I have spent all day trying to remove the finish on the aluminum wheels I just bought. I had some Kleen Strip at the shop. It mildly softened the clear coat and paint, but it didn't budge. So I went to the store and got a gallon of Aircraft Remover. I have used it in the past on things with modest success. I went through 4 applications, 4 waiting periods of about 20 minutes, 4 sessions with a putty knife scraping, then hosed them off. After four tries I figured I could sand the rest off. 1 broken pneumatic angle grinder, 6 scotch brite pads, and countless 5" sanding discs later, I figured I could use one last application of Aircraft Remover to finish it off. No dice. After a day I've probably removed 80% of the finish.
I'm looking for a solution - literally and figuratively - into which I can submerge or partially submerge something like a wheel, an intake, or a [insert crusty car part here] and pull out a mostly bare casting. I don't really need it to eat caked on grease, but if it ate some grease it would be a bonus... at least eat through a little bit of oil to get to the substrate and do its job.
I don't care if it eats corrosion, I can take care of that with abrasives. I want to put a car part in, wait X hours or N days and pull out a piece of bare cast aluminum or iron with no paint, no black streaks from tires, and ready for a bath in degreaser and get a paint job or a polishing.
Does such a thing exist? Some kind of acid?
I would guess lots of elbow grease could help get your junk off.
Sorry, that's all I've got.
Wally said:
I would guess lots of elbow grease could help get your junk off.
Sorry, that's all I've got.
I'm out of elbows, down a gallon of Aircraft Remover, two spray cans of other paint stripper, one busted pneumatic angle grinder, 7 coarse scotch brite wheels, and about 15 pieces of sandpaper. I have spent 6 hours today just trying to get the damn paint off of 4 wheels and I have failed miserably with multiple power tools and hardcore chemicals. I don't think elbows are going to do much good.
Abrasive blast?
Heck, I'm amazed at how difficult it is to sand the finish off of flat body panels like a hood with a pneumatic DA sander. I can't imagine trying to strip something as convoluted as a wheel.
Abrasive blast.
Are you prepared to step up and pay for it ?
B17 stripper from Benco Sales is what I use. It will strip powdercoat off in ten seconds flat. Paint faster than that. I ain't kidding either. I ran a powdercoat shop. When I screwed something up I just walked over and dipped it into the B17, counted to about ten, and pulled out a bare part.
It's the industry standard for powdercoat shops.
Demonstrations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ4nCcnLjuQ
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GcNBDxr9eY
I've had really good luck with Permatex Gasket Remover. I found out on accident when I was cleaning a painted (powder coated?) valve cover. I accidentally got some on the painted part, and it bubbled off immediately. I decided to polish the valve cover, so I sprayed the whole thing. The paint lifted off quickly, and I removed it with zero effort. I literally rinsed all the paint off with a garden hose.
Cousin_Eddie said:
Are you prepared to step up and pay for it ?
B17 stripper from Benco Sales is what I use. It will strip powdercoat off in ten seconds flat. Paint faster than that. I ain't kidding either. I ran a powdercoat shop. When I screwed something up I just walked over and dipped it into the B17, counted to about ten, and pulled out a bare part.
It's the industry standard for powdercoat shops.
Demonstrations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ4nCcnLjuQ
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GcNBDxr9eY
Damn. Can you get it in something smaller than a 55 gallon drum? Also, can you brush it on vs. dipping?
poopshovel again said:
Cousin_Eddie said:
Are you prepared to step up and pay for it ?
B17 stripper from Benco Sales is what I use. It will strip powdercoat off in ten seconds flat. Paint faster than that. I ain't kidding either. I ran a powdercoat shop. When I screwed something up I just walked over and dipped it into the B17, counted to about ten, and pulled out a bare part.
It's the industry standard for powdercoat shops.
Demonstrations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ4nCcnLjuQ
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GcNBDxr9eY
Damn. Can you get it in something smaller than a 55 gallon drum? Also, can you brush it on vs. dipping?
Yes. I buy it in 5 gallon pails for ease of use. You can absolutely brush it on. It's infinitely reusable though, so figure out some means of reclaiming it for reuse.
Cousin_Eddie said:
Are you prepared to step up and pay for it ?
B17 stripper from Benco Sales is what I use. It will strip powdercoat off in ten seconds flat. Paint faster than that. I ain't kidding either. I ran a powdercoat shop. When I screwed something up I just walked over and dipped it into the B17, counted to about ten, and pulled out a bare part.
It's the industry standard for powdercoat shops.
Demonstrations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ4nCcnLjuQ
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GcNBDxr9eY
Ehrmagerd. Must have. Thank you. 5 gallons is $80. Now I need to find or make a tank with a lid that is about 24" in diameter. It's almost like a wheel refinishing business in a bucket :)
How bad does the B17 smell ?
Does it evaporate quick or do you need to keep the cover airtight ?
And how bad does it burn when you get it on your fingers !!?!
In reply to Cousin_Eddie :
That stuff is like automotive holy water. It'll remove all the sins of previous owners.
I have yet to find a paint that the HF 4.5" Polycarbide Abrasive Wheel (on an angle grinder) won't remove. Doesn't do much if anything to the underlying metal either.
Now, this won't help you with fine detail areas (lug holes, etc) but for everything else it's killer.
I had homeboy hookup at a local powdercoated that used that stuff, it was great. Stop over on a Friday afternoon with a 6 pack of High Life and could get as many parts done as I had brought with. Sadly I moved away and then that place closed up.
Anyway, the best success I have had doing this stuff myself has been the brush on gel Aircraft Stripper, a black trash bag, and a warm day. Make sure the part is clean first, grease and brake dust do not help with the stripping process. Then slop the part pretty good with aircraft stripper, put the part in a black trash bag in the sun. You want to make sure the stripper does not evaporate.
Pull it out every so often and reapply. When it looks good and bubbly, hose the part with a garden hose to rinse off all the stripper, then go after it with the point tip on a gas powered pressure washer to remove any hangers-on.
Should get you done in 1-2 applications with minimal struggle.
93gsxturbo said:
Anyway, the best success I have had doing this stuff myself has been the brush on gel Aircraft Stripper, a black trash bag, and a warm day. Make sure the part is clean first, grease and brake dust do not help with the stripping process. Then slop the part pretty good with aircraft stripper, put the part in a black trash bag in the sun. You want to make sure the stripper does not evaporate.
Quoted for truth - get the part clean first.
I've found the more I brush paint stripper around, the less it works. Glop it on with minimal amount of spreading or brushing, then let it work; too often people try to scrape it off too soon. But as mentioned, do not let it sit so long that it dries or evaporates.
This stuff sounds incredibly useful and effective. It should be noted that it contains Methylene Chloride. This is a chlorinated hydrocarbon that will release phosgene gas when heated to decomposition. Rinse well with warm water before welding.
stuart in mn said:
93gsxturbo said:
Anyway, the best success I have had doing this stuff myself has been the brush on gel Aircraft Stripper, a black trash bag, and a warm day. Make sure the part is clean first, grease and brake dust do not help with the stripping process. Then slop the part pretty good with aircraft stripper, put the part in a black trash bag in the sun. You want to make sure the stripper does not evaporate.
Quoted for truth - get the part clean first.
I've found the more I brush paint stripper around, the less it works. Glop it on with minimal amount of spreading or brushing, then let it work; too often people try to scrape it off too soon. But as mentioned, do not let it sit so long that it dries or evaporates.
If I had more garage space I would also have a parts cleaner... not just a tub with a solvent bath, but one of those big heated water jet "dishwashers" like they put engine blocks and transmission cases in.
