Paint stripping

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andrew
Posts: 135
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 4:31 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Paint stripping

Post by andrew »

Does anyone have any experience of removing paint from Grp.
Do paint strippers damage gel coat ?
Michael Brigg
Posts: 1663
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:11 pm
Location: Gosport, UK

Re: Paint stripping

Post by Michael Brigg »

Here's what I put into a previous thead on "Removing antifouling"
Have a look at this website/product. I just typed "antifouling stripper" into Google and found all sorts of stuff tucked in amongst the strippogram ads!

http://www.biowash.com/products/product.php?pid=34

"RemovALL 610 is a solvent type I think and I have no experience of it but most of the solvent type strippers will be similar. Just make sure it is compatible with fibreglass gel coat else youll be looking for another boat.

What I have used before is a chemical gel which essentially contains Sodium Hydroxide. this is quite effective but BE CAREFUL!!! If you get this stuff in your eyes it can blind you. an alkali burn is very painful and very damaging. Follow the instructions to the letter especially about protective clothing.

I found it rather slow and needs repeated applications an lots of water to rinnse of afterwards.
The rest of the thread is a few pages back but has lots of recieved wisdom from the great and the good of this site. Here is a short cut:-

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1243&hilit=antifouling

Standard strippers for wood are DEFINATELY not compatible, particularly the solvent products containing Dichloromethane. All the GRP compatible products I have seen use Strong Alkali, basically (no pun intended) Sodium Hydroxide. This also eats flesh so get togged up!
Michael Brigg
Rupert
Posts: 6255
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Paint stripping

Post by Rupert »

Or sand it all off instead?
Rupert
Brian E. Evans
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Location: USA
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Re: Paint stripping

Post by Brian E. Evans »

Be very careful sand blasting paint off Gel coat, If you get too enthusiastic you can blow through the gel coat into the fibreglass underneath. ( guess how I know?)
Use the gun at a low angle to the work surface, so the sand shears the paint off, resist the temptation to lift the gun to a steeper angle, you will blow through.
A safer alternative to sand is crushed marble dust if you can find it. It is softer than sand and damages the gel coat less, but still takes off the paint.
A 2mm nozzle will remove an area about 6" to 9" square in a minute if the paint is fair, if the paint is poor you can get a square foot per minute, you will need at least a 5 hp compressor for that.

Interlux makes a stripper for removing antifouling from gelcoat, it is slow and it still softens the gelcoat, but it does work.
do not use sharp cornered stripping tools with it ,or you will gouge the softened gel coat.
Brian Evans.
Brian E. Evans
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Re: Paint stripping

Post by Brian E. Evans »

Oops sorry about that. Rupert ,you said sand it off ,not sand blast it off.
Brian Evans.
Rupert
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Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Paint stripping

Post by Rupert »

Sandblasting it off sounds pretty cool...how long does the clear up operation take afterwards, though?!
Rupert
Brian E. Evans
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Re: Paint stripping

Post by Brian E. Evans »

If you put a big tarpaulin down first, as long as it takes to pull the 4 corners together and feed the sand into the dustbin.
In California where I live they will only let you do that, if the sand has only made one pass through the gun.
If you run the sand through a sifter to get the paint flakes out, and reuse it, they make you take it to a hazardous waste disposal centre who charge you lots of money to get rid of your contaminated sand for you. Blasting sand here is about one pound sterling for a 50 pound bag.
Brian.
Michael Brigg
Posts: 1663
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:11 pm
Location: Gosport, UK

Re: Paint stripping

Post by Michael Brigg »

I think we'll find that's soon to become 50 pounds sterling for a 1 pound bag! (Meltdown monday etc.)
Michael Brigg
JimC
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Re: Paint stripping

Post by JimC »

Michael Brigg wrote:What I have used before is a chemical gel which essentially contains Sodium Hydroxide. this is quite effective but BE CAREFUL!!! If you get this stuff in your eyes it can blind you. an alkali burn is very painful and very damaging. Follow the instructions to the letter especially about protective clothing.
I found it rather slow and needs repeated applications an lots of water to rinnse of afterwards.
Alkali strippers work *much* better with heat, which of course multiplies the danger factor many times!
Garry R

Re: Paint stripping

Post by Garry R »

How can they tell if you have sifted and blasted more than once? How can they stop you digging a great big hole in the ground and mixing it up with soil. There must be loads of flaking paint and varnish lying in the sea/lakes which has been knocked off boats (especially those which have come into contact with Flying Fifteens - they were at it again on Loch Tummel a week ago!!). The world has gone totally nuts.
Michael Brigg
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Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:11 pm
Location: Gosport, UK

Re: Paint stripping

Post by Michael Brigg »

Because anyone kows the Americans never bend the rules...

They only break them!
Michael Brigg
Brian E. Evans
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Re: Paint stripping

Post by Brian E. Evans »

Do you remember a man named George Orwell?
He is alive and well in this country.
Brian.
Michael Brigg
Posts: 1663
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:11 pm
Location: Gosport, UK

Re: Paint stripping

Post by Michael Brigg »

Since our leader is intent on railroading any reform through if it suits the current governments need to create ever more stealth taxes , we can expect "chipped bins" in future. Not something that the CVRDA can fix with ingenious concoctions made up from stuff you can buy in ASDA or Lidls, but computerised records of our waste management. Oscar Wilde said we share everything with the Americans except our languauge and he (like George Orwell) wasn't wrong!

I'd get blasting while you can Garry.
Michael Brigg
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