RogerBe

I bought a can of Klean-strip as has been recommended to strip the paint from my car, but when I read the back of the can it said do not use on fiberglass. Do I have the right product or does Klean-Strip make a product just for fiberglass? Appreciate any help? Roger

:seeya

sb69coupe

They make one just for fiberglass. It can be neutralized with plain water, and won't penetrate the glass.

Shannon

yellow 72

Shave it!

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=357085

RogerBe

I was skeptical but I'm a believer now. I really didn't think you could "shave" a car with a razor blade, and if you could, the thought of being able to shave a vet without severely gouging the fiberglass just didn't seem possible.........................buttttt tttttttttt, it works. I tried it tonight and I can't believe how much I accomplished. I'v been using a chemical stripper but haven't been happy with that, at all. Thank goodness I found a better way before I got too far into the job. Thanks guys, especially Yellow 72. :)

Rogue Wave

You know I never would have thought about shaving a car. But the more I read about the experiences of the fellow forum members the more I am tempted to give it a try.

But I may take it one step further... why shave it with an old fashioned razor blade. I'm gonna try my electric razor. :lol: :lol: :lol:

plbart3

Hey. I just stripped my '81 and if you are an instant results freak like me, this is fun. Any stripper with methyl chloride will work. I spent good money buying a marine "environmntally friendly" stripper. The kind you lay on and cover with paper, and then peel away. It does not work. But it promised not to hurt gelcoat. Well bull. Methyl chloride is the stuff and if you like pain try getting it into your fancy rubber gloves.

One thing about the Peel Away available from marine suppiers, it is great for stripping the later soft plastic moulded bumpers where Meth chloride warps hell out of them.(Destroys)

Seriously, bust the paint with course sandpaper making sure you don't go into the glass. This opens the finish to the stripper and saves a step. Once you get into the paint the stripper works like magic. Have a stubborn spot? Squeegee the used stripper over it. The trick is, keep working. The body will shave nicely. I used razor blades and everyone said I was nuts. Tool of choice. Just don't slip. Get rid of the goop right away or it will haunt you.

When you get down to the primer you probably will need another application of stripper. Now, if you let this dry, it forms a coating more resistant than paint. But I found if I used a Scotch pad soaked in enamel reducer and a sponge soaked in soapy water I could avoid the streaks and get to beautiful virgin grey fiberglass. The water does not inhibit the action of the solvent.

A caution. The solvent and the stripper stay in all bonding adhesive even with repeated soap and water washings. If you should run into any unsuspected Bondo...it all has to come out. True, water neutralizes the stripper, but you have to grind out any and all contaminated polyester material. If you don't, the solvents, in tiny molecular quantities, with come back up thru your new paint, causing cracks in your brand new paint job.

I'm new to this forum, but I've done lots of boats. If there isn't a posting already, I plan to do one explaining modern marine and aerospace epoxy materials that have replaced polyester resins C-3s were made out of. Think West System available at marine supply stores or on the Web.