Getting steel tanks repainted?

[PeterVICEG]

I have been touching up and repainting steel tanks for years with cheap enamel paint. The most expensive part is if I use a disposable brush. I doubt if I have ever spent more than $5 on a tank.

I have never had a tank fail a vis or a hydro because of this. Dragging them through cave passage is hard on any finish, I can’t see getting too exited about a mirror finish.

I have used cold spray galvanizing on tanks with only a galvanizing finish. It is soft and comes off, but the tank doesn’t rust. For anyone concerned about painting over galvanizing, this is often done. If the chemistry of paint is compatible it will stick well and the galvanizing will be there to ablate if exposed.

[Sludge]

All of this brings me back to my cave training when my instructor advised us, "No matter what type of cylinders you use for any of your diving, only use galvanized steel cylinders for cave doubles. The maintenance issues for painted steel cylinders are overwhelming."

[mrki]

disposable brush

Painting with a brush? How do you make sure the markings aren't obscured by a thick layer of paint?

[PeterVICEG]

Painting with a brush? How do you make sure the markings aren't obscured by a thick layer of paint?

I don’t apply a thick coat of paint and I do pay attention to the markings. Cleaning out the important ones is easy and helps.

[FW]

Painting with a brush? How do you make sure the markings aren't obscured by a thick layer of paint?

What you could do is first paint the numbers with a light coat of contrasting paint like black, and let it dry. Then paint the tanks and wipe off the paint over the numbers, leaving the numbers easily visible.

[Teddy]

dOn'T pAiNt yOuR tAnKs, YoU'lL dIe