paintremover-> what to use?

[reitsma]

Soon I will be starting with my ScoutII, not a total 'body-off' restoration, but the car is in bad need for a repaint after welding.

PO used (I guess...) brush or roller on the last coat of paint, so a kind of flexibel, thick layer of paint is the result.

This poor paintjob has to come off, to bare metal obviously, budget wise and practically sand blasting or 'dipping' is not an option (altough some minor areas I will be able to sand/media blast myself), what to use for the large areas? Elbowgrease and a sander or is a good old fashioned chemical paintstripper advisable??

Some general advice..?

Thanx

[rhouser30]

I havent gotten past the point where u called your scout a car!!!!

[Stephen Scroggins]

I'm in about the same situation you are. I have a little body work that needs attention and then Tallulah will need some new color laid on her. In searching around I've read the chemical strippers can cause problems on a couple of fronts: first their really messy and most are really toxic; second they tend to gather in creases and cracks and can be hard to clean off completely. Laying down good paint is 75% prep and painting over stripper you could get to to clean away is not good prep. You mentioned that the paint was thick enough to be flexible, have you considered heating it w/ a heat gun and just trying to scrape it off w/ a paint scraper? You'd have to go back & sand the area afterward (you'll have to w/ a stripper too) but it might be an easy way to get a bulk of the paint off quickly. I do know from experience if the paint is to thick (i.e. flexible) it tends to gum up sanding pads and you'll spend more time changing your paper than you will sanding the paint. No matter what you decide keep us informed, I far one would love to see your progress as I am about to embark on the same adventure.

Good Luck,
Stephen S.

[RANDAL LAURITSEN]

For removal of paint off complete vehicle, 2 gallon air craft stripper(same kind you can buy at walmart in quarts and spray can), high speed sander(not a DA takes to long), the high grit pads and adapters for high speed sander, a wire cup brush on angle grinder works too, scrapers for the paint stripper, a DA for after paint removal with plenty of sand paper for it, high volume good pressure air compressor with line filters for water. Watch the price on the aircraft stripper, my carquest store had the best price, then local Napa, and then Napa 30 miles away. Always get the dody shop price on body working equipment, there are different price levels for list, cash, low volume charge, high volume charge, and professionals. Check around.RANDAL

[Drew Merrick]

Originally Posted by RANDAL LAURITSEN

For removal of paint off complete vehicle, 2 gallon air craft stripper(same kind you can buy at walmart in quarts and spray can), high speed sander(not a DA takes to long), the high grit pads and adapters for high speed sander, a wire cup brush on angle grinder works too, scrapers for the paint stripper, a DA for after paint removal with plenty of sand paper for it, high volume good pressure air compressor with line filters for water. Watch the price on the aircraft stripper, my carquest store had the best price, then local Napa, and then Napa 30 miles away. Always get the dody shop price on body working equipment, there are different price levels for list, cash, low volume charge, high volume charge, and professionals. Check around.RANDAL

Aircraft stripper is my choice. $25 a gallon at the local body shop supply. If your not going to dip it or blast(soda/sand) it then Aircraft is your next best bet.

Be sure to clean it very well afterwards with lots of water, this will dilute most anything in the panel cracks and joints. However, with a little forethought in the application you can avoid getting this stuff in the joints by not applying it in the joints. Apply in a VERY WELL ventilated area and take precautions in clothing and protection. Wear good gloves recommended by the supply shop and wear eye protection. If this stuff gets on your skin you will never want it to happen again. Some people hose off the stripper instead of scraping, I feel this is very dumb as the sprayback can put this toxic chemical against your skin. One guy looked like he had the measles after spraying off his car.

[reitsma]

@stephen

That's exactly what I am afraid for, I guess I will use a 'mix' of methods, see what works best. I realy don't know what's under this thick layer of paint, old paint? Primer? Bare metal??

Luckily with the 'car' (as we say in europe, not truck) came a lot of spare bodyparts, so there's some room for trial and error...

Thanks for suggestions so far!

[Drew Merrick]

Joints and cracks are a problem for any kind of paint removal. Dirt, dust, sand, soda, stripper, water, rust, bacteria, spilled beer, leprechauns can all get stuck into those cracks and leak out into the final base or clear contaminating it. Washing and drying is essential even if you just sat there and mentally willed the paint to fall off. You should always be diligent in cleaning these areas.

Aircraft stripper works better than anything else (besides media and dipping) that I have found. One gooey application of Aircraft stripper can take away a multitude of layers (3 is good). More application for additional layers. You let it evaporate to a dry state and the paint falls off.

I am not sure how environmental laws in European countries effect the use of chemical strippers, but unless you have a dip tank in your back yard they are hard to beat.

[1968SCOUT]

The way I use aircraft stripper (fallow the directionson the can ) is doing one panel at a a time , lets say you are doing the hood , best bet would be to take it off , but you can go another route and thats getting some duct tape and placing a strip all around id say about 1/4 or so into the panel you are about to strip and the rest let it stick to adjacent panel , and then you can get some masking paper from auto body supply the white one works really well as it is coated (18inch paper bout 25dls) tapeone edge to the duct tape and then fold it up some as to make a pouch so all the paint and stripper falls on there when you puttyit off use a bucket of water and some towels to clean off the residue , then just grind or sand the edges , i have done this with lil or no damage to the jambs then when your done just untape it rollit up and throw it away , make sure you have a box of latex gloves or something to protect your self and your face this stuuf if it gets on you it stings pretty bad ... hope this helps

[reitsma]

Got this 'Bitumen' stuff glued to the floor of the tub (and carpet over it). First tried removing it manually, ie brute force.


Bought some proffesionel paint stripper, looks like this makes work much easier, did soften up so I could scrape it off more easily.

But the rust, the rust... Darn that was a bad surprise...

[pri]

When it comes to paint stripper, look at the declaration of contents... If it contains Ethyl acetate it's the good stuff. You will recognize the smell also, a fresh, little sweet smell that will feel a bit chilly (the same way menthol does).

As others have said, keep it out of any seams and wash well to get the stuff off. Do the deed in a well ventilated area, and if you get that stuff on the skin wash it off immediately. If you wait half a minute or so you will wish you didn't.