I finally found something one can buy legally in California that cleans out
the rust and varnish from an old gas tank. I used "CLR", a household
cleaning product for lime scale and rust removal. It comes in a gray
plastic jug. It has sulfuric acid and a bunch of surfactants in it. I let
it stand overnight in the bottom of the tank and it is bright (if somwhat
thinner)metal this morning. Now to flip it over and see if there is any
'oomph' left for the same gallon to clean the top of the tank. It works
pretty well, as it seems to have removed all traces of rust and varnish from
the metal to the depth it stood in the tank.
Things I tried that didn't work well, or at all:
Laquer thinner
paint and varnish remover
phosphoric acid
paint thinner
nuts/bolts/shaking till your arms fall off
Regards,
Glen 'arms still too sore to type' Byrns
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