Stripping Luxfer AL80 Scuba Tank (Stage Bottle)
With the spare time I have due to the holiday break (no school or work!), I decided to strip one of my AL80′s that I’ve had sitting around so I can finally stick the MOD decals on it. I guess I could have just put the MOD stickers on it, but the clear coat put on from the factory was starting to yellow, and just didn’t look good, so I didn’t want to spend any money on stickers for it that would just end up coming off as soon as I had the free time. A friend recently sold me a cheap Halcyon AL80 stage strap as well, so I guess that helped motivate me…
The Procedure-
- Purchase paint stripper from Home Depot. (Click here to see what I used)
- Put an old yoke valve, or something you don’t want on the tank to ensure nothing gets inside it, and you don’t ruin a good valve if you spray any stripper on it. I had an old OMS H valve that was of no use to me, so I used that.
- Cover the tank in paint stripper.
- Use a scraper to get the foam-y paint stripper off the tank. (Wear gloves and do *not* get this stuff on your skin!)
- Rinse the tank.
- Scrape off all the paint you can scrape off easily.
- Coat the remaining painted areas with paint stripper and let it sit for 15 more minutes.
- Scrape the remaining paint off.
- Rinse cylinder.
- Put the new valve on it.
- You’re DONE!
Pics-
