13611

Does anyone have experience (good, bad, indifferent...) with a particular brand of paint stripper. I'd just like to know what I should buy that works the best (or what NOT to buy). Thanks, Jason

13611

Oh yeah.... I'll be stripping a 68 coupe.

John S 1961

Consider the razor blade and sanding method, It goes fast and is not as messy. I think for guys that charge big bucks and have to warranty the big bucks jobs they dont like chemical strippers.

porchdog

heat gun and razor blade. twice as fast with no mess or contamination .

DUB

I use the heat gun and razor blade method. This gets much of the paint off the cheapest and no major mess depending on how many layers are on the car. Then...depending on the primer that is left on the car...I will try steel wool and lacquer thinner and scrub it off. If that works...fine. If it is taking longer than i like to get the primer off...I resort to chemical stripper and get it off.

I have had not 1 issue with using chemical stripper in the past 20+ years.. The main thing is I know how to use and RESPECT IT...and where to apply it and where not to.

Then any tight areas I resort to media blasting to get it clean quickly.

Sent you a PM on what type of stripper I use.

DUB

zwede

"Low odor Aircraft stripper" works fine on factory panels. It does not work on after market panels with gelcoat.

13611

What about just attacking the body with a DA sander and 80 grit? I tried the razor blade thing and it's not working out so well. I'm sure the DA's a "no no" because I never read about someone taking off all the paint with one here on the forum. But I'd rather do that than use a chem strip. However, I'll take chem strip over the razor blade if the DA is not an option. What do ya think?

zwede

I've seen C3s done with DAs where the sides of the car looked like a stormy ocean. It can be done right, but it's real easy to mess up. Chem strip is safer.

Ray Y

Is soda blast a good option on a C3?

I'm prepping for a paint job over the winter and just starting to read posts in this Forum Section, will be doing some advanced searches and eventually starting my own thread so as to not hijack anyones.

DUB

UHHHHH-----NO!

Many of the paint manufacturers do not guarantee/warranty any paint defects that occur on a car that has been soda blasted.

Media blasting is fine as long as the person KNOWS how to blast paint. BECAUSE if they do not...they can do more damage to the body. If the person blasting the car has done a thousand steel body cars does not make them experienced in blasting a fiberglass/SMC bodied car. Sometimes spending the money to get it stripped so you do not have to can often times cause you to spend more time in areas where "they" screwed up. I strip all Corvette bodies in my shop when I have to do one. Also...taking your car to a place to have it stripped is also something I would not do. For one, it has to come back and be exposed to contaminants that can cause me to spend more time on it again to the introduction of some foreign substance that can wreak havoc on a paint job. Because most people have them put on a roll-back...which is usually diesel powered...and it is spewing exhaust while going down the road or at a traffic light. Then when it being unloaded...it is idling allowing the raw body to be in an environment that even makes you run and catch your breath due to the exhaust fumes. And I basically do not trust anyone...and all it takes is ONE person walking by and rubbing their oily hands on your bare/open pored fiberglass/SMC and there it is...a problem that will happen.

Future reference...always add the exact year of your project Corvette. Because in the C3 era ...there were so many changes...it does make a BIG difference in knowing what year you have.

DUB

PUNISHER VETTE

FWIW the razor blade method sucked for my '69. Too many layers and it just couldn't get past some. If you have original paint then it's worth a shot. Adding the heat gun just lead to mistakes that dug into the glass far too easy.

I used Captain Lee's and started off dabbing it on with a brush... it worked "okay" but I need to do 2-3 times to get to the bottom of the 5+ layers.

Captain Lee's was some nasty stuff. BURNED if it hit your skin but worked...unlike citrus strip which was weak compared to it.

I bought a $25 undercoating gun that was able to spray captain lee's without destroying a dozen squirt bottles. It made the work 10x easier.

Spray on thick coat, watch it melt away. use dull razor blade to scrape what didn't melt. spray on a thin coat, use steal wool to clean up area. Then you're left with the lacquer primmer...which was the worst part....good luck.

Ray Y

Thanks for the input Dub! I read a ton of your posts last night after I pinged onto this thread, I respect your input a lot based on what I've read.

My car is a '70. I will start my own thread soon.

porchdog

sadly many people get fooled by the soda blasting . my media supplier sells soda blasting rigs set up on trailers. 90% are bought by people with no real experience to do mobile blasting. soda has a moh rating of 2.5 . type6 acrylic is 3.0 . soda can and will destroy the surface of a corvette just like any other media can. plus soda has to be rinsed completely or it effects adhesion . i never put anything on glass not compatible with the paint system .

Ray Y

Hi Porchdog,
Found a ton of good info in your posts too...
Do you not have to neutralize Type 6 too since it is slightly acidic with a pH of 5.19? (compared to soda which is slightly alkaline w/ a pH of 8.2)
Thanks in advance,
Ray

porchdog

to the best of my knowledge no. i dont have any info on plastic being acidic .

Ray Y

There may be slight variations supplier to supplier, but this the Tech Data Sheet from one supplier showing pH:

http://compomat.com/wp-content/uploa...ar_Cut_TDS.pdf

I assume this is the same Type 6 media you are reccommending??

porchdog

i have used type5 and type6 and never had a problem . dont know of any reports of adhesion problems. the biggest deal with blasting is the surface has to be washed good. just about every compressor pumps some oil. i wash with dawn soap . i know several shops that use soda but they do their own prep and have done well. i also have seen a lot of the problems with soda. i try to avoid any possibility of a failure . that is why i like the razor blade method .

talked to a fella on another site. he said the ph level is because it is a carbonate .

Ray Y

Thanks Porchdog!

Speaking of the razor blade technique....does this only work well with the original factory lacquor paints or does it work with the catalyzied after market paints too? I watched a YouTube video on this technique but is was OEM paint and did come off very well. I know my car has at least one repaint and not sure how or how well it was prepped previously.

13611

How about walnut shells? Someone locally said he had his boat stripped with crushed walnut shells as the media and it came out good. Any opinions on that one? Thanks, Jason

porchdog

i have not found any paint that will not release with heat and a razor blade. the exception being bondo areas. they are super tuff sometimes. it is all in how you hold the blade and patience . never go straight at it. i hold the blade at an angle and peel it off. without heat you get chips flying everywhere.
there are many different medias. corncob works well on fiberglass. it really depends on the blaster. i run 35 lbs and the least amount of media . my rig is 185cfm with a 3/8 nozzle so i can cut a vette in half . again it is slow and patience that gets it done. i try to leave some of the oxide primer . i wet sand with soap and water to clean it up nice.