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LEFT The specification called for the tank's interior to be prepped to NACE No. 2/SSPC-SP10 Near White Metal Blast with a 3-mil (76.2 microns) anchor profile. access portal at the base of the tank. That way, his crew could bring specialty scaffolding, man lifts, forklifts, and compact tractors into the tank to make the project flow faster. Based partly on a trust built on a strong, long-term relationship, Houston Public Works agreed. Blastco hired an engineer to design the portal, and the stage was set. STEADY STREAM OF EQUIPMENT Public Works officials turned off the tank's supply valves while Blastco flooded the job site with equipment. They really poured it on for this four-month project! They brought in a 50' (15.24m) coatings trailer jammed with paint and tools; a 48' (14.63m), six-line ARS-brand Super Unit blast/recycling rig; a 10,000 cfm DH Tech-brand dehumidifying rig; a 20-ton DH Tech air condi- tioning (AC) outfit; and three 900 cfm Sullair compressors. It took only one day for thirsty Texans to drain five million gallons (18,927,058.9L)—apparently Houstonians aren't partial to parched throats and chapped lips—so Blastco cranked up their DH and AC rigs for a 24-hour run. With both units humming, humidity inside the tank dropped from 100 to 50 percent in about 10 hours, says Soper. Meanwhile, welders erected a template and fired up their oxy-acety- lene torches to cut the 10'-by-10' (3.05-by-3.05m) access portal. "The engineer designed a template and shoring system," says Soper. "It's important to cut the door in a nice straight line so when you're welding it back in later, you're filling a ¼" (0.64cm) gap instead of a 1" (2.54cm) gap." HoldTight Solutions pioneered the concept of low-cost, easy-to- achieve, and easy-to-measure contaminant-free surface preparation. Our HoldTight®102 salt remover and flash rush inhibitor prevents flash rust simply by removing surface contaminants. If there is NO FLASH RUST, there are NO CONTAMINANTS. Any "stuff" on the surface — chlorides, sulfates, nitrates, phosphates, shattered pieces of rust, abrasive, paint, or any other debris — will pull water to the surface and cause flash rust. And if you paint over any such stuff, sooner or later, it will pull moisture through the coating and cause coating failure. No flash rust = a clean surface. In other words, you know it when you see it! You don't need to use cumbersome, expensive, and applicator-sensitive field tests to prove it. This is a revolutionary old concept: make it simple and it works better. "102" is used in conjunction with dry-blasting, wet-abrasive blasting, and water-jetting ("UHP") blasting. It evaporates rapidly, lifting off moisture as it does, and leaves no residue. 102 is approved by most coating manufacturers for most coatings. Contact us for your nearest distributor or to find out how to use HoldTight®102 on your job. HoldTight Solutions Inc. info@holdtight.com Write in Reader Inquiry #164 56 CoatingsPro J July 2012 (800) 319-8802 J Fax (800) 728-8861 www.holdtight.com