The colors were from the logo on the side of the tank, the rest of it was galvanized, and it has the galvanized top covers. I have started cleaning and sanding the tub. Laquer thinner cuts the sticky gunk, but quickly turns the rubber gloves into wrinkly softness so I go through quite a lot of them.. not to mention having my head stuck in a tub filled with laquer thinner fumes.. thankfully I have a paint mask with new cartridges.
I think cleaning the tub will work out fine, but am unsure HOW I am going to get the basket cleaned. a zillion little holes and every one will have to be perfectly cleaned.. I fear missing a few, and having the camcoat flake at those spots.. Slowly figuring it out, one step at a time. Will post pics of it when its refurbished and ready for action.
Pics would be nice, I wouldn't short change you on an ear full. Household ammonia...You better have a good respirator or go to the army suprlus store and get one of those cheap old east german, soviet, etc gas masks. A chemical & fume respirator for painting?...With the little round can filters at menards-home depot-etc. Ammonia hates beeswax!!! I use ammonia to keep the plexiglass windows on my display hive de-propolized. If you got a buddy with one of those drive in paint booths, powder coating booths, etc with a big giant fan to keep the air clean. I'd take it in there and scrub away with one of those big heavy blue bristled scrub brushes you get at farm and fleet for doing barn sinks. Wet a rag with housebold ammonia, and whipe it on the outside of the galvanized tank, and make sure it doesn't do weird stuff to the zinc. You know how barn cleaners will blue out stainless after awhile, and bleach will eat rubber gaskets up, etc.
If you have an open area with a good fan, paint booth, welding booth, barn, shed, etc Ammonia hates beeswax. Go friendly on your nose and get the scented(lemon) stuff. If for no other reason it cleans off the laundry room floor past the front porch where the little bits of wax don't get hoses off your boots, and always work there way into the laundry room, etc. It never fails to find a little smear of it that gets into the washer as well. You won't make friends on the home front if you don't clean up your messes.
Say to yourself, ammonia hates beeswax.
Pure grain spirits(everclear) hates propolis.
Go to farm and fleet and buy 2 of these:
http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/037835-allied-precision-bucket-heater.htmlI use them in my cappings tank to heat up water to mix sugar syrup. 1 will do the job, but 2 are much quicker. You can drop a couple of those in the extractor, or tub to heat it up some for a day or so. The wax and propolis will rise to the top of your tank. If you don't have a farm and fleet, over in dubuqe there is a farm store called Tysons on the main drag going into town where the mall-chillis-etc is at. It's been there for years. Pour hot water by the bucket from your water heater to get the ball rolling(or bath tub faucet in a bucket).
Like I told ya, pics will do a world of justice. Alot of old timers scrubbed the old galvanized units out with some good hot water. A thin coating of beeswax keeps your galvanized steel from rusting, as does the propolis. If you don't know that the extractor never went through a foul brood issue(contaimnated supers), then I'd be safe and clean it out good like I mentioned.
Hot-water-steam pressure washers???
You already got it clean in a half hour of scrubbing, you just don't know it yet!
