warren

You said you were striping the paint on your car, what is it your using? And hows it working?

Well, I've used 'Strip-Ease' and a few other similar chemical strippers, and they work pretty well, but are the NASTIEST thing to use imaginable, burns the skin within seconds if you happen to get even a 'speck' of it on you ... running water from a hose is a good idea to have handy! A 'writen-off' jumpsuit or coveralls are a good idea, too! Rubber gloves, the heavy-duty kind are mandatory when removing the hazardous waste by-products of this process!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

Yes, paint stripper is just the nastiest stuff to work with. A space suit is needed. But I suspect it is the lesser of alternative evils. My experience with lesser strippers for painted wood is that I wish I had continued with the stripper, in corners and stuff, instead of moving to the sanding phase so soon.

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'83 SC

The use of those stripping chemicals doesn't eat or damage the galvanized coating on the metal?
I've heard that sanding and some kinds of strippers can damage the coating on the metal.
Not a problem?

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Leland Pate

___79 SC Targa

I dunno, but I expect that at least some injury takes place. Can the miracle "dip" finish be duplicated in my garage?

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'83 SC

No, the chemical strippers won't hurt the galvanized layer ... they are kind of a cross between brake fluid and laquer thinner, and a respirator with a charcoal filter is probably a good idea, too. They don't say to use a respirator, just a 'well ventilated area' ... however I treat them just like they had Isocyanates in them like Polyurethane and other catalyzed paint! Kind of like dealing with chemical weapons, I figure by the time you realize there is a problem with what you smell, it's too late to do anything about it!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

We have over a dozen Tyvex Level-A chem. suits at work for defuzing Chem./Bio. ordnance and IEDs. Shoot, I'll just sign one of those babies out for the day!
Of course I'd have to work fast with only a 60 minute air supply (SCBA).
And I'd look like Dr. Evil . . . stripping the paint off a Porsche...

"throw me a fri'kin bo'ne here I've been frozen for thirty fri'kin yers"


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Leland Pate

___79 SC Targa

I'm pretty sold on plastic media blasting. I took my old turbo to Stripmasters in Pensacola Fl. where they stripped my entire car in three hours without putting the slighest scratch in the galvanized coating, and without all that chemical residue getting in every crack and crevice. All that was left when they were done was some non toxic plastic beads to vacuum up. Cost about $400.00 and I was able to leave the interior intact and tape off the areas I didn't want stripped (door jams, etc). One day at the strippers saved me a week at the body shop, my painter had my car in etching primer the day after I dropped it off! Gotta be careful though, plastic media and sand/glass beads are not the same thing, some "media blasters" are not using plastic and can literally destroy your car.

[This message has been edited by troy (edited 06-08-2000).]

The biohazards youall are mentioning are solvents like benzene, xylene, toluene, etc. Charcoal filters aren't good enough to protect you, the best thing is ventillation that will take the solvents away before you breathe them. Unless you work around these chemicals on a daily basis (like I do) you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Chronic exposure is the killer.

I'm not sure of the brands available to you guys, but paint stripper can be very effective. Granted, media blasting is nice, but stripper ain't all that bad. You've just got to get yourself into the mindset: Sure, use gloves, masks etc. Water is generally the neutraliser, so don't freak out when/if you get a bit on your skin, just pour water on it straight away and it will stop burning. It really isn't that bad. Stripper is the nicest way of getting down to a fresh metal surface, and it really does look just like it did before the factory put paint on it. Brings tears to the eyes...
Anyway, the key to getting chemical strippers to work is technique. It pays to roughen up the paint surface with a bit of sandpaper first to 'break the surface' of the old paint. Buy the gruntiest stripper you can- don't go for anything that mentions Home Handyman or furniture on the bottle. You want the stuff pros use, and automotive paint suppliers will be happy to sell it to you. There are a few brands suitable for two pack paint as well.After you carefully brush it on, it's the smelly vapour that does the lifting, so it can help to contain this on the paint surface with domestic plastic kitchen 'cling' film. Just cover the area you are working on. Do smallish bits at a time-like half the door, and remove the final sticky residue with metal wool pads like you clean pots and pans with. Let the paint strippings fall on newspaper, wrap them up and dispose away from any fire source. Wash the area thoroughly with soapy water afterwards, then treat with one of those clear phosphoric acid rust neutralisers- or use one that the paint system you are using specifies. It's easy once you start (easier than my explanation?)and fairly therapeutic, especially when that fresh metal starts showing! Be sure to remove any neighbouring plastic or expensive trim (you should already have ALL this off anyway if you are going to do a proper paint job)and get into it!!

Yeah, I know a couple of strippers that arent all that bad...

Thanks for all the input guys.