Using Red-Kote®

View the MSDS for this product.

You can download this information as a PDF. There are two versions - Red-Kote® Dry and Red-Kote® Liquid.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Empty all fuel from tank.
2. Remove sender unit, float, feed lines, filters, anything that could be clogged by the coating.
3. Remove any loose rust by tapping on the tank with a rubber mallet or by tumbling with a piece of chain in the tank. Flush out debris.
4. Clean the tank by steaming for about 15 minutes. Boilout is not recommended because the high alkalinity removes tin from the terne plate. A standard water soluble degreasing chemical works well.
5. Any leaks larger than 2mm should be repaired by soldering or your usual method.
6. Make sure that the tank is completely dry before continuing. This is very important. Without a blower, drying may take up to 12 hours. The use of a blower to circulate air through the tank will cut the time to an hour or so. The fastest method is to drain the tank for 5 minutes and then pour 500ml of Acetone into the tank, slosh thoroughly and pour out. Do not use a blower after using Acetone as an electrical spark will cause an explosion in the tank.
7. Cover all open holes in the tank by plugging or covering with tape, except the one to be used for pouring in the coating.
8. Pour one or two doses of Red-Kote® into the tank and cover the last opening. You can get by with one dose on tanks of about 50 litres or less. We recommend two doses for larger tanks to make sure you get the coating to flow behind all the baffles.
9. Tip the tank onto each side and slosh the coating around to completely cover the inside. Use a rocking motion rather than shaking. It is important to do a thorough job or you may miss parts of the tank behind baffles.
10. Drain out the excess coating and cover tightly to save for reuse. The best method is to stand the tank up with a corner drain hole over a can to collect the excess as it drips out. It is very important that you do not leave puddles in the tank.
11. Open all tank openings to allow the best air flow. Air dry for 8 to 24 hours. When cured there will be almost no solvent smell left in the tank. If the coating is not completely cured before fuel is added the curing process will be stopped. Do not use open flame or an electric element for drying or an explosion may result. Do not blow air into the tank until at least 60 minutes of drying time have passed. Using air sooner may cause bubbles to form in the coating or cause the Acetone vapors to ignite.
12. If the leaks or rust are severe it is a good idea to use a second coat after the first coat dries completely.
13. Reassemble and install the tank on the vehicle.
14. For clean-up use Acetone. If Red-Kote® becomes thick it may be thinned with Acetone.

Tips & hints from Damon Industries:

• Do not leave the can open to the air as it will thicken or form a skin on top. When Red-Kote® is reused after pouring it back out of a petrol tank it may need thinning before reuse. Red-Kote® may be thinned with Acetone. Do not use lacquer thinner to dilute Red-Kote®.
• For removing water from the tank prior to coating you may use Acetone.
• It is recommended you punch a hole in a corner of the tank to aid in draining it completely. Then solder in a draincock. Do not solder or weld on the tank after it has been coated. The coating will turn to ash if heated above 120ºC.
• Some Red-Kote® customers have reported a way to speed up the process significantly. They are thinning Red-Kote® about 20 - 25% with Acetone (1 part Acetone to 4 or 5 parts Red-Kote®). This allows the Red-Kote® to dry in only a couple of hours in many cases. They also report that using air to dry the inside does not cause the bubbles that form when straight Red-Kote® is dried with air. You will get a much thinner coating. We are told that two of these thin coats still take less time to dry than one thick coat.
• Red-Kote® does not stick well to plastic tanks or to plastic parts inside a petrol tank.
• Do not coat over other coatings. Remove old coatings completely first, using Acetone.

The two most common problems we see are:

1. not completely drying the tank of water before coating. Red-Kote® will not stick to wet metal. When it dries it will peel off in sheets.
2. not allowing the Red-Kote® to dry completely. If Red-Kote® is not completely dry or has puddles left it will form strings or flecks in the petrol. These may get past the fuel filter and plug carburetors or injectors. Puddles of Red-Kote® left behind baffles or in corners may never dry completely. This is because a skin forms over the puddles and prevents drying underneath. Once the skin ruptures the Red-Kote® forms strings in the petrol.

• Damon Industries guarantees the product only, not your application of it. After application to over 50,000 cars they have seen 7 problems. All were application errors as described above. We have never seen failure due to ageing. Both of these conditions are prevented easily by proper drying. All problems are correctable by stripping out the Red-Kote® with Acetone and recoating.
• We recommend that you do not to use fuel additives containing Methanol or Methyl Alcohol. There have been instances of methanol pulling the red dye out of Red-Kote® which turns the petrol red. This has not caused any damage to our knowledge.
• Do not rush the job. In many cases it will take more than one day to do a job worthy of your time.

WARNING!

Causes eye irritation. May cause skin irritation. Avoid eye and skin contact. Use safety glasses with side shields and rubber gloves when handling. May be harmful if inhaled. Avoid excessive inhalation of vapors. Use only with adequate ventilation. Harmful if swallowed. Do not take internally. Keep container tightly closed.

FIRST AID

Eye Contact: Immediately flush eyes with water for at least 15 minutes, occasionally lifting the upper and lower eyelids. Get medical attention immediately.

Skin Contact: Wash the exposed skin with soap and water. If irritation develops and persists, get medical attention.

Inhalation: Move the affected person to fresh air. If irritation persists, get medical attention.

Ingestion: Do not induce vomiting. If the affected person is conscious, give a glass of water or milk to drink. Get medical attention.

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