Stripping back to metal - best ways without blasting??

[Frankieboy]

Hi All,

Looking at stripping back to the metal on the cabin for a repaint and a good sander on the flat surfaces is fine, but what about the awkward corners etc where the sander cant get? Thought about blasting but cant find anywhere to get it done at even a remotely sensible price. Cant think of a simple mechanical means of stripping back in those awkward places.

Thanks

Frank

[Mike Tee]

Paint stripper?

Awfull stuff to use and need to keep it out of the cut, but it (Nitromors type stuff?) will remove the paint. Have been told the water based ones are useless. Never tried them. Used with a Stanley blade stripper, old paint comes off in big chunks.

[Chalky]

Tried the new nitromors last year. I wanted to strip the paint on an old bike frame and I'd used the old style nitromors to great effect. The new formulation is completely useless. It did leave a nice shine on the paint but it didn't remove any!

Aldi have just done a spot blasting tool and 2Kg of grit for £20. If you've got access to an air supply than that might be an option (at least for small areas)

[Mike Tee]

Ah - haven't tried the new stuff, and I guess you can't get the old stuff! So, sorry, forget the paint stripper unless anyone can get hold of some kind of trade stripper.

[blackrose]

Wire wheels on a mini-angle grinder. You'll go through about 2 or 3 a day. I've done quite big areas so it can be done. Wear eye protection and leather gloves.

 

Those bits of wire hurt when they hit you in the face but there's no real damage. If they hit you in the eye it's a different story.

 

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/141504362043

Edited April 7, 2015 by blackrose

[kevinl]

Just use the old fashioned blow lamp and scraper, you can buy one for the price of a couple of cans of paint stripper and although not fashionable they actually do work very well. I stripped back countless layers of paint mainly anti slip on about 2 square metres of deck in a couple of hours including all the fiddly corners on a springer "moustache", piece of cake. Burning paint off was the norm until houses all got UPVC windows and inside it's too dangerous but outside on steel it works brilliantly you can get ever bit out of every corner. As said wire cups and brushes in an angle grinder for the big bits but for detail you can't beat a blow lamp and the old triangular scraper. Bonus is it costs peanuts too

K

[David Schweizer]

Ah - haven't tried the new stuff, and I guess you can't get the old stuff! So, sorry, forget the paint stripper unless anyone can get hold of some kind of trade stripper.

 

Traditional paint stripper contained dichloromethane, which was banned by the EU about 5 years ago for domestic use. However, it can still be obtained for Industrial use See here:- http://www.restexpress.co.uk/acatalog/Paramose_Professional_Paint_and_Varnish_Remover.htm

 

I still have two 5 litre tins in my workshop, bought before the ban was imposed.

Edited April 8, 2015 by David Schweizer

[Murflynn]

Just use the old fashioned blow lamp and scraper, you can buy one for the price of a couple of cans of paint stripper and although not fashionable they actually do work very well. I stripped back countless layers of paint mainly anti slip on about 2 square metres of deck in a couple of hours including all the fiddly corners on a springer "moustache", piece of cake. Burning paint off was the norm until houses all got UPVC windows and inside it's too dangerous but outside on steel it works brilliantly you can get ever bit out of every corner. As said wire cups and brushes in an angle grinder for the big bits but for detail you can't beat a blow lamp and the old triangular scraper. Bonus is it costs peanuts too

K

if you have a good mains supply a hot air gun is easier to work with than a blowlamp.

[Frankieboy]

Thanks for all replies. I too have had dubious experiences with paint stripper hence am not that keen to go down that route. The spot blaster from Aldi sounds like a great idea as I could probably do the big flat areas with a big sander.
With regards to the heat gun, I kinda like the idea of it but will it have any effect on the sprayfoam which is stuck to the other side of the metal?

[George Kennedy]

Hi, I know that your question was about the small areas but when it comes to the big areas, the only way to strip the paint is with a rotary scabbler which you can hire or buy. This tool takes every layer off in one go, even if you have non slip sanded paint. You could strip a narrowboat in less than two days back to bare metal.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgYuK6-ll3w

[alan_fincher]

Just use the old fashioned blow lamp and scraper, you can buy one for the price of a couple of cans of paint stripper and although not fashionable they actually do work very well. I stripped back countless layers of paint mainly anti slip on about 2 square metres of deck in a couple of hours including all the fiddly corners on a springer "moustache", piece of cake. Burning paint off was the norm until houses all got UPVC windows and inside it's too dangerous but outside on steel it works brilliantly you can get ever bit out of every corner. As said wire cups and brushes in an angle grinder for the big bits but for detail you can't beat a blow lamp and the old triangular scraper. Bonus is it costs peanuts too

K

 

I'm really curious about this, because some years back, we tried it, and had no success at all!

 

I'm talking about a proper high powered LPG fired torch on a long hose from a cylinder - not anything in any way "Micky Mouse".

 

We simply couldn't get it hot enough, as the steel shell seemed capable of taking the heat away faster than we applied it.

 

Clearly you found the opposite, so I'm now completely bemused as to why two people should have such different experiences of the same task.

 

What I can't understand though, is if it can be made to work well, why do the professionals invariably use professional methods like scabblers and discs? Surely they would have latched on to burning it off, if it is a good option?

[Murflynn]

because a blowlamp is only ideal for small areas.

'professionals' tend to be doing the whole boat, hence a faster method (time is money), with slightly less elbow grease required.

I'll bet they resort to a blowlamp when trying to get the awkward corner bits cleaned.

[dave moore]

I've never known any of the professional boat painters I work with use a blowlamp to remove paint. Weren't they primarily used to remove paint from wooden surfaces? That's how I remember them being used when I was younger, I'd have thought that the wood wouldn't absorb the heat as steel would tend to do. As a child, the brass paraffin burning ones used to fascinate me, I loved the start up process from pre-heat with meths, pumping and pricking until the thing burst into roaring life. Most seemed to have ended up in antique shops these days.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[alan_fincher]

because a blowlamp is only ideal for small areas.

'professionals' tend to be doing the whole boat, hence a faster method (time is money), with slightly less elbow grease required.

I'll bet they resort to a blowlamp when trying to get the awkward corner bits cleaned.

 

But I'm responding to a post where someone says they did 2 square metres including a non slip surface in 2 hours- hardly "a small area".

 

All I can say is that using a pretty powerful burner we were not able to burn anything off at all - the size and awkwardness of the area didn't enter into it - it simply didn't work.

 

I am very used to using such a tool over large areas of woodwork, and you can't beat it, but I concluded my torch was useless if trying to burn paint off 5mm steel. Perhaps because Kevin mentions Springer je was more successful, because the steel is much thinner, and doesn't soak up so much heat?

 

Are you speaking from personal experience of having been successful? How thick was your steel?

[mark99]

I've never known any of the professional boat painters I work with use a blowlamp to remove paint. Weren't they primarily used to remove paint from wooden surfaces? That's how I remember them being used when I was younger, I'd have thought that the wood wouldn't absorb the heat as steel would tend to do. As a child, the brass paraffin burning ones used to fascinate me, I loved the start up process from pre-heat with meths, pumping and pricking until the thing burst into roaring life. Most seemed to have ended up in antique shops these days.

 

 

 

 

We use a vintage 1940's brass Bialaddin paraffin light on the boat for same reason. Preheat with meths, pump and off it pops and makes a lovely sound. Great for using outside on summer evenings.

 

Sorry slightly OT.

[Higgs]

Scabbler - Don't use the standard star wheels for sanded surfaces, the teeth will get knocked off quick. Ok for paint. Use the harder star wheels for sanded surfaces, those you can use on concrete.

 

Scrapers - Use stiff scrapers and have 4 or so to rotate for use. Using only one will quickly become too short to be useful, with constant sharpening. Have a number to maintain a good length. Nothing too wide, 2" - 3" will be better. Go right down to the steel with each scrape. Before I got the firm to buy a scabbler, it could take 3 days to scrape a sanded roof. A scabbler will do it in a couple of hours.

 

It is best not to try and go at the paint with the full width of the scraper. Use half the width until it become blunt, then, got at it with the other, still sharp half. Eventually working to the centre of a section from right and left, taking inch strips off at a time. Those cheap rubbish wood chisels can be enlisted for this job.

 

Circular Orbital sander - 80 grit.

 

 

For the environment and to make life easier, attach a vacuum to those pieces of equipment you can.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Higgs

[starman]

Hi All,

Looking at stripping back to the metal on the cabin for a repaint and a good sander on the flat surfaces is fine, but what about the awkward corners etc where the sander cant get? Thought about blasting but cant find anywhere to get it done at even a remotely sensible price. Cant think of a simple mechanical means of stripping back in those awkward places.

Thanks

Frank

I saw someone using one of these which was doing an excellent job. Won't get everywhere but will help a lot I reckon. Several firms make them

http://www.blackanddecker.co.uk/powertools/productdetails/catno/KA900E/

[Southern Star]

 

Traditional paint stripper contained dichloromethane, which was banned by the EU about 5 years ago for domestic use. However, it can still be obtained for Industrial use See here:- http://www.restexpress.co.uk/acatalog/Paramose_Professional_Paint_and_Varnish_Remover.htm

 

I still have two 5 litre tins in my workshop, bought before the ban was imposed.

Yes, I managed to order some Paramose last year, but only because I have company headed paper and an industrial premises- they wouldn't deliver it to my home address. It certainly does the job though, and I'd agree with earlier statements that Nitromors is absolutely useless since the dichloromethane was removed, I don't know how they've got the nerve to market it as paint stripper.