Refurbishing Old Gas Cans

[TheJosh]

i came upon 5 old gas cans recently, it was a elderly man than owned them and they were in his shed. anyways i want to refurb them and use them, they are super thick durable steel. what is the best way to refurb a old gas can? can you get the powder coated? how would i get all the old gas fumes out and seal the insides? it would be cool to bring them bank to their old glory. the caps are about the same size as current jerry cans from blitz so it won't be a prob to find new ones, here is a pic

 

[Balzer]

They do make products to seal old gas tanks, I would imagine they would work on those gas cans as well. If you need to weld on them you can fill them with water.

 

[Revco]

You can have them media blasted and have the outsides powdercoated, and then seal the insides with gas tank sealer kits. The blasting & powdercoating would probably cost about $40 each around here, and it'd probably take 2-3 sealer kits at around $30 each to cover all the cans.

You can go the cheap route and submerge them in vinegar for a few weeks. They'll come out paint/rust free. Dollar store vinegar works fine, but you'll be buying enough of it to not only fill the cans, but to submerge them completely. Best to use some plastic storage containers as tubs. After a few weeks of soaking, wash them out with water, allow them to dry, and buy some $15 primer & $20 pre-mixed Duplicolor paint from your local auto parts store and shoot it through a $15 HF spray gun and let the insides go uncoated until you can buy the sealer kits. It won't hold up as well as the powdercoating, but it'd be a helluva lot better than rattle can paint.

 

[scrubber3]

I cleaned the inside of mine with oven cleaner. Sprayed wd40 in it. Put kerosine in to rinse. Then let dry. Sprayed the outside with black spray paint. Added a new gasket and bought a nozzle with a strainer. 30 dollars invested total including the can. Works fine. If the paint chips, I just spray it again. Easy enough?

HTH,
JW

 

[Dirtytires]

Flush them out with a water hose. Make sure gas cans are empty. I dont think you will ever be able to remove the smells.
lightly wet sand, and use a good primer, then wet sand again. Try to use a rustoleum paint to refininsh. An oil or industrial
paint is best. Sea; with a clearcoat. Good luck and keep us posted on the restore.

 

[TheJosh]

You can go the cheap route and submerge them in vinegar for a few weeks. They'll come out paint/rust free. Dollar store vinegar works fine, but you'll be buying enough of it to not only fill the cans, but to submerge them completely. Best to use some plastic storage containers as tubs. After a few weeks of soaking, wash them out with water, allow them to dry, and buy some $15 primer & $20 pre-mixed Duplicolor paint from your local auto parts store and shoot it through a $15 HF spray gun and let the insides go uncoated until you can buy the sealer kits. It won't hold up as well as the powdercoating, but it'd be a helluva lot better than rattle can paint.

wow thats incredibly crafty! i didn't know vinegar will do that. sounds like you've done this before. i prefer the cheaper route. its not like powder coating holds up great on gas cans anyway in my experience. i think ill try this out!


where can i buy sealer kits? does anyone know where to buy replacement caps and nozzles?

 

[kmacafee]

http://search.eastwood.com/search?w=tank+sealer

 

[scrubber3]

Ebay has caps, spouts, gaskets, and anything else these need all for auction prices! :ylsmoke:

 

[Revco]

Yep, vinegar is an old trick. I use it with rusty old car parts all the time, usually on things that are too big to fit in the blasting cabinet. Just do it outside, away from any other metals or they will oxidize from the vapors. You can also use molasses, but it's messier and smells worse than vinegar. Also, you can use electrolysis with a battery charger to remove rust, but a simple mistake can disolve the part you're trying to strip clean.

Here's a thread on the HAMB... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=590133

Usually the local auto parts stores carry gas tank sealer kits, but you can find them online from auto restoration supply houses like Eastwood, or sometimes at your lcoal paint supplier. POR15 makes a kit, as does KBS coatings. I've used them all, they're all the same to me. Preparation is key to a good seal.

 

[TheJosh]

thanks for the link!

funny thing, i found another vintage gas can today, so now i have 6 to do! (i clean out foreclosures for work) its funny how i have been finding old gas cans lately

 

[TheJosh]

day 1

2 cans to start with and once these are done ill put two more cans in and then work on the clean ones

 

[Revco]

Go man go!

Keep us updated on the progress.

 

[TheJosh]

Does vinegar really smell bad though? It just makes me crave salt and vinegar potato chips!

 

[BIGVAN]

I need to do the same thing with 6 cans I have. Please keep us up to speed on the progress!

 

[crossbowme]

You might want to check ebay. I just bought 5 new ones real cheap. Looking at your picture you can see that you have two types. The big cap ones are old US military ones (might be as old as WW II) and require a large flexible US spout. The small odd cap ones are NATO and require a NATO spout. When you go hunting for these spouts look for military spouts only. The commercial ones are cheap knock offs that will break in two when using and cause a huge fire hazard. The military ones cost more but won't break 100 miles from the nearest store or burn your rig down.

Any place that steam cleans engines can steam both inside and outside of your cans.