Pressure Tank Cork Coating

[Sputter]

Hi,

I’m for the first time rebuilding two Johnson pressure tanks.  I noticed that the cork floats for the fuel gauge have a redish color or coating (see photo).  One cork is nearly completely covered while the other is coated about halfway up.

Is this a factory applied coating?  Or perhaps a kind of varnish that built up from sitting in old gas?

Please advise on what I should do or not do to the cork before putting the tank back together.

Thanks!

1956 Johnson 15 Hp, FD-10
1958 Johnson 5.5 Hp, CD-15

[outbdnut2]

The reddish stuff looks like old gas residue, but it could be some form of old seal-coat.  The corks, just like cork carb floats, do have a seal-coating, and if ethanol-gas mixture has been used, that attacks the seal coat and ruins it, and the cork usually sinks.  There are two kinds of natural cork.  One is open-cell cork and the other is closed-cell cork.  I replaced a tank cork with a wine bottle cork once without sealing it and it sunk within a week, so it was open-cell cork.   I would clean your cork off good, sanding if necessary to get all that stuff off.  Then seal-coat it with either clear, hot fuel proof model airplane “Dope”, or with super-glue.

Dave

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Sputter

[crosbyman]

brushed on super  glue seems to work but just  be careful   with fumes that sometimes  develop on the cork    Ventilate properly and keep fumes  away from the the eyes and  don’t inhale the stuff !!

 

SG  usually ends  up on fingers so latex surgical gloves  can help  🙂

Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

1 user thanked author for this post.

Sputter

[Sputter]

It looks like the same stuff I saw on a cork carburetor float, so you answered that question too.  I remember my brother painting Dope on model airplanes back in the ’60s.  I didn’t know you could still buy that stuff.  I have a big bottle of super glue so I’ll give that a try first.

I also wondered about trying a wine cork!  AOMCI is great because chances are that somebody already solved my newbie problem.

1956 Johnson 15 Hp, FD-10
1958 Johnson 5.5 Hp, CD-15

[Author]

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