[R-390] Front panel paint removal

[Paul H. Anderson]

Acetone is a solvent, but won't touch baked enamel.

You need something with methelene chloride - available in furniture and
paint strippers in most hardware stores as far as I know.  The stuff I
like best in a spray can is Mar Hyde (automotive stores may have this), in
a can, Tal-Strip III, which you let dry before removing the stuff.  In all
cases, be extremely careful - it desolves everything, I think eventually
including skin and lungs.

If you're sanding to remove paint from the grooves, something is
wrong.  Use a brash brush to get the paint out after a good soaking with
paint stripper.

There are two other possible alternatives to chemicals (that preserve the
grooves) - plastic bead blasting (maybe glass bead - absolutely not sand
blasting), and secondly, you can use heat to bubble the paint - I get
impatient and use a torch, which starts affecting the metal in bad ways,
but a hobby heat gun may do it, too.

Paul

On Thu, 17 Jan 2002, Scott, Barry (Clyde B) wrote:

> I'm starting on another front panel restoration -- this one with
> stamped/engraved lettering.  When I did my first one, it was
> silkscreened so I was able to just wet-sand the old paint right off.  
> With this lettering, naturally I want to remove the paint from the
> tiny grooves as well.
> 
> I'd prefer to minimize any sanding I might do as this could decrease
> the goove depths.  Granted, it would be a lot of sanding to do this,
> but I'd rather not go there.
> 
> I tried a bit of acetone and it was rather ineffective (the original
> paint is quite tough).  What paint strippers have worked best for
> those who have done this?  I'm concerned about the corrosive effects
> of some strippers on the aluminum.  I suppose it can be neutralized,
> but I wanted to find out what the "professionals" have used.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Barry - N4BUQ
> 
> 
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| Paul Anderson           Public Data Queries, Inc. |
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