Sand Blasting on Fuel Tank for Zinga

[Wheely]

Hey Guys,

I am going to apply Zinga on my Land Rover Defender new steel diesel tank.

To prep the surface it says to do sand-blasting or use other mechanical surface preparation methods such as rotating bushes, bristle blasters, grinders etc.

I am in Ghana (West Africa) and I found one company that does sand-blasting for building industrial sites - they use a compressor at 10 bar and sand that they retrieve from a nearby river.

The diesel tank it's mild steel, 1mm or 2mm thick - would the compressor at 10 bar be fine or will it warp it?

Is it safe to use the river sand after it has been dried and filtered to remove big chunks ?

Thanks a lot,

Simone

 

[MattF]

Media blasting was always advised against on fuel tanks, with a place I used to use. They said you have a devil of a time flushing the tank if any gets inside. I'd go with a flap disc or such for abrading the surface.

 

[Wheely]

Great feedback thanks - for Zinga they say sand-blasting is best because it creates the right surface for the Zinga to attach to the steel - would flap disk provide a similar texture in your opinion?

 

[richie00boy]

When I spoke to the UK rep he wasn't too keen on any prep method other than blasting to sa2.5
That was not an option for me and I used polycarbide wheels "strip & clean" discs they are often called. I've not had the car out on the road yet so can't feedback on longevity but it went on ok.

 

[Dcal]

Sand blasting to sa2.5 will be the best option. The only mechanical preparation system that is supposed to get close to sa2.5 is the Bristle Blaster, pretty much everything else will polish the surface and wont work as well, but in my opinion even the Bristle Blaster is a poor second best.
If you can, blast it. The 10bar pressure wont be the problem, but the size of the nozzle could be. If they use a small say 3mm nozzle it will give the finish your after but wont warp the tank, even if its only 1mm thick, it will however take longer.
Also as MattF said make sure you properly seal up all openings and i don't mean with a bit of masking tape, to keep the grit out. The difference in the life of the zinga or other zinc rich coatings when applied to a well prepared surface is massive.