Fuel tank sealant removal machine

[Guest]

Here's another version of the sealant application tool.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Semco-Model-250A-6-oz-Pneumatic-Semco-Sealant-Gun-/221968796330?hash=item33ae5f0aaa:g:J50AAOSw-W5Uw6Xv

[philipneeper]

11 minutes ago, TargetDriver said:

Phil,  Wow, that's good to know.  From what I can see in my tanks, there isn't much beyond factory or minimal sealant...not like someone sloshed the tank or similar. Maybe the gel is the way to go. Did it stick to the upper joints/walls alright?  Perhaps I don't even need a spray system.

How much should I buy for one tank, considering it's a complete strip and reseal? 

PM SENT

[Andy95W]

2 hours ago, philipneeper said:

PM SENT

Aw, come on- don't hold out on us.  Please share with everyone.

[philipneeper]

Wasn't holding out, just a lot to type and I was doing an annual on a glasair

[isaacpr7]

Well guys, back from deployment and almost done with the honey do list so that I can continue the project where I left off

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[carusoam]

Welcome back, Isaac!

Best regards,

-a-

[isaacpr7]

After reading through pages of postings I think I will go the gel route for now due to the short amount of time available before I move. I will keep working on the recirculating machine when time allows on the other side but it will be to help whoever else needs a reseal.

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[isaacpr7]

Welcome back, Isaac!

Best regards,

-a-

Glad to be back bud. I can't wait to start turning wrenches on my bird again. I just got back and won't have much time before I have to leave again but I'll make the best of it

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[isaacpr7]

  A friend and I spent two hours removing sealant by hand with scrapers I made out of thick plexiglass in effort to minimize the amount of gel needed to remove the remainder of the sealant. That gel stuff is crazy expensive. I thought I was getting 5 gallons for 300 bucks and I miss read the description because it was a small 5 lbs tub. I want to replace the fuel transmitter gaskets and screws but spruce only lists those for Cessna or Piper. I'll give the guys at "weep no more" a call as suggested to see if they have them.

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Edited March 25, 2016 by isaacpr7

[philipneeper]

I have my manual at my hangar, about 30 min from being there. Also, I sent my transmitters to a place in lock haven for overhaul and new gaskets are $7 a piece from them. 

Shoot me a txt and I will get you the part numbers.

 

386 383 9680

[philipneeper]

I also have the numbers for the screws for your tank panel 

[N601RX]

 I think you can find them in both rubber and cork.  O&N sells cork ones for their bladders that have a hole pattern the same as the factory sender.  Also pay close attention when installing them, they have a 5 bolt pattern, but 2 of the bolts are closer together than the others. Make sure all the holes line up.

[isaacpr7]

I have my manual at my hangar, about 30 min from being there. Also, I sent my transmitters to a place in lock haven for overhaul and new gaskets are $7 a piece from them. 

Shoot me a txt and I will get you the part numbers.

 

386 383 9680

Text sent

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[isaacpr7]

 I think you can find them in both rubber and cork.  O&N sells cork ones for their bladders that have a hole pattern the same as the factory sender.  Also pay close attention when installing them, they have a 5 bolt pattern, but 2 of the bolts are closer together than the others. Make sure all the holes line up.

Thanks for the tip bud

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[isaacpr7]

Here is a pic before I began stripping but I will install the tubing for the recirculating machine and take pictures to give you guys an idea of what it would have looked like if I used it. Time is just not in my favor and cannot continue to fiddle with that project at this time but once I move I will try it on the other wing and share the results with you guys. I just have to spend more time with the old lady before deploying again in a year from now. Hopefully the results of that project will be useful to you guys

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I noticed that some of the holes from the AD were almost covered or covered completely by the last few mx that patched the tank. . Yikes!

[isaacpr7]

Just another update. After scraping the thick sealant by hand for about four hours I applied removal gel (expensive little tub for 300 smackers) and let it sit over night like Phillip suggested and I was impressed with the results. You could literally take the sealant off by swiping your finger across the substrate. Areas that I did not put enough gel, if any, did not cleaned up but I will apply gel next time.

As far as the sealant removal machine goes, I took some pictures for you guys to keep the ideas illustrated for those interested. The sump sits under the wing, collecting remover fluid being sprayed inside the tank by the pump installed next to the sump. After spending hours fabricating a steel sump I realized that I could have just used a 5 gallon bucket from Lowes since the fluid seems to have any effect on the material as previously tested in my experiment.

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[Marauder]

Isaac -- I wish I had half of your energy level! Nice progress on the resealing.

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[isaacpr7]

27 minutes ago, Marauder said:

Isaac -- I wish I had half of your energy level! Nice progress on the resealing.

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Chris,

That's what a nine month deployment does to you.  I was wishing every day to be home tinkering in dozens of projects I had in mind.  Now that I'm back it's hard to stop the train. Between woodworking, home renovations, and aircraft work I sure have a full plate but loving every minute of it    I have to squeeze as much as I can before deploying back in a year.  BTW, I'm moving to the east coast in June so I hope to meet some fellow moonicacs in that side of the country   Fort Bragg it is!

[1524J]

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/219630O/sr-cutter-bristle-disc-flyer.pdf

Issac, I'm going to try these on my next tank stripping/sealing adventure. If you have any more sealant to remove by hand, these look like they might work well. Disclamer: I work for 3M, but not in the division that produces these cutters.

Looking really good so far......

[isaacpr7]

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/219630O/sr-cutter-bristle-disc-flyer.pdf

Issac, I'm going to try these on my next tank stripping/sealing adventure. If you have any more sealant to remove by hand, these look like they might work well. Disclamer: I work for 3M, but not in the division that produces these cutters.

Looking really good so far......

I have one of those I bought from Spruce a long time ago but when I finally pulled it out to use it for this project I could not figure out how to attach it to the drill. It's just a screw that attaches to the drill somehow. Can you enlighten me on how to make it work?

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[1524J]

32 minutes ago, isaacpr7 said:

I have one of those I bought from Spruce a long time ago but when I finally pulled it out to use it for this project I could not figure out how to attach it to the drill. It's just a screw that attaches to the drill somehow. Can you enlighten me on how to make it work?

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They're meant to be used with a right angle drill, preferably one that runs 800 rpm or less. It just screws into the head. I haven't purchased or used one yet but I'm going to try it. I used SR125A as my polysulfide remover on my first tank. Worked great and is considerably less expensive than Polygone however now there is a disclaimer on PPG's website that the SR125A is not designed for fuel tanks. I called and spoke with the sales rep and he said the the SR125A works too good. That if you don't get the surface clean of all the SR125A it makes it difficult for the sealant to adhere. I didn't have any issues, but it's a mess to use alone and will absolutely strip any paint it contacts! 

[isaacpr7]

32 minutes ago, isaacpr7 said: I have one of those I bought from Spruce a long time ago but when I finally pulled it out to use it for this project I could not figure out how to attach it to the drill. It's just a screw that attaches to the drill somehow. Can you enlighten me on how to make it work?

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They're meant to be used with a right angle drill, preferably one that runs 800 rpm or less. It just screws into the head. I haven't purchased or used one yet but I'm going to try it. I used SR125A as my polysulfide remover on my first tank. Worked great and is considerably less expensive than Polygone however now there is a disclaimer on PPG's website that the SR125A is not designed for fuel tanks. I called and spoke with the sales rep and he said the the SR125A works too good. That if you don't get the surface clean of all the SR125A it makes it difficult for the sealant to adhere. I didn't have any issues, but it's a mess to use alone and will absolutely strip any paint it contacts! 

Thanks a bunch for the info. Just found one on ebay for 130 and bought it. They go for around 250 new from what I found. I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes.

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[isaacpr7]

I wish something like this was made for aviation use. This would make sealant removal a breeze.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1040802139290583&id=100000824211972

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[philipneeper]

Isaac, 

    If you call the Huntsville and talk to a Scott, they do corrosion control stuff, i can't remember his last name at the moment, anyways, they make a router tool that goes on the drill and it will take sealant up as well... its made of a nylon or something so it won't damage the metal. 

[isaacpr7]

Isaac, 

    If you call the Huntsville and talk to a Scott, they do corrosion control stuff, i can't remember his last name at the moment, anyways, they make a router tool that goes on the drill and it will take sealant up as well... its made of a nylon or something so it won't damage the metal. 

Phillip I just wanted to give you a pirep on the polygone gel. That stuff is amazing and probably worth the 300 bucks. I saturated the surface somewhat and let it sit over night as you suggested and the sealant was coming off in the morning by just touching it with a scraper. I took it a step further and did some light pressure washing and I was done removing 90% of the sealant in about 20 minutes. I think the key to all this is allowing the polygone to sit over night like you suggested. In the pictures above you can see how well it worked. My tank had been patched so many times that it just had mountains of sealer. It also helped that I scraped of the heavy stuff out before applying polygone. The scraping part took 4 hours with an extra set of hands from a friend. I might still try the machine for the other wing (time permitting) and if it doesn't get desired results then I can go back to the gel method. Another plus for leaving gel over night is that I only used about two cups from the entire tub so I have plenty left for one more application and still have an entire tub remaining in case I have to help someone else out in the future

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