build diary

March 23, 2006: Last night I spent a bit more time fixing little leaks.
Not squirters but slow drips. The sealant would take of that but I'd feel better having metal to back it up. Then I degreased the tank with methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and filled it full of Kreem Tank Prep A. From the smell of it and from my reading, that's basically just dilute phosphoric acid. So is Metal Etch, so I used part of a bottle of that to get to the desired concentration. I left the tank to stew overnight - longer than required for a new tank, but the timing worked out for me.

This morning I came in early to discover a couple of spots where the acid solution had escaped past the tape and made a nice mess on the workbench despite a bunch of prophylactic paper towels. Ah, let's just call it art. I rinsed out the tank and used Kreem Tank Prep B (aka MEK) to get rid of any water. Then it was time to play with the Kreem goo itself. Pour it in, rotate the tank all over to let it coat, let it sit, rotate the tank all over, drain and let dry. The second coat will go on in a couple of hours and then I'll let it cure for a few days as I play with plumbing and painting the outside. Then, finally, I'll have the tank done.

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