Ok Since this is my first restoration project, need advise on what the best way to strip old paint. Looks to be a couple od layers with some body filler on fenders.
Paint stripping 1961 Renault Jolly
- Thread starter SEDent
- Start date
Paint stripping gel is ok for home use, is also quite toxic, noxious and messy but not as messy as sanding or grinding.
Grinding or sanding will deposit a thick layer of dust over just about everything you own as it floats through the air, under doors and into places you never imagined.
You will need patients with gel as it may take two or three goes at getting it all off, (some grinding may be needed for the stubborn bits) I would recommend plastic paint scrapers over metal if you intend leaving the body filler in place.
A collection of wire brushes will do a faster job than sanding if you decide to go that way.
Which ever way you decide naturally you will wear/ use appropriate safety equipment as it is not worth risking your health...
Grinding or sanding will deposit a thick layer of dust over just about everything you own as it floats through the air, under doors and into places you never imagined.
You will need patients with gel as it may take two or three goes at getting it all off, (some grinding may be needed for the stubborn bits) I would recommend plastic paint scrapers over metal if you intend leaving the body filler in place.
A collection of wire brushes will do a faster job than sanding if you decide to go that way.
Which ever way you decide naturally you will wear/ use appropriate safety equipment as it is not worth risking your health...
Is it a metal or plastic/fiberglass body. If it's metal I'd probably use one of those stripping discs. Every way of stripping is either really messy, or really toxic and really messy 
seeya,
Shane L.
seeya,
Shane L.
Metal body.Is it a metal or plastic/fiberglass body. If it's metal I'd probably use one of those stripping discs. Every way of stripping is either really messy, or really toxic and really messy
seeya,
Shane L.
Paint stripping gel is ok for home use, is also quite toxic, noxious and messy but not as messy as sanding or grinding.
Grinding or sanding will deposit a thick layer of dust over just about everything you own as it floats through the air, under doors and into places you never imagined.
You will need patients with gel as it may take two or three goes at getting it all off, (some grinding may be needed for the stubborn bits) I would recommend plastic paint scrapers over metal if you intend leaving the body filler in place.
A collection of wire brushes will do a faster job than sanding if you decide to go that way.
Which ever way you decide naturally you will wear/ use appropriate safety equipment as it is not worth risking your health...
Is there a particular type of gel that is better than another?
I use 'Diggers' brand but no doubt we have different brands than you but any paint store will fit you up with what you need, 1 gallon will be sufficient and isn't very expensive.
BTW. I find caustic gel more efficient than citric types.
BTW. I find caustic gel more efficient than citric types.
I've found the "grinder" types of wire brushes displayed above not great for paint stripping. there slow, heat the metal a lot and tend to melt thicker paints. They also leave a "polished" like finish the the metal that you need to key for the paint to stick (I don't like grinders with wire brushes, they grab edges, screw heads...etc... and try to rip the grinder from your hands). They also throw wires at you. There's the best thing ever made for stripping rusty areas though 
This is what I mean by stripping discs.... Keep moving so you don't overheat and of the metal. There the fastest thing I"ve ever found to strip paint with.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-x-125m...tDomain_15&hash=item27c41ca91a#ht_2393wt_1275
Have a look at the youtube video in the advert.
flap discs and sanding discs tend to clog up within seconds.
seeya,
Shane L.
This is what I mean by stripping discs.... Keep moving so you don't overheat and of the metal. There the fastest thing I"ve ever found to strip paint with.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-x-125m...tDomain_15&hash=item27c41ca91a#ht_2393wt_1275
Have a look at the youtube video in the advert.
flap discs and sanding discs tend to clog up within seconds.
seeya,
Shane L.
I've found the "grinder" types of wire brushes displayed above not great for paint stripping. there slow, heat the metal a lot and tend to melt thicker paints. They also leave a "polished" like finish the the metal that you need to key for the paint to stick (I don't like grinders with wire brushes, they grab edges, screw heads...etc... and try to rip the grinder from your hands). They also throw wires at you. There's the best thing ever made for stripping rusty areas though
This is what I mean by stripping discs.... Keep moving so you don't overheat and of the metal. There the fastest thing I"ve ever found to
strip paint with
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-x-125m...tDomain_15&hash=item27c41ca91a#ht_2393wt_1275
Have a look at the youtube video in the advert.
flap discs and sanding discs tend to clog up within seconds.
seeya,
Shane L.
Do you know if they ship to the US or if they can bevpurchased here?
USA has all this stuff. Maybe harbour freight ?? Have a look at the autobody101 forum. There US based and reference where you can buy stuff over there
http://www.autobody101.com/forums/
seeya,
Shane L.
http://www.autobody101.com/forums/
seeya,
Shane L.
USA has all this stuff. Maybe harbour freight ?? Have a look at the autobody101 forum. There US based and reference where you can buy stuff over there
http://www.autobody101.com/forums/
seeya,
Shane L.
Found them on an eBay here got them ordered also found another brand at lowes bought a couple and gave them a try all I can say is WOW and thank you for letting me know about these.
Amazing things aren't they .... You'd never go back to sandpaper!! It's amazing how many you'll wear out stripping a car back. I probably used 6 of those wheels already just doing the hull on the ID19..... and I haven't start under the car yet.
If you hit really thickly applied bog anywhere. Try a chisel on it rather than killing yourself in a dust storm by grinding it away. I've found quite often you can chisel thickly applied body filler away really quickly.
seeya,
Shane L.
Regarding the paint stripper idea (even though this post is a bit late no doubt), be VERY jubious about leaving any bodyfiller in place that has had contact with paint stripper. Body filler is hygroscopic and will thus absorb some of the chemicals from the paint stripper. Even if you have scrapped off any filler loosened by the stripper, the remaining filler will be tainted enough that in weeks, months or even years to come you could find the paint starting to peel away from this area.
Another reason to remove all filler is that the stripper residue is generaly cleaned up with water, and few people think to evaperate all moisture that the filler has absorbed thus trapping it in the filler and causing rust between the metal and filler bond in years to come.
In short, if you are using a chemical stripper, go back to bare metal. You could be one of the lucky few that have get away with it, but is it worth the risk.
PK
Another reason to remove all filler is that the stripper residue is generaly cleaned up with water, and few people think to evaperate all moisture that the filler has absorbed thus trapping it in the filler and causing rust between the metal and filler bond in years to come.
In short, if you are using a chemical stripper, go back to bare metal. You could be one of the lucky few that have get away with it, but is it worth the risk.
PK
I agree, I used stripper on my Dauphine. Took a while but well worth the effort. As previously explained remove the filler as well (who knows you may be able to repair some of those areas). Don't let the stripper dry if you can help it and make sure that all areas are well washed and rinsed. The advice on plastic scrapers is sound, there may be the odd area where a metal scraper would be better but try and limit its use if possible, also try to use a well ventilated area. A tedious process but the results are worth it.
On a mini forum I'm on, a lot of people comment on the effectiveness of putting the paint stripper gel on, then wrapping the area with glad wrap (plastic or cling wrap - not sure what you would call it in the US) then leaving it on for a few hours or more. Paint strippers work better when the panel is hot or in the sun I believe too.
Plastic wrap is good advice, so is warm panels. Wear good rubber gloves though as it burns like hell.
Methylene chloride - the active component in many self-neutralising strippers - has a low flashpoint. You're actually better off keeping the panels cool and wrapping them.
How you approach it depends on what you want to do. What refinishing materials and who is going to apply them are good first questions. Some painters would prefer to take only a panel at a time back to bare metal and then prime them so you avoid rust forming by stripping the entire car at once. If the car isn't rusty and you can save the original primer, consider sanding back down to that as a base instead of going to bare metal. Don't make more work for yourself than you need. If there are stone chips all over it and you can see rust trails under the paint, you need to strip it back to bare metal. You will probably find filler applied to bare metal will have rust under it, so some repairers will prime the bare steel, fill over that and then prime again. An inexpensive DA sander with a vacuum attachment may be a very good investment if the body is clean enough to sand it back for paint. It's amazing how much longer the paper lasts without clogging when using dust extraction gear.
Industrial strength paint stripper seems to simply have much more, often double the Methylene Chloride content that the domestic types have. It's no surprise the domestic/hardware varieties are less effective, but also less likely to burn the user. Washing up gloves seem to be quite effective as paintstripper will burn youu through many other types, even a lot of black rubber gloves. So, paint the gel on, cover it with plastic sheet (scrounge it if you are feeling tight!), carefully sharpen your scraper square with a file, removing burrs, and use coarse steel wool on non-flat areas. You can buy a roll of steel wool for very little, so $12 buys a lot of the stuff at Bunnings. Cut it off instead of trying to tear it.
Consider whether some of the panels aren't better dipped or media blasted if you are not just painting the outside surfaces and are prepared to completely strip panels of all fittings.
Industrial strength paint stripper seems to simply have much more, often double the Methylene Chloride content that the domestic types have. It's no surprise the domestic/hardware varieties are less effective, but also less likely to burn the user. Washing up gloves seem to be quite effective as paintstripper will burn youu through many other types, even a lot of black rubber gloves. So, paint the gel on, cover it with plastic sheet (scrounge it if you are feeling tight!), carefully sharpen your scraper square with a file, removing burrs, and use coarse steel wool on non-flat areas. You can buy a roll of steel wool for very little, so $12 buys a lot of the stuff at Bunnings. Cut it off instead of trying to tear it.
Consider whether some of the panels aren't better dipped or media blasted if you are not just painting the outside surfaces and are prepared to completely strip panels of all fittings.
Last edited: