Fuel can restoration

Hey guys in the process of restoring 4 Jerry cans. They started out pretty rusty but all together I have about 30 bucks in all 4. So I debated a few methods on how to take the rust of without use of to many chemicals. I debated electrolysis but seemed to be a pain so I opted to soak in vinegar. It works amazingly well but just slow, about 3 weeks per can unless you have a tub big enough for all cans and want to buy like 30 gallons of vinegar. the cans still have pitting from the rust but nothing I can do about that unless i used body filler or something. I will post pictures as I go but here is my primed and first can I did. I used engine paint for the final coat because of the chemical resistance of the paint vs regular paint. I hope it works since I took a gamble. more pictures to follow.

 

I did my motorcycle gas tank with phosphoric acid, but it was a small amount on the inside, then washing out with alcohol and coating with sealant. Not helpful to you since you're doing the outside of the cans too. A stronger acid like muriatic will work and you can buy them by the gallon or 5 gallon container. I have also had good results from electrolysis on objects I've found with a metal detector. I used oxyclean as an electrolyte and rebar as an electrode. Again, smaller objects. Looks like you've found a great method that works, good luck!

 

I mite tinker around with electrolysis next. I like the idea of rebar for sacrificial steel.