Originally Posted By: JKB
Originally Posted By: Cecil Baird1
Originally Posted By: JKB
Originally Posted By: esshup
The tank will need about all of those 4 days to completely cure, so you aren't losing more than about a day.


I usually let epoxy cure for 7-10 days based on temp. and humidity. I also sweat it in for a good hour or so after mixing the two parts, again, based on temp. and humidity.

For a tank:
After the cure, water goes in for a couple weeks to try and saturate the coating, also to leach out some of the chemicals that come to the surface. Then I drain it and wash the surface with plain old Ivory dish soap. Rinse it out and do a fingernail test.

Properly applied and cured. Epoxy is a non toxic, thin film barrier that is totally safe for fish, if you do it correct.

You know things are in your favor if you can rub your fingernail against it and end up with a manicure smile


JKB,

The stuff I am using is called Tile Doc and it supposed to be completely cured in 24 to 36 hours. It's used to repair bathtubs, sinks etc. I do know it's really, really, hard after a few days and almost impossible to sand. I tried it when I had to rip out the drain and scrape rust and there was some at the edge of the rust. The stuff around the edges was impossible to remove without a grinder.

The other coatings have been in the tank for about a week now. So I really need to fill and drain again eh?


Gotta watch out what you are using:

Product Description: XIM’s Tile DOC is an Engineered two component finish that bonds strongly to porcelain and will hold up to cold
and hot water. The Tile-DOC is a gloss white that looks just like tile. It can be used as a white or tinted to a pastel color.
Not recommended for:
* Galvanized metal * Metal surfaces * Flexible surfaces
* In Swimming Pools Nor in Hot Tubs or Jacuzzis
Note: Not Flame or High Temperature Resistant
Note: Always Clean Tile DOC only with “Soft-Scrub” cleaners or mild detergents like 409 or Fantastic to prevent marking.


I only do the soak test to check total integrity of coating on a new tank, to find any problem spots. Not necessary on a touch up job.


But it does say:

For bare steel remove all rust and spot prime...

So metal in itself may not be a no no. I will call the manufacturer this morning. Sure hope I didn't screw up. It wouldn't be the first time I've used someone's else's advice and it was wrong. frown I would have loved to use AES's fish safe epoxy but the minimum order was a gallon kit and the price as it usually is with AES was way up there! Not to mention the shipping all the way from Florida!

Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 10/12/10 06:06 AM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.