[Warrant]

What is a good, inexpensive, and effincient way of stripping the paint of my car at home?

[MARTINSR]

First, are you SURE you NEED to strip it? I don't know if you have discussed it here, but the "need" to striping a car is wildly over blown.

If you do, chemical striping with "Jasco" or "aircraft striper" is pretty hard to beat. Put down some plastic tarps under the area you are working, duct tape the seams so the stuff doesn't get ANYWHERE that can't be cleaned.

Sanding the paint off with 80 grit on a large orbital sander and then once you get thru, DA it with 120 is what I have done with great success. Use LOTS of NEW, SHARP, HIGH QUALITY paper.

And most importantly, strip ONE panel at a time, get it into epoxy primer and then go on to the next. There is NOTHING as OVERWHELMING as a bare metal car sitting there in the garage to a newbe.

Brian

[BondoKing]

I personally like the DA as Brain pointed out ( show off )...chemical stripping works fine too, but I think you will have much less issues if you do one panel at a time as mr smarty pants already told you and then epoxy

Sorry Brian I just read some of Esty posting this morning and makes me remember back when pimpjuice said she should be smacked in the mouth

Soooo I had to give someone a hard way to go, since estrogen drove my boy Jim away.... Leave it to a woman to drive a wedge between men ..... I want my rib back...


Sorry Warrant for the small hijack

[kenseth17]

I use a combination of methods, depending on what I am doing. I don't like chemical stripper because it is messy, and make sure you neutrilize it afterwards of can cause paint to come off later if any stripper is still in a seam or something. For large exterior body panels I like to use my 8 inch orbital sander to strip paint. I go courser then Brian. If there are several layers of paint, you might be there awhile with 80 grit. I'll start with 36 then when most of the paint is off, go over with 80 grit on a 6" da to take off the remaining paint and smooth out the 36 grit scratches. A filler primer will take care of the scratches after sanding. You could also smooth out further going over with 180 prior to primer. As long as you don't buildup a lot of heat on the panels (not real big concern with a orbital sander if you don't sit and bear down and hold in one spot a long time) and don't sand on baremetal with 36 grit too long you will be okay. Sometimes blasting i feel is the best, like areas that are rusty and parts like door hinges where it is really tough to sand. Again use common sense so you don't warp panels. And there are times that paint stripper works well to. like you have some areas on a panel you stripped you cant get by sanding other then by hand. Then I apply paint stripper to those areas and sand any remaining paint off by hand. So short version, a combination of all three methods, depending on how much and what you are doing.

[lowROLLERchevy]

^^ agreed

i like to use the 36 grit till it takes off just enough to start to see metal, and then move on. then clean up with 80 grit, because the remaining paint is almost transparent by this point, and its easier to shave off the last pit of paint w/ 80 then it is to try to use 80 to remove heavy 36 grit marks from metal

[tab]

I'd use chemical strippers as a last resort only.

[crashtech]

What you use depends on how much paint is on the vehicle. If it's been painted more than a few times, stripper can be a good beginning, followed by sanding. Sometimes I use an 8" soft pad like this on an air buffer with 40 grit stikit discs. An electric buffer/grinder could be used also. Just try not to sand the bare metal much with it, switch to 80 grit DA when you get to the bottom coat of paint to remove the remaining paint and smooth out the 40 grit scratches.

[oldred]

I guess I harp too much about safety, probably comes from dealing with MSHA for all these years. There is a lot said here about the hazards of using ISOs but not much about the hazards of using chemical strippers. The burns that can be caused by these chemicals is pretty well known and most everyone would use chemical proof gloves but how many would start spreading this stuff on without eye protection? Even a tiny amount splattered in the eyes can be extremely painful and PERMANENT eye damage can easily result. However the biggest problem associated with this stuff is the danger of breathing the Methylene Chloride fumes because a lot, or even most people, are not aware of how dangerous this can be. Methylene Chloride fumes are a carcinogen on a par with asbestos dust and exposure to even small amounts over a short period of time can be very dangerous. Wear an approved chemical respirator even if you use this stuff outside and I would be very leery of using it in an enclosed area. I know it seems that there is a problem with just about every thing we use in this hobby as far as toxicity but it is unfortunately a fact and Methylene Chloride ranks up near the top of the hazards list just under ISOs. If you think I am being overly cautious here do a search on Methylene Chloride or next time you talk to your doctor ask him/her about it and you will probably find that I may not be stating this strongly enough.

[Rambo_The_Dog]

Originally Posted by Warrant

What is a good, inexpensive, and effincient way of stripping the paint of my car at home?

Chemical stripping is not that inexpensive - good aircraft stripper is going to cost 20-30 bucks a gallon depending on where you live.

Someone else also pointed out the dangerous chemicals that are used in these strippers - not to be taken lightly. The smell and fumes alone in a confined space - such as a garage without adequate ventilation - can cause you harm without the proper protective gear.

If you must do it at home - do you have a good compressor available? If so get and 8" mud hog or da and some 36 grit and have at it. Try to keep the pad moving and slow enough not to generate too much heat and warp your panels any farther.

OR you could save some money up and take the car to be media blasted and that will cost around 600-800 for a complete car on the outside. A good media blasting outfit will duct tape the openings to help with not too much media getting inside everything.

Any method of stripping a car will make a lot of mess and cleanup - there's a reason this type of work doesn't come cheap! It takes a lot of time and patience and material!

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Rambo_The_Dog

OR you could save some money up and take the car to be media blasted and that will cost around 600-800 for a complete car on the outside.

This is the most cost effective way if you value your time at all. Around here, there is a place that will plastic media strip it for $400.

Brian

[Warrant]

If I da it, how do I remove paint from creases and door jambs etc? Also their is a risk of warping the panels when with the da? and what about sand blasting? is their a different kind of media i can use that is less prone to warping? is it not a good idea? could i use it to blast jamds, engine bay, etc.? Thank for your help?

[Rambo_The_Dog]

Originally Posted by Warrant

If I da it, how do I remove paint from creases and door jambs etc? Also their is a risk of warping the panels when with the da? and what about sand blasting? is their a different kind of media i can use that is less prone to warping? is it not a good idea? could i use it to blast jamds, engine bay, etc.? Thank for your help?

Q. If I da it, how do I remove paint from creases and door jambs etc?
A. Hand sanding, wire brush on a drill, chemical stripper (last resort)

Q. Also their is a risk of warping the panels when with the da?
A. Only if you put too much pressure and don't let the tool and the sandpaper do the work.

Q. and what about sand blasting? is their a different kind of media i can use that is less prone to warping?
A. Plastic beads generate less heat than sand media - some high end media shops have frozen CO2 pellets that strip the paint the heat generated by the action then dissipates the pellets and the cold pellets keep heat warped to a minimum.

Q. is it not a good idea? could i use it to blast jamds, engine bay, etc.?
A. Believe me you don't want to do this at home! Silica Sand is dangerous to use without the proper respirators and protection - plus it just gets everywhere - and not just in the car!

I know you may be wanting to do the paint stripping work yourself to either 1) gain the experience or 2) save some $$ - But - I can tell you from 30+ years of doing work on cars you will save yourself time, money and mucho heartache by taking extra time to save enough money to take the car to a professional media stripper.

If you are just itching to make progress take a few parts like the fenders and hood and have them stripped until you get the body hulk to the point of towing that to have it stripped. It will cost you more in the long run than just having them do it all at once but will get you started.

Some things are just better left to the professionals...