Paint stripping

Not sure if this is where I should have posted this but I find that Rustins Strupit works better than Nitromores. The other day when I went into buy the paintstripper the man in the shop was saying that due to Goverment legistlation they had to reduce the strength of the chimicals in painstripper. (sorry if some words spelt wrong)

Thanks for that info lewis .

I will try that when need some paint stripping next .

Matt

Lewis we heard that a while back and as you say Nitromores is rubbish now, it's best if you can buy what the trade use, I bought a tin of cheap paint remover last year and it worked as good as Nitromores at half the price.

Also a little reminder if your didn't already know, when sanding off old paint wear a mask as the paint had lead in it and it's not to good for your health. and that was in some paints used up till the 1990's and some countries are still using it.

Stu.

oven cleaner is good at softening paint to wire brush it off. masks and gloves to be worn as usual.




cheers mat

I'm still using Wickes own brand paint stripper. It's not very good but I do have a few tricks to help with modern paint strippers.

*They will all work, but you need plenty of time. You need to apply the first coat, nice & thick, & leave it over night. Add another coat the next morning, then leave it a little while before scraping.

*Make sure you score the surface before applying any stripper. I just go at it with a stanley knife in a criss-cross patern. You may need to repeat all this as you work through the layers.

*Scrape off what you can with a small scraper, paint stripping hooks & wire brush. Then get yourself a bucket of warm soapy water & some wire wool. Give the surface a good wash & scrub with the wire wool, you'll be surprised at how much it takes off. Also this will help to remove all traces of the paint stripper (you really must get rid of all traces of the stuff, or your new paint will flake off)
You should rinse it off in clean warm water afterwards if possible.

*I usually sand the surface after all this, prior to applying metal primer.

This may all seem like a lot, but the secret of a good paint job is all in the preparation. Always sand down the first coat of primer then apply another (this will help to fill in rust pits & minor imperfections, it might seem like a waste of primer, but you'll get a much better finish at the end of it, maybe even repeat this, sanding right back to flat metal if the rust pits were bad to start with).

Remember it's usually the primer that holds the brush marks, so give it a quick sand down with fine paper before applying any top coats, but try not to reveal too much bare metal under the top coats.

I will try some of the Rustins stripper though, as I'm always anxious to speed things up if I can. But don't despair if your paint stripper seems a bit on the weak side, just have patience & give it time.

stationary stu wrote:Lewis we heard that a while back and as you say Nitromores is rubbish now, it's best if you can buy what the trade use, I bought a tin of cheap paint remover last year and it worked as good as Nitromores at half the price.

Also a little reminder if your didn't already know, when sanding off old paint wear a mask as the paint had lead in it and it's not to good for your health. and that was in some paints used up till the 1990's and some countries are still using it.

Stu.

the paint from SEP.com still uses lead, says so on the tin

blackvanman wrote:
the paint from SEP.com still uses lead, says so on the tin

Not sure they should be doing that, not to general public anyway.

I've heard their paint's not very good anyway.

nutgone wrote:

blackvanman wrote:
the paint from SEP.com still uses lead, says so on the tin

Not sure they should be doing that, not to general public anyway.

I've heard their paint's not very good anyway.

I will say, it goes a long way, have done 3 engine, a drill and a pump with 1ltr, but it don't like petrol for at least 6 months................

blackvanman wrote:
the paint from SEP.com still uses lead, says so on the tin

That because SEP gets alot of it's parts etc from India very cheap and sells on very expensive, can you tell I don't like there prices So it sounds as if there paint is coming from India, they could also be clever and say oh this is like original paints with added lead.!!!!
I know a lot buy there paint from SEP and had good results but I can't understand why buy paint from an engine parts supplier, it's the same as getting a head gasket from a paint supplier. If you want a good paint at a reasonable price just get it from a local paint supplier or there's a few paint suppliers on ebay that are nearly half the price of SEP for probably the same if not better quality.
Over the years I've used a lot of coach enamel strange as it may sound but painting coaches I always used Tekaloid but then found I could get a good result from any enamel as long as the condition are right. The secret is heat, I know there's a world of difference from a coaches ally panels and a cast iron block and head, but what I used to do was try and get the area to be painted warmed up and warm the paint (carefully) I've an old slow cooker but a pan of water with a gentle heat on the oven top will do your just warming the paint so it flows better and you can get some very good results. I've painted 2 coach roofs and a LWB Land rover using the paint like that and had some excellent results although there was a few brush marks on the roof as I was doing it in a hurry. Also I always thin the paint down, anything can be used such as thinners, white spirit even a splash of petrol just so it's not like painting with tar. I wash my brushes in thinners or petrol and use that to thin down so not wasting any.
Sorry that's a bit long winded and a bit off topic, just wanting to give a bit of advice on how a non professional painter does thing, although I do have a good mate that's an (old skol) ex-sign writer that gave me a lot of tips.

Stu.

P.S. .... SEP = Stationary engine parts.

Alkyd paints (what we call oil based - they're not really oil based but once were), are best kept at 25-30 degrees before application.
One way to warm them up safely, is take the can indoors a day or so before using it, and put in the warmest room in the house - hot water cupboard if you have one.

I use a paint stripper gun to warm the cast iron a bit before painting. Usig this on the non-painted side (so as not to burn the primer off), seems to work,. I try to get the metal to about blood heat (feels mildly warm to touch).

On paint stripper - we use a lot of this at work, and Nitromors has indeed changed. It had methylene Chloride in it until about 2006, now its quite different, and nowhere near as good.

I use a blow torch and scraper for most of my paint stripping, but have used brake fluid on small parts, then use a palm sander to flat off. David

seniorengineers wrote:I use a blow torch and scraper for most of my paint stripping, but have used brake fluid on small parts, then use a palm sander to flat off. David

just out of interest, how long does brake fluid take to work?

I always thought it was one of those things, like battery acid, which has a reputation for very quickly wrecking paintwork, when in actual fact battery acid takes a little while to get to work. Never got brake fluid onto paintwork before though (which is why I ask).

Brake fluid is not a cheap paint stripper. I've never tried it but have seen the results when it's been spilt and it doesn't take long to work stripping paint.

Stu.

nutgone wrote:

seniorengineers wrote:I use a blow torch and scraper for most of my paint stripping, but have used brake fluid on small parts, then use a palm sander to flat off. David

just out of interest, how long does brake fluid take to work?

I always thought it was one of those things, like battery acid, which has a reputation for very quickly wrecking paintwork, when in actual fact battery acid takes a little while to get to work. Never got brake fluid onto paintwork before though (which is why I ask).

I think stu answered your question there, it does not take long either David.

I've got some old brake fluid & wasn't sure how to dispose of it (I was going to throw it in with the waste oil). Might as well make use of it.

Although, like paint stripper, one must go to great lengths to make sure all trace of it is washed off before applying any fresh primer or paint.

nutgone wrote:I've got some old brake fluid & wasn't sure how to dispose of it (I was going to throw it in with the waste oil). Might as well make use of it.

Although, like paint stripper, one must go to great lengths to make sure all trace of it is washed off before applying any fresh primer or paint.

I wipe down all my parts etc, with standard thinners after paint removal and sanding down, so this should remove the residue of any paint stripper what ever you choose to use. David.

I tell you what, I dunno about you, but I've found white spirit is so expensive these days I try to use it as sparingly as possible! It does also leave a residue, but this doesn't effect paint, as it is a paint thinner. So it does a good job of cleaning down, but a bit of an expensive way for me (although I do add it to my parts wash, which is very decadent of me ).

I have been thinking about buying a can of panel wipe, this is what the trade use, & it will not only dissolve oil & grease, but will also dissolve silicone residues. But it's more expensive than brake & clutch cleaner (although not a lot more). I might get some anyway as I've heard you can also run Coleman stoves off it!

Whatever you use, it's always a good idea to give this stuff a clean down with some kind of solvent cleaner before painting, white spirit, brake & clutch cleaner, petrol, carb cleaner, electrical contact cleaner, panel wipe.... the list goes on. they're all solvent cleaners, they'll all do the job, & your paint will stick properly & leave you a good finish at the end of it.

Last time I ran out of brake & clutch cleaner I mixed clean petrol & white spirit (roughly 50/50) & it did a really good job. It bloody stank though!

You can actually still buy Methylene Chloride (Dichloromethane) on ebay!
I used to work in a laboratory with this stuff years ago and it is a top solvent and not inflammable.
Make sure you have loads of ventilation, work only for short periods, wear nitrile gloves (it dissolves PVC) and wrap around safety specs. Be very careful!

Woodsman wrote:You can actually still buy Methylene Chloride (Dichloromethane) on ebay!
I used to work in a laboratory with this stuff years ago and it is a top solvent and not inflammable.
Make sure you have loads of ventilation, work only for short periods, wear nitrile gloves (it dissolves PVC) and wrap around safety specs. Be very careful!

Is that for paint stripping Paul? (I would google it but I'm having computer problems at the moment). If so I may try some.

I've now resorted to using mechanical paint stripping methods, namely an angle grinder with either a wire brush head or a flap disc. I will also use a blow torch for the smaller areas, if I've got any gas in either of the ones I keep handy.

I need to strip all the paint off the outside of an old fire extinguisher soon for a workshop heater project I'm working on. I'm not sure if it's actually painted or some other kind of coating. I'm guessing it will require mechanical stripping (never stripped one before). If it has an inner coating that won't matter, that can burn off in its own time.

As regards EU ban on DCM have a look at this page. Products containing DCM are available but not for paint stripping unless you have an accreditation - is it just me or has the world gone mad?

http://www.stripperspaintremovers.com/dcm_in_paint_removal.htm

Just tried Home Strip Paint & Varnish Remover on our Petter A1.  Works remarkably well for non-solvent based product - certainly better than the "new improved" Nitromors. £20 per litre from B&Q , £20 for 2 litres from Toolstation

Always ready to try something new!
Keep an eye out at Lidl for Baufix Thinners.
Highly inflammable mixture of solvents and the fumes are horrendous - definitely work outdoors, but does the business. We wrapped a fuel tank in kitchen roll, soaked the paper and dropped it in a rectangular polythene bucket, poured another cup full in the bottom and sealed the lid. Twenty four hours later the top coat had fallen off and the primer just needed a bit of work with a wire brush. Further word of caution - it destroys nitrile rubber gloves as well!

And another one.
I almost bit the bullet and bought some "new improved" Nitromors but sitting right next to it was Wilko's own brand Paint and Varnish stripper (£6.50/l as opposed to £21.33/l) Being a tight fisted Yorkshireman I went for the own brand. Tried it this afternoon and was most impressed. Slop it  on thickly, wait a hour and the old paint washes off with water.

I use the stuff below, it's like Nitromors used to be be in the old days. Easily available on Fleabay.