February 2018 - Stripping Paint with Paint Remover
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January and February for 2018 sort of suck. I wind up getting the real bad flu. The worst part is it is taking a couple of weeks to get my energy back. It is also cold as balls outside. I do have a propane heater in the garage. Itching to do something on the 2000c that isn’t too intense, I decide to start removing the old paint.
No Stripping Wheels or Media Blasters
Lesson learned from the past. Do not use pneumatic or electric tool driven stripping wheels or sanders on the broad surfaces of a car to strip paint. Also, do not use a media (sand) blaster. If you do, chances are you will warp your panels. This is also known as “oil canning”. Think of those big square gallon tin old cans and how the walls of the can flex and bow. Bottom line is that stripping wheels and media blasters heat up the metal enough to cause it to deform. I say “lessons from the past” because I did use a stripping wheel on my 1975 BMW 2002 resto. I really didn’t notice the warped panels until I was block sanding the high build primer which was showing odd broad highs and lows, plus I could simply feel and see the hood and trunk surfaces bowing under the pressure of my sanding block. After I finished painting the car with a compounded and polished clear coat, I could see the warped panels at certain angles. Most people really don’t notice these things, but to the discerning eye it is noticeable. One special note. Soda Blasting apparently will remove paint without causing too much heat. There are probably some less aggressive media that will do the same. More aggressive media blasting can be used in rust sections and in limited spaces.
Paint Remover
I order a gallon of “Paint-to-Metal Stripper” from Eastwood. This after using some off the shelf paint remover from a local big box store. I apply the stripping gel with a cheap paintbrush. Sometimes the paint just bubbles up and almost falls off on its own, and yet other times I really have to scrape hard and apply follow up coats. Eastwood recommends applying their product at 60 degrees (Fahrenheit) and above. Is there another “secret”.
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Plastic Sheeting
On the recommendations of a skilled body man (Robert B. C.) I lay a sheet of plastic over the brush applied stripping goo and leave it for hours or overnight. Wow! Works like a charm. Areas I previously had to fight with, the paint comes off like a drunken sorority sister’s skirt on a Saturday night. I pretty much strip the major panel areas and most of the roof. I will tackle the doors, hood and trunk lid in the near future.
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