OK, this stuff is nothing new. It has been around for a good long time, and I use the shit out of it. Most of you have probably been exposed to this wonderfully formulated mess of paint-eating PFM, but I thought I'd take a few minutes to share a few pointers that I've learned. If you've ever needed to remove the finish from an old set of wheels, a set of valve covers, etc., you probably have considered every option from sand-blasting to chemical stripping already. I choose to chemical strip whenever I can, and this is the best stuff I've found. Too good, really... So here's what I do... and why. I buy the big jug of Tal-Strip, which comes only about 2/3 full and costs around $45 at the Auto parts "burger joints". This stuff really is overkill when it comes to removing paint from metal parts, and it ain't cheap. SO, I've found that you can mix lacquer thinner into the Tal-Strip without really affecting its ability to eat the paint off of anything it touches. Add about a quart of lacquer thinner to a new jug, replace the cap, and shake the shit out of it. Why..? Tal-Strip straight out of the jug is almost a gell, and is intended to be brushed on. I've found there to be a lot of waste using the brush-on method, as it seems to blob up and run off of the part. Brushing it on is quite messy, and I've never liked it much. It also seems to dry rather quickly, leaving you to scrape any still solid paint, or recoat. The new "mixture" is much thinner and can be poured into a spay bottle for application. The lacquer thinner keeps it from drying out so quickly since it has a low evap rate, allowing the stripper counterpart of the mix to eat all the way through the paint. The spay bottle applies enough stripper to the surface to eat through the coating, and without the waste of gell blobs rolling off the part. You only really need a thin coat. And, as an added bonus, you end up with an extra quart of stripper. Once you see all the paint has rippled up, just hose it off and dry. I rarely ever have to scrape of recoat anything. And that, my friends, is my tip of the day.
I have heard rumours that since 3M now owns Mar-Hyde they will be discontinuing this product as they are known to do when they take over a company.
Just a side note. I Have found that if you put body shop plastic(or trash bag) over the stripper it also helps to prevent evaporation it's almost like using cling wrap. Good tech tip with the thinner I'm going to try it next time. brushing certainly does waste a lot of the product.
In case you guys don't know, nitromethane is a cleansor and will remove paint almost as fast as you pour it on. That is exactly what it was developed for, an industrial duty cleansor. It isn't particullarly flamible or explosive to work with.
Actually, I've had a good of a result with Strip-Eze, which you can buy at Home-Depot (or ACE... I will always support a co-op if I can). Even if Tal-Strip is discontinued, I'm sure there is a replacement for it in the works. Here's another little tip; The next time you're out at the auto parts store, look for items with the price ending in a 5. For example, $19.95, $10.35, etc. If the price ends in a 5, it is slated to be discontinued, and is usually marked down as a result. So stock up while you can still get the item an cheap, and yes... the price on this big ass jug 'o stripper ended in a 5, and I was in fact told that there would be a replacement for it under a different name to fill the empty spot this jug left. I'll be happy to do a comparative product review if y'all would like.
Good to know on the Strip-EZe. The Tal-Strip is a great product probably the best product that Mar-Hyde made but 3M can't leave things alone once they purchase someone. They will probably replace it with some product they already make that doesn't work nearly as well as the Tal-Strip. Good tips!!
One more tip... never use this stuff while wearing flip-flops. Ever. I've gotten the "hotfoot" quite a few times and never seem to learn.
Eh, it would do it, but it would take a few applications and it isn't exactly cheap. I tried it on a few thick spots on an OT '66 I'm working on, but after doing so I just wouldn't recommend it. Stripper wheels on an air tool or even just an electric drill seem to work best for that.
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