holding tanks

[jnmaple]

I have a used stock tank that the sap was left in to long .It has rusted in side . Could I paint the inside ?

[WF MASON]

Sherwin Williams did sell a food grade paint at one time , Bascoms might still have some pushed to the back somewhere.

[802maple]

Sherwin Williams does have a food grade paint but it is for incidental touch not for storage and the last I heard from the health department that there was only one epoxy paint that was classified to be able to use and it had to be baked on at 350 degrees for 12 hours. I may be wrong but I don't think any of the maple companies sell paint for that reason.

[DS Maple]

One of my tanks is metal and I spent a lot of time last year searching for food grade paint. If anything, I learned that people give you really strange looks when asking for it. Anyhow, the best stuff that I came across was actually sold by Hobart. It's the same "food grade" paint that they paint all of their food equipment, such as mixers, with. I actually heard of the product through I believe US Foodservice. I described my situation and they said it would work fine. It comes in a spray can so application is easy and I want to say it was like $23 including shipping. Interestingly enough, in small print below the Hobart logo on the can was something that read "product of Sherwin Williams," and I say this is interesting because the people at Sherwin Williams were some of those who gave me strange looks in the beginning, claiming that no such product existed.

[softmaple]

i found this web site. hope this helps.

http://www.indianamaplesyrup.org/paint.html

[802maple]

I was told by the Sherwin Williams people that there paint was fine as far as food grade goes as long as it wasn't stored in it. It could touch it for short periods of time and have no effect on food, such as a couple minutes. I have got that same answer from health department inspectors and Maple companies alike.

[super sappy]

The betterBee says that this stuff is used all the time in honey extractors. They are inspected alot and have had nothing said. I have a call into HAR coatings in Bedford ohio, (the manufacturer) every one was gone for the day but "Joe"is going to call back tomorrow. I coated a few buckets with it a couple of years ago. It looks like the stuff on those epoxy lined metal jugs that Bascoms sells. Makes you higher than a kite when you apply it.-ss

[peacemaker]

humm wonder what i have i could paint in on in a nice closed room ...lol

[802maple]

Probably like when I used to work in a furniture factory in a nieghboring town and I was spraying on finishes. I would come out to the loading dock at the end of the day and jump off and never land. The was some good stuff.

[peacemaker]

oh yeah one day i was spraying lacquer the piece was big enough that when i finished a coat the first piece was dry and i would scuff an start ahgain after coat nuber 4 my x wife came out and saw me just standing there with the gun and my hand and not moving she says lets go sit down outside and take off that mask and clothes and let u breathe .. wow 3 days latter i kinda of remembered that

[super sappy]

I called back to HAR coatings Joe did not call back. ( 440 786-7185) they shuffled me around a phone tree and I got answers like I think so etc. they told me to talk to the good old boys at Walter kelly Co.(1 800 233 2899 )these guys said that this stuff is food safe and that is that. They said that they coat the inside of bee hives with it honey equipment etc. So I asked the local chemical engineer and all he had to offer is that it is essentially a plastic paint. Being a ester epoxy it most likely would not leach anything harmful once it cures. Curing is the key word here. Now back to Walter kelly Co. I asked for a material safety data sheet, they could not give me one? I asked for FDA aproval in writing, thay could not do it. But they wanted to sell it to me with no real proof that it was safe for long term contact with food. So I still have a half can of this stuff and I dont know if I want to use it or not on a stock tank that I have. It will most likely go back on the shelf with the grateful dead tape that I listen to when I paint with it. I wish the ground wasnt frozen then Id bury a bulk tank in the ground and call it a day.-ss

[802maple]

I pretty much got the same answer and that is where I was told about the curing process, which they said that the food grade epoxy that was available had to be heat cured. What were you told in that regard?

[Homestead Maple]

I sprayed the inside of a Small Brothers galvanized holding tank with some of the epoxy from Cambridge Coatings, probably 5-6 years ago and I'm still using the tank. I was concerned about the galvanized and figured this stuff would coat over it and seal it. I sanded the galvanized lightly to take the smoothness off it so the epoxy would stick to it and it has work fine. As far as using it over rusty surfaces, I'd want to get most of the rust off.

[super sappy]

just like varnish, lightly sand between coats, and do at least 2 coats also sand off all rust before you start .......... as far as heat the engineer said that it is not necessary as it cures with the moisture in the air? He mentioned that this may be a slow process depending on the Enviroment surrounding the container. So maybe in a controlled enviroment 350 degrees will cure the product to a food safe level in 5 hrs or so, but room temp will produce the same surfase in 24-48 hrs. He said that this surfase is way tighter than polyethelene.Could a food inspector give advise erring on the side of caution and believing that the casual user would not follow directions and therefor not allow the first coat to properly cure before applying the second coat and having a harmful coating.I dont know?? -ss

[gmcooper]

I talked with our freind at Sherwin Williams (about 30 years with company) a week ago. He has not been able to find that they make a "food grade Paint" at all. If they did they no longer do. He also said to get proper adhesion to galvanized metal it would take a two part epoxy. Other wise it will "sweat" and begin to loosen and peel off. He also said not to use the galvanized coating you can get to use for grain bins and the like as it would not be close to safe let alone food grade.

Going to look in dads bee catalogs to see what they say about the coatings for bee equipment.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

You can pick up a new galvanized stock tank for not a lot of $$ and with proper care should last for at least 25 to 30 years if not much longer. What I mean about proper care is storing them inside as soon as the season is over. Sounds like if you can find food grade paint, it is going to cost some $$$ and may not last very long and a lot of work too.

Better yet, pick up one of the Rubbermaid stock tanks as they are about the same in price and not a lot of $$$.

[802maple]

And unlike galvanize they are food grade I believe

[jnmaple]

thanks to all that have reply to my rusty tank.I think that i will find a poly stock tank to replase it with.thank you