removing paint

[calal]

I want to strip my tank and sidecovers of original paint and graphics - will paint remover take off both/ ...heat gun?...How best to proceed?
Thanks

[grepper]

I've used regular paint remover from the hardware/home store, or even wal-mart. Works fine, but you have to do several passes to get all the paint off.

Brush on remover, wait 10 min, wire brush and rinse off, repeat.

[yamacette]

I have had great results using a product called Aircraft. It comes in a gel form you just brush it on and in 15 minutes all your paint just lifts off . you can peel it off with a soft spatula and then finish up with a rag. Any difficult spots (creases and tight areas) might need two applications. Finnish up with fine steel wool. I just did two side covers and found that under the original paint and primer was a hard undercoat that did not rust. I got the Aircraft at Pep Boys, But I am sure you can get it at other outlets. Its the least messy and most efficient paint remover I have ever used.

[sonnydaze]

I BEAD BLAST EM AND THEN EPOXY PRIME EM.

[ShakerNorm]

I spent 3 hours glass-bead blasting mine, Sonny..... At least I had access to a cabinet... LOL
What a pain that was!

[sonnydaze]

wow,,, i do complete frames in less time than that, sometimes the beads actually wear out or the compressor is too small to keep up with that much air volume.

[ShakerNorm]

Well - it is fine glass beads (and probably well used, as well) - we do run an aircraft shop, so it's all set up for low pressure so we don't damage aluminum parts...

[sonnydaze]

wow, i'd blow a hole in a wing with this set-up.. playground sand works great on frames and bad rust.
sonny

[ShakerNorm]

LMAO - well - I saw the setup that the local powdercoating company used to blast the rust off the bumper of my truck and I almost needed clean shorts..... but it only took them a couple minutes to clean up my bumper, too. It would have taken me hours to do it - if I could have fit it in our cabinet.

[mathil]

Yesterday I used "tal-strip" to strip the paint off of the top crankcase half. I had the option of a half gallon jug for 34$, or an aerosol can for 11. I bought the aerosol can and still have about a half can left after 3 thorough soakings of the case, inside and out. The stuff works great! Spray it on and the paint IMMEDIATELY flakes up, let it soak 20 minutes to get the harder stuff, then scrub off with a brush. Rinse with the hose and repeat until it's all off. I took 3 tries to get all the stubborn stuff out of the nooks and crannies, and the excess sealant the last builder used. Worked great on that and now I have a bare (though oxidized) case to work with.

I would have beadblasted it off, but the paint is INSIDE oiled areas. I've been blasting the entire motor to give it a very thorough cleaning prior to paint, and have avoided blasting the oiled areas due to horror stories of glass coming out over the years, and ruining motors. Careful masking with gorilla tape has worked well.

Now that the paint is off the case I can mask to blast the outside. Whoever decided to paint the inside wasn't too bright...