Strippers!!

Tree1584

Tree1584

Club Member
Okay, now I've got the attention of some.

I'm currently rebuilding my bike after having most stuff powder coated.

The engine is pretty disgusting so I decided I'd clean it, fetch off dodgy paint and redo her with wrinkle paint.
Only thing is I'm struggling with some of the paint.
Any suggestions for a GOOD paint stripper?
I bought something called Paint Panther which according to the guy strips varnish with ease.......its not automotive but it kinda works.
Any help, hints, tips would be appreciated 🙏

Thank in advance....Tree
 
I heard people say wrapping the part covered in paintstripper in cling film helps. All I know is they took the good chemical out of paint stripper and whats left is rubbish. If you get nitromors on your hands these days it doesnt even burn your skin, it's not going to remove paint! :LOL:
 
Yeah, Nitromors is awful. Had some a couple of years ago......totally rubbish.
I seem to have found some on ebay from a spray shop supplies.
It apparently removes 2k......Will report back.
I think I'm more concerned about trying to get the fins done......fiddly job.
I might cover barrels with cling film.
 
Believe it or not Wickes do some decent stuff I think it's their own. If I think on I'll check tomorrow. It's the only readily available stuff I've found recently that's performed like the old stuff.
 
Nice M&M.
The Mrs used to buy some stuff from Wilko that was ok-ish.
I've got a load of the loose crappy paint off but it's the barrels that are the worst and going to take the most work.
I'm getting there but slowly.
 
If you look on the label of any paint stripper that you can buy retail, you'll see the words "Methylene Chloride Free". The MC was removed for environmental and safety reasons some time ago.

This is a shame, as it's was the MC that actually used to strip paint. Without it you are better off peeing on the paint, it will be just as effective.

However, there is a solution...
MC can be bought, under it's systematic chemical name of Dichloromethane.
Ebay is your friend here. ;)

Simply get some, mix it 50/50 with the current wazz-brew Nitromors jell and away you go. As if by magic it will work, just like the old days.

Disclaimer.
There is a reason that they took the MC out in the first place. It's pretty nasty stuff, and it wants to hurt you. Keep it away from your skin, eyes and mouth, your kids and your pets. And if you do hurt yourself with it, I've never heard of you, and you didn't read this here.
 
M&M said:
Believe it or not Wickes do some decent stuff I think it's their own. If I think on I'll check tomorrow. It's the only readily available stuff I've found recently that's performed like the old stuff.
Click to expand...
I've had a look and it is Wickes paint and varnish stripper. I can only say I found it good stuff, hope it's still the same formula.
 
one_rod said:
If you look on the label of any paint stripper that you can buy retail, you'll see the words "Methylene Chloride Free". The MC was removed for environmental and safety reasons some time ago.

This is a shame, as it's was the MC that actually used to strip paint. Without it you are better off peeing on the paint, it will be just as effective.

However, there is a solution...
MC can be bought, under it's systematic chemical name of Dichloromethane.
Ebay is your friend here. ;)

Simply get some, mix it 50/50 with the current wazz-brew Nitromors jell and away you go. As if by magic it will work, just like the old days.

Disclaimer.
There is a reason that they took the MC out in the first place. It's pretty nasty stuff, and it wants to hurt you. Keep it away from your skin, eyes and mouth, your kids and your pets. And if you do hurt yourself with it, I've never heard of you, and you didn't read this here.
Click to expand...
I think the one I've found may still have mc in it.
I guess because of professional workshops etc it's reasonably safe for professionals
 
You also need to be aware that a lot of paint stripper contains caustic soda or at least it did, which is not good for aluminium, it dissolves it or at the very least damages it!

Otherwise vapour blasting is a good way to clean shitty cases, especially if you want to polish them.
 
bit late to the party, probably sorted this by now?
if you have/access to a compressor what about soda-blasting it off?

i've seen small soda-guns and even diy ones utilising a shutz-gun.
never tried it due to too much shit goin' on, but would like to. maybe one day?
goes without saying to prep motor appropriately to prevent soda getting in where it shouldn't. but at least it ain't grit?

aside form this, an experience i had with a frame i wanted stripping from powder-coat. took it to my local coater who put it in his strip tank for a week. didn't touch it! the coating wasn't 'plastic' coat, definitely a 'powder' of some sort.

after attempting to flap-wheel it off for a few hours, with very slow progress and envisaging what is required.
i'd like spend a hundred quid on flapwheels, gooing up in no time? and back-breaking working on the ground on my knees. f-k that.
plus you simply couldn't get in all the nooks and crannies. leading you to dig at it with screwdrivers and picks etc.
i investigated further.

talking to other coaters and strippers way forward was pyroclastic-oven.
but no one round here (yorks) did it due to enviromental laws imposed by local authorities.
spoke to SPL, surface-process-limited in brum. i've used them before for my car stripping/resto works.
talking to matey on the phone he explained not all powders are equal. they are all acrylic/enamel based, can't remember exctly.
but some are effectively simply the 'paint' medium, but not held in a solvent/liquid as 'transport' medium to allow sparying or whatever.

these 'painty' ones will strip with chemicals.
others, but unfortunately can't remember their exact makeup details. once applied are bombproof and can't be removed with chemicals.
i should find out again the specific details?

anyway, i had the frame oven-stripped by spl. cost me about 80 quid plus transport costs (my fuel), came out totally sweet though.
concerns of distorting tubes were placed at ease. temperatures are raised very slowly to stupid-hot and returned the same.
no distortion, coating goes to ash and is metal is cleaned up with a light blast.
afterall, they strip car panels that will distort easily with heat. it's not the heat itself, it's the 'rapidness' it is applied that distorts and non-uniformity (hot/cold areas). like in welding etc.

anyway, food for thought if you ever come across super-uber-like powder-coat nothing seems to shift?
 
I seem to be getting there with barrels/heads.
It's the hours of trying to dig it out of the corners with a scriber that kills me!

Obviously the fins are a complete pain in the ass but hopefully it'll look sweet when it's done. I'm trying to prevent myself from rushing as I'm gagging to get it back together n ride.

I have to take my time and then be patient whilst the bikes rewired.

All good things...........
 
i think next time i'm painting engine parts i'll try those cerokote products?
i've done my heads + barrels a couple of times now over the years motor has been apart.
i've used that VHT paint, looks great when applied, baked and relatively new, but has never stood the test of time.
b+p now look matt, paint has flaked here and there, patchy.
i've always adhered to strict application rules every time; vapour-blast clean, degrease, pre-warm etc just doesn't say what it does on the tin?
 
I am prone to going overboard tbf.
Probably didn't need to do all this but there were a couple of places where it was bubbling so thought it best to remove it all.

My own worst enemy

20240212_181646.jpg
 
classic case: take a few bits of to change a bulb or somehting, end up stripping the whole bike and spend the next two years rebuilding it?

stay focused and in control?

thats stuff should come off easy enough with stripper, no?
even with the new eco-freindly crap on the market?

definitely think comment on methel/dichrometh makes getting some worth it and adding it to my chemical stash; MEK, TCE etc all the good stuff.
 
Some is coming off easy.
Barrels n heads are the pain in the arse.

I bought stripper from ebay.
No sooner have you brushed it on n it's bubbling.
I have tried others including one claiming to take all paints n varnishes off......doesn't do what it says on the tin!

Yup, age old problem......once started where do you stop!
It'll be back together for the season.......I need to ride
 
In my experience, modern day paint strippers don't compare with the stuff we had in the late seventies. That said, I've had success using a power washer on full tilt after the paint has softened sufficiently. Cleaned the paint from a whole frame and many other parts this way.
 
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