Auto Paint stripping help !!!

TraxUnderground · 2004-04-06T13:00:14+00:00

Hi everyone..I have an auto paint stripping question and am hopingsomeone can point me in the right direction. I bought a 67 RS Camaroand am beginning to work on it. It has several layers of paint on itand I want to get it down to metal or so I can at least see what lurksunderneath. I am replacing the fenders, hood and most of the nose soI mainly worried about the rear quarter panels. I was informed thatthey have had metal work done and they look great except for thebackyard paint job the kid gave it a couple years back. I don't wantto ruin the bodywork on the quarters becase whatever was done looksperfect. The paint is peeling and chipping and I want to get it offso there is a firmer foundation to work with. I have read as manythreads on this topic but I cant seem to find out which is best so Idon't ruin what body work is done already. I would like to do as muchas I can labor wise to cut costs before I take it to a shop to finish. Any advice, methods, products that you can recommend would be greatlyappreciated. I am a novice but am willing to work at it and am seekingadvice so I dont create more work.Thanks Gary

Apr 06, 2004 23 Replies

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Ed Huntress 22 years ago

But the big question is, did you win the fight?

Not to go off on a tangent (well, I guess we're going off on a tangent...), but one difference between the slaked lime sold for plastering and the fully hydrated lime often sold as "powdered limestone," "ground limestone," or "builder's lime" is that the magnesium oxide (and sometimes aluminum oxide), as well as the calcium oxide, has been full hydrated in the latter types. It's still waiting for some carbon before it's restored to limestone; much "ground limestone" really is just ground limestone, calcium carbonate.

It's amazing how complicated lime can be, as a building product. Don't ask how I know. It was a sad wall-restoration story.

Ed Huntress

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Gene Kearns 22 years ago

Don't use anything that doesn't go away of it's own accord. Use the CO2, or just use a wire brush....

Don't blow crap up under the saddle that won't go away.... That includes chips with an air gun.....

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ATP 22 years ago

I've done a lot of blasting with Armex baking soda. The baking soda used for blasting is larger, feels like salt rather than powder. It costs about 50 cents a pound. It has good grease/tar removal properties, but creates a real white dust storm even using a mist suppression nozzle. You need a very good metering valve to use the baking soda efficiently. I wouldn't go near an assembled lathe with the process, since everything that comes off the lathe will end up getting blown inside something. I wouldn't blast anything near the ways of a machine, even "soft" blasting processes are still abrasive. The alkalinity can be a problem for some materials, such as polished aluminum, or even painted surfaces that just get wet with the baking soda. It would probably be OK for disassembled parts, but relatively slow unless you use a lot of pressure and soda. It is not widely used in car stripping any more due to the tendency for soda to get lodged in crevices. Plastic Media Blasting or walnut shells are another way to go, I may try some this summer. Plastic media requires recycling due to its high cost per pound.

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