Steel Hydro Problem

[curtschu]

I need to know what folks are doing about the fact that steel tanks will start to rust within hours of being Hydro'd I have a set of O2 clean 95s that need hydro. Right now they are pristine, but I just looked at a tank that came back from a commercial hydro facility and there is a film of rust.
We used to use something called solution B right after dumping the water out but since tank are set off now What do we do? Tumble them?

Anyone out there doing Hydros and treating with a rust inhibitor afterward?

Curt

Actually, it's called "Compound B." I don't know who makes it, but my instructor gave me about eight ounces of it around ten years ago. It's yellow, and you mix 1/4 ounce to a gallon of water. I still have about six ounces left.

About a year ago it was mentioned on this forum, and someone said it isn't oxygen compatible, so they use something else that is, but I don't recall what they said they use.

This should be moot, however, because a simple hydro shouldn't cause flash rusting. All they do in a hydro is fill the cylinder with water and pressurize it. It's tumbling that causes flash rusting, because the tumbling media eat away at the protective coating on the cylinder wall.

Bottom line is don't tumble a cylinder if it doesn't need it. Besides, protocol says that a cylinder that has been tumbled needs to be hydroed again.

Russell

[curtschu]

I just didn't like what I saw in a HP 130 that came back from Hydro.

Yes Compound B my mistake.

I guess we'll see.

I just didn't like what I saw in a HP 130 that came back from Hydro.

Did you look at it before you sent it off? There's nothing about a hydro that should cause a cylinder to rust. If it did, you should question the facility, and inquire about a new cylinder at their expense.

Russell

[BobK]

I just didn't like what I saw in a HP 130 that came back from Hydro.

Did you look at it before you sent it off? There's nothing about a hydro that should cause a cylinder to rust. If it did, you should question the facility, and inquire about a new cylinder at their expense.

Russell

It'll rust if it doesn't get dried out lickty-split after the hydro. Don't know about other tanks, but neither my Fabers nor my PST HPs have any kind of protective coating in them, just bare steel.
The usual solution I've heard is to use a tank whip on them, wash them out with Simple Green or other degreaser, rinse with very very hot water, and then blow dry them with a heat gun. They should dry fast enough that no or little rust forms. An alternative method is to blow dry them with nitrogen. No oxgen means no rust. FWIW, YMMV, etc.

[Tegg]

I love blue gold.

I use it for household cleaning now also. Works wonders...

[imported_admin]

Oops... I accidentally removed this post by Crazyduck while trying to make a copy on the BLOG section... Sorry Andrew! /tj
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Cleaning material we have mentioned in the past is Blue Gold.

web: http://www.bluegoldcleaners.com/cleaner.htm

Tech Blue also sells it- https://tech-blue.com/secure.html

Regards, Andrew