stripping

[siii8873]

need some opinions on one of my least favorite task, paint stripping.
What is the best way to strip paint when doing panels, mechanical, chemical,..,ect.
thanks
Bob

[scott]

i like citrus strip. it's an organce goo that you can get at lowe's. it smells nice and it brushes on, you wait, have a few beers then putty knife it off.

[jac04]

I have used both Citri-Strip and Aircraft Paint Stripper. The Citri-Strip is much more user friendly. It takes a little longer to work, but it stays 'wet' for a long time so you can put it on one day and clean it off the next.

[scott]

... it's an organce goo ...

i meant orange or maybe i meant organic, i don't know anymore, maybe i'm standing to close to the paint stripper

[crankin]

I went with the Citri-Strip and Aircraft Paint Stripper as well. The Citi-Strip didn not burn (as bad) or smell (as bad) as the Aircraft Paint Stripper.

The thing that I had to learn was not to let the body panels get warm/hot in the sun because stripper would almost turn to water adn woudl never work right.

But even after it was all said and done I had to go over some areas with the sander. This is where I learned that on the straight flat panels (fenders, doors, etc..) that it was easier to sand the paint off then to let the stripper sit.

Things you will need: scratch pads, scrapper, long sleeve shirt, brushes. Alsom double, triple or even quadruple up on the layers of gloves you put on your hands...and keep some water on hand.

I also found that if you paint the stripper on in the same direction that it works better.

[siii8873]

Thanks, I'll have to try the citrus strip. I find the biggest problem I've had with mechanical removal, paint prep ect is the rivet heads.
Bob

[amcordo]

I've now done chemical stripping by myself and hired it out. I'd strongly suggest paying $250 and taking whatever you want off the vehicle and dropping it off at a chemical dipper. No fuss and it only takes a week or two.

The parts, whether aluminum or steel (galvanized or not) will come back shiny and in perfect condition. Totally worth the extra cash just to save on the frustration of using the home chemicals and not getting a perfect job.

[scott]

... I'd strongly suggest paying $250 and taking whatever you want off the vehicle and dropping it off at a chemical dipper. ...

i got a price of $100 to dip strip a wing. sorry but that will buy a lotta beer and citrusstrip

[siii8873]

I am essentially doing maintenance painting not a restoration and pick away at a part or two or one area at a time so a comercial stripper is out of the question. Besides up here in tim-buck-to not sure if I could find one near by.

[KevinNY]

Unless your original paint is down to bare metal there really is no need to strip, just sand and paint. It's less hassle than doing a metal conditioner, then prime , then paint. Of course if you want a show truck all bets are off.

[siii8873]

<P>&nbsp;My truck has paint worn off to bare aluminum in spots but mostly covered with paint.&nbsp; I sanded the entire panel and spent a little extra time trying to feather out the transition areas between the aluminun and paint.&nbsp; Etch primed the aluminum, primed and painted.&nbsp; It came out OK, looks good from 10' away.&nbsp; I finished it off with IH-935 rattle can paint that I had for my cub.&nbsp; It is amazing how close this color is to the original limestone.</P>
<P>Seems to have worked OK.</P>

[JackIIA]

hold on

man, i hesitant to start a debate, but i thought if you are going to paint over existing paint, you had better make sure everything is compatible lest you get orange peel or the like. i suppose if you've got an original paint job, and are sure you're matching the LR paint chem, that is OK.

But i've always assumed that for any extensive painting, the best course is to strip to bare metal, etch prime, and then paint with the related 'system' (e.g., all PPG or DuPont, or whatever). I hadn't thought of using a metal conditioner and don't fully understand the difference between those and an etcher.

[siii8873]

I have not had any trouble painting over original paint with the primers ect that I have been using. On another vehicle I had a bad case of the base paint was effected. This was not original paint. I always do alittle test spot before going all out after this.
I have another related question. 'I have some oder galv parts that are oxidized a little and I want to freshen them up a with cold galv spray paint. What is best prep for this?
thanks
Bob

[Mojave Rover]

"I have another related question. 'I have some oder galv parts that are oxidized a little and I want to freshen them up a with cold galv spray paint. What is best prep for this?"

I posed this very question to my welder, a retired tube welder, and he said to use a wire brush to clean it up and then spray to your heart's desire. Said he never had a problem with cold galvanizing. I am going this route with the trim around the top. A little lazy when everything else I am doing is taken into account.

[crankin]

"I have another related question. 'I have some oder galv parts that are oxidized a little and I want to freshen them up a with cold galv spray paint. What is best prep for this?"

I posed this very question to my welder, a retired tube welder, and he said to use a wire brush to clean it up and then spray to your heart's desire. Said he never had a problem with cold galvanizing. I am going this route with the trim around the top. A little lazy when everything else I am doing is taken into account.

Before you go through all the trouble of cold galvanizing things (which never looks quite right to me) try cleaning it really well. But if still want to spray it you'll need to clean it really well any ways

Stay away from acidic cleaners because they will eat the zinc off, allowing rust to happen. An alkaline cleaner, like ammonia, is what you want to use. Mineral spirits or turpentine are also some items you can use.

Answers.com says:
Make a Mixture of Baby Powder and Milk.
2 Cups of Baby Powder to 1 quart of Milk.
This mixture's pH is very basic and will neutralize the alkaline mineral deposits on the galvinized metal.
Use a tooth brush (no matter how large the cleaning area) because the polyethlyene bristles leave polymers that react with the basic mixture.
The polymer coating will leave a nice shine to the aged metal

I have never tried this…can’t say what it will do.