour job.

Does that include cleaning the tank, if it's used?

What's the labor rate?

[duccarlos]

Does that include cleaning the tank, if it's used?

What's the labor rate?

I would have though that you would be answering. Didn't you apply it? Draining the tank takes a while from what I understand it's a 2 hour effort to apply fully. If you do it ypurself, it only cost you your own time.

[ducatiz]

note:  a few dealerships, myself and others have noticed that if you remove the plastic tank -- drain it -- and put it somewhere for a few months thus that air can vent through it regularly.  (don't do this near your natural gas / oil powered furnace or hot water heater!)  The tank goes "back" to original shape and the lumps/deformation reverses.  Not 100% every single tank though. 

What is happening is the water is wicking out of the nylon inner layer.  In simple cases, the water has only penetrated a little and the tank shrinks back, no problem.

The dilemma is that the nylon has normally-occurring cavities inside it.  You can see these on many tanks when you look inside, you'll see a bubble on the surface of the nylon.  Ducati/Acerbis must do some kind of QA to test that the bubbles are not near the outer surface.

If moisture reaches one of these bubbles, the water will simply pool inside it and won't dry out.  Similarly, I have seen tanks where the outer surface has bubbled or gotten soft/mushy to the touch. 

If you decide to dry out your tank and then apply the coating, you need to inspect it carefully before and after drying.  Make sure there are NO soft spots or bubbling from the outside.  You need to finger every centimeter of the tank.  If every spot of the tank is firm, then you probably don't have any water occlusion problems. 

Once the coating is applied, the water is forever trapped.  Make sure you do it right.  If you live in a humid area where the humidity is over 35-40% regularly, you need to figure out how to get it lower so the water comes out.  Desiccant packs are helpful.  If you have the setup, use a hair dryer with no heat.  Air flow will make it faster, but the air still needs to be dry. 

You can find big mil-surp desiccant packs on the web.  Stick them in the oven for 6 hours and they reset.  You can buy the silica and put it in a cheese cloth too.

[ducpainter]

I would have though that you would be answering. Didn't you apply it? Draining the tank takes a while from what I understand it's a 2 hour effort to apply fully. If you do it ypurself, it only cost you your own time.

I used it on a brand new fiberglass tank. There was no fuel residue. It took all of the 2 hours, plus making plugs for the openings.

Regardless what the instructions say my understanding is that fuel residue will not rinse out with other solvents like acetone, so that would mean using detergent and water with a drying time afterward as well as heat and airflow during the dry.

If you do it yourself and it doesn't work all you're out is some self kicks to the ass and living with a screwed up job. Replacing the tank is optional. If I charge money to do it I'm out the cost of a tank and my reputation.

Like I've said I've read the instructions with the Caswell kit and some of it is just plain wrong. That mostly has to do with the process for rusty steel tanks. You can't stop rust by covering it with epoxy, and you can't use phosphoric acid under epoxy. The product seems like the stuff to use, but I don't trust the instructions.

[ducatiz]

From what I understand it's a 2 hour job.

2 hour job if you've prepped the tank already or have a new tank off the bike.

Drying the tank could tank a while.  Gasoline is pretty clingy.  I have old tanks that still stink of gas after sitting on my shelf for 10 years.  (the leaded gas smelled really nice)

It's more than a 2 hour job, I'm just sayin'.

If you had gas in the tank, you need to flush it out with soap and water and then dry dry dry.

[duccarlos]

I presumed the effort of applying is 2 hours. Prep obviously depends on your circumstance.

[sbrguy]

damn sounds complicated and again good job to pay someone else to do right.  sounds like nate might be getting a lot more work on tank repairs whenever they are sent for repainting.

[duccarlos]

Are the later model Monsters seeing the issue? That's the question on the 1100 thread.

[ducatiz]

Yes.  I have two reports of streetfighters with the problem too.

[ducpainter]

Weren't there threads in general about a leaker (not sure about the model) and skins no longer fitting on a 696?

[duccarlos]

That's what I thought I had remembered, but my job has drained me to the point that I can barely remember 5 minutes ago.

[Howie]

Weren't there threads in general about a leaker (not sure about the model) and skins no longer fitting on a 696?

There is currently 696 leaker on the board and might have been a 696 with a skin problem, that makes two complaints since 2008.