paint removal

[whatdoyouwant]

What have some of you guys used to remove the old paint to get the car to bare metal? Soda blasting is not an option for me. I would like to use some kind of chemical remover

[corvette8n]

I’ve used this in the past, available at hardware and most auto parts stores.

[TJ]

If using a stripper you will need to spend a lot of time cleaning and neutralizing all the small crevices in the body and fenders. Not properly cleaned it will come back to haunt you in your new paint job.

[Seth Swoboda]

I'll add that the new formulation of Aircraft Stripper does not work as fast as the old. It will work, however. I would follow up with a DA and sand the body also. Like TJ said, make sure you clean any residual stripper off the body.

[Willit Stop]

I use paint stripper and a putty knife to scrape off as much as I can.Then follow up with the HF abrasive wheel on an angle grinder.
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-...eel-94017.html
It will leave only VERY fine scratches in the metal.Just don't hold it one place too long and use light pressure.

[Flathead Fever]

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I use the thick paste type paint remover. The liquid type is useless. Brush it on in one direction, really thick and don't brush back over it again or it messes up the chemical reaction. Do it in the shade or it will evaporate before it can do its job. Sometimes it takes several coats. Then I go over it with a DA sander and Roloc surface conditioning discs. If there is any loose damp paint the sanders can throw them out onto nearby surfaces, like a nearby vehicle and it will damage the paint. It will also get in your eyes, and you will have a bad day. Get a pair of good rubber chemical gloves not the latex gloves and the cheapest paint bruxhes you can buy.


I have Harber a Freight sand blaster I use to get into small areas like along a drip rail or a door jamb or rust pits. You have to get that rust out of those pits or it will evetually bubble up under the paint. Sand blasting large panels like quarters will warp them just from the heat the friction causes. Wipe down the bare metal with acetone until the paper towels are staying white. Then wipe it down with a tach cloth. Do not touch the bare metal with your hands. The oil and moisture will cause it rust in those spots you touch. If you have to move the panels, do it with latex gloves on. Immediately prime the panel with a primer designed for bare metal. That is the biggest problem people make. They strip stuff to bare metal and then it sits and rusts. Only strip to bare metal what you can clean and get into primer in the same day. It's expensive buying all those quality supplies just to get the parts into primer.

I've seen this Eastwood paint conditioning tool advertised and I'm thinking about buying one. I think I will still remove as much as I can with paint remover and then run this tool over it. If really works as good as the video shows and it save the price of buying the paint remover that would be great. I found a clone of it Harber Freight is selling. You get what you pay for.

Eastwood Paint Remal Tool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV8U_RXUfd4

Harber Freight Tool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Juia3HJzX4

[5851a]

The old stuff worked so fast you could hear the paint popping up and off. I have a feeling the new stuff may be like new carb cleaners. Not as effective but all a person has.

[fordor41]

I used jell Strypeeze paint stripper on our '41. taped over all seams with duct tape. took 2 applications and was down to bare metal. first round and paint rolled off with a razor blade. second coat finished any left-overs. washed with paint thinner multiple times and D-A sanded entire body. had no issues with paint. stripped seams manually

[swedishsteel]

Originally Posted by fordor41

I used jell Strypeeze paint stripper on our '41. taped over all seams with duct tape. took 2 applications and was down to bare metal. first round and paint rolled off with a razor blade. second coat finished any left-overs. washed with paint thinner multiple times and D-A sanded entire body. had no issues with paint. stripped seams manually

How long ago? EPA outlawed methylene chloride which was the main ingredient in strippers. What I have used the last couple years (Aircraft in the blue can) takes several applications and still have to DA like the dickens. Have a '63 Galaxie on the rotisserie right now and will probably just remove the paint mechanically. So we breath the dust rather than the fumes--wonderfull bureaucrats.

[whatdoyouwant]

Thanks for the great ides and links. Now I guess it is just a matter of getting it started.

[RalphM]

I used this stuff from Hime Depot. I leave it on till paint bubbles or softens, scrape excess off with a plastic scraper, then use a scotch brite pad from supermarket with paint thinner. Works great! If it doesn’t come off in all spots the first time then do it again.

[wga]

From our fave tool supplier:
https://www.harborfreight.com/9-amp-...op-customers-1

[marko39]

If you are going to do the bodywork why not sand it to bare metal (block sand) ? This will identify the areas needing work and you won’t need a guide coat. You may also find that it has rust under the paint which will require treatment prior to primer.

[fordor41]

Originally Posted by swedishsteel

How long ago? EPA outlawed methylene chloride which was the main ingredient in strippers. What I have used the last couple years (Aircraft in the blue can) takes several applications and still have to DA like the dickens. Have a '63 Galaxie on the rotisserie right now and will probably just remove the paint mechanically. So we breath the dust rather than the fumes--wonderfull bureaucrats.

1995 or so.

[whatdoyouwant]

Great ideas. Here is what I decided to do. I purchased the tool from Harbor Freight and took my fat front fender to bare metal in about 15 min. I then needed to use the paste remover for the dips and around corners. It all seems like it will work great for me.

thanks to all