Guys N Gals,i have ahood that has prob 5 coats of paint on it and was wondering whats the best and easiest way to strip the crap off i know a sand,bead,or media blaster would work but i don't have access to one,and i've used that aircraft stripper but its oo messy and is some eeevil shit and i hate using it.So whats my alternative?any help would be greatly appreciated.
gasoline!! burn that shit off!!! I'm also fighting with the paint job on my truck. The previous owners painted the bumpers and grill so I used the aircraft stripper on those, and you're right it's some messy shit!! I just asked about painting over the original paint and the reply that I got was that as long as I rough up the old stuff (so the new paint will stick better) there should be no problem....5 coats however I don't know?
I've used a Stanley Knife Blade and just scraped the paint off. Or you can use a single edge razor blade with the standard retractable handle. With that much paint it should come off fairly easily once you get an area cleared. It can be messy but not like the paint stripper messy. Good luck.
[ QUOTE ] I've used a Stanley Knife Blade and just scraped the paint off. Or you can use a single edge razor blade with the standard retractable handle. With that much paint it should come off fairly easily once you get an area cleared. It can be messy but not like the paint stripper messy. Good luck. [/ QUOTE ] This work's, done a '65 'stang (stang's rule) complete. Then,80 grit by hand, the area's where the blade will not work. Fresh blade's, carefull not to gouge.
I'm using 80 grit 6" psa dics on a Sears polisher/sander on my coupe and it seems to go pretty quick. I tried the wire cups with my grinder but the dics did a better job.
Razor blades..?? Daaaaaamn.... I don't have that kind of time, AND I can only imagine the similarity to fingernails on a chalkboard.... not for me, thanks..!! I found out about these guys a while back..... www.sunchasertools.com/StripItDiscs.htm hooked up with them in Pleasanton, saw the stuff in person first, then I went ahead and got a couple of discs, and the Makita sander too.... (You can neve have too many good quality and useful tools..!! plus it was cheaper at the show by a few bucks...) I'm going to be stripping a bunch of weird paint on my '52 Chevy truck.... On the interior, a previous owner has used a laquer or something that was gumming up my sanding discs etc. really bad..!! I haven't tried the new discs on my truck yet, but they say their discs will NOT gum up at all, even with laquer.... they also work on bondo, rust, etc. and do not damage the metal as long as you keep it at about 4500rpm...that's why I got their 'special' Makita that is perfect to use with their discs.... Check out their site, lots of cool stuff to look at and read about... Good luck, and let us know what works best for you..!! Later, Snacks....
Here in Sweden we get a similar disc as the Stripdisc. And its the best paint remover/steel cleaner ive found. but its quite expensive. If i would do a whole car. So id give it a try with 30-40 grit paper. Dependig how much it clogs, it take the rest with the disc. Then we have the whole chemical route, but that is messy. I have removed paint from manifolds and othe cast iron parts amnd small steel parts by, putting them in a Caustic soda bath for a week or so. And then rinse them with hot water, and they come out like new
Be careful with those discs. They can cause heat and warp your hood. I use the razorblade method. It goes pretty quick on heavy paint. The trick is to get under the paint. Hold the blade at different angles until it works. Clark
I still prefer the old Chemical stripper. Call me old school but to me it is the easiest. THe trick it to let the stripper do its job. You have to put it on thick and even. Many people don't use it correctly and end up wasting material. When it dries up because it is on too thin it won't do it's job. I have stripped cars using Chemical stripper and finishing up with water and steel wool,(wear brbber gloves of course) and the metal looks like a new panel.
Yeah, listen to Roadstar. But I finish mine up with lacquer thinner and scotchbrite pads. It generally takes more than one application of aircraft stripper to get things off(unless it's original lacquer paint). I'm doing my 62 Caddy now and two passes is working well. It has been previously stripped bare, then primed/painted gold lacquer, then 2k primed/painted green, then sealed/painted turquoise, then sealed again and finally painted pink with some kind of enamel(THICK like HOUSE paint! ) I'm talkin' some THICK-ass paint here. This stuff needs some time to work, so be patient. DON'T try to strip more than a panel or two at a time, or it'll get you so bummed, you'll never finish it. I never had much luck stripping with those discs(too slow)BUT they are excellent for cleaning the metal after you finish with the chemical. mid-tenn mike
I do use stripper on stuborn paint. Be careful with the stuff. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area. I destroyed the blower motor in my heater and the motor on my compressor years ago by not having ventilation. It melted the windings in the motors. I heard a tip once to put a trash bag over the area you put the stripper on. It supposedly keeps the chemicals in and it takes less stripper. Anybody try this? Clark
I've used Captn Lee's Spray Strip before. It works pretty well and when your done the paint is dried up on the floor in piles, just sweep up and throw away. BUT!!!, wear gloves, this stuff does burn when you get it on your skin. Also if you leave the stuff in the spray bottle they give you with it, it eats the spray mechanism, so you might want to wash it out before you store it. later plmczy
I use the aircraft chemical stuff. Just because it wrinkles doesn't mean it's ready. Tha longer you wait the deeper it soaks in. You won't get it all with the first coat. I do a 3'x3' area and work on something else while it cooks. Plastic squeegees to get as much as you can. I recoat the first area and first coat a second 3x3 area next to it. let them cook. Scrape and repeat. That should get you pretty close on the first area. Use coarse steel wool dipped in the stripper to clean the crevaces and all the places you missed while the paint is still soft. The secret I found is to never let it dry out. Take advantage of the softening from the first coat. A final wipe down with thinner or mineral spirits will make it like new money. Newspapers or a drop cloth help with clean up. . . It had about 4 colors on it and it had never been stripped.
I have useed both the chmical route and the stripper disc route. This is what I have found: The stripper is easier, the chemical does all of the work. The discs are faster. You do the work with the grinder. Both of them produce a good amount of mess. With the stripper it is all in the goo that is left over. With the wheels, it is all dust, and it goes eveerywhere. Pick your poison.
old oxidized paint that is weak is great for discs since they will cut through them like butter. on good tough paint chemicals work better. if you grind do it outside if you can.
Another tip: With the abrasive disk's, sneek up on the bare metal.Finish with 80 grit DA/hand. SOWHAT, yes we used visqueen over chem-stripper. Keep's it in and 'hot'. Wear a respirator with the chem's as well.
I usually try to sand it off with a DA and 80 grit. If that takes longer than I'd like, I use a DA and 36 grit followed by 80 grit. If it's really stubborn I use the chemical stripper. When using the chemical stripper I cover it with a sheet of plastic. If you get the stripper on thick (wet) enough you can press the plastic right down on to the paint(getting rid of the air in between). There are a few reasons for doing this, first it keeps the stripper from evaporating and second, the paint will stick to the plastic and keep the clean-up to a minimum.
siigh..well i guess i'll use the old horrid farkin chem stripper i hate the shit but it does do the job.I sincerely appreciate all the tips from you guys. The paint on this hood is already peeling chipped ect. so some chem strip and the stubborn whit i'll ise a strip disk.
Some good advice in this post,here are a couple more things...chem stripper works best. If you cover the area you are stripping with some plastic, it keeps the stripper from evaporating, making it work longer. Also, only brush the stripper on in one direction. If you rebrush what you already put on, it takes away some of the evaporating inhibitants that are in the stripper. Dont rush it, let the stripper work. I use a flat razor blade to scrape the wrinkled paint off. It helps if you take some 36 grit paper and scuff the paint before you put the stripper on. This lets the stripper get under the top coat. Good luck, I hate stripping stuff too, but probably the best (cheapest)way.
I just stripped the doors and hood on a 60Corvette here at my shop-I used walmart stripper and a plastic spreader/spatula and it took two app's to do it with a wire brush and garden hose as a removal method between apps. On a steel car Id do the same so as not to scratch the fuck out of the surface or as mentioned warping it is possible too.
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