pain
Well-known member
Looking for some suggestion on paint removal. I have a blast cabinet but I am trying to avoid using it. Also, Parts are way to big to sonic clean, Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Thanks
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iron worker rebuild
- Thread starter pain
- Start date
rsanter
Well-known member
Paint stripper to get most off then wire wheel on a mini grinder
Bob
Bob
metalmagpie
Well-known member
The best place to start is by spraying your parts down with industrial detergent, letting them sit for a bit to let the detergent work, then pressure washing. Pressure washing is fast, clean, and removes an amazing amount of gunk.
Parts four feet or less can often go into a plastic cattle trough. Soak them in a solution of TSP or dishwashing detergent or even washing soda. Hot solution works much more quickly, so if you can cobble up a way to keep your soaking tub hot it will speed things up. But in summer in Arizona leaving it in full sun should work fine too. I also have a 16 gallon stainless stock pot and an outdoor propane burner I use to boil parts up to about 16" in, same solution.
You can use paint remover although in Arizona it's going to dry out quickly.
I really like 3M bristle discs on a 4-1/2" angle grinder. They rip off paint and rust like using a huge pencil eraser.
You can get a lot done with an angle grinder and a cup-type wire wheel and a disc-type wire wheel.
If the paint is really tight, just rough it up with sandpaper and pretend it's primer.
If the parts are massive and a little heat won't hurt, you can soften paint with a torch and then scrape most of it off. Don't waste acetylene on this - this is the perfect application for oxy/propane. Many "acetylene-only" rosebuds work just fine with propane too. (Just don't go the other way!)
Of course, the ultimate stripper is sandblasting. Leaves a finish that's perfect for paint.
And look into electrolytic derusting. That removes paint and filth along with rust, although it makes the bath really dirty and takes longer. If you need any help with this, post back.
metalmagpie
Parts four feet or less can often go into a plastic cattle trough. Soak them in a solution of TSP or dishwashing detergent or even washing soda. Hot solution works much more quickly, so if you can cobble up a way to keep your soaking tub hot it will speed things up. But in summer in Arizona leaving it in full sun should work fine too. I also have a 16 gallon stainless stock pot and an outdoor propane burner I use to boil parts up to about 16" in, same solution.
You can use paint remover although in Arizona it's going to dry out quickly.
I really like 3M bristle discs on a 4-1/2" angle grinder. They rip off paint and rust like using a huge pencil eraser.
You can get a lot done with an angle grinder and a cup-type wire wheel and a disc-type wire wheel.
If the paint is really tight, just rough it up with sandpaper and pretend it's primer.
If the parts are massive and a little heat won't hurt, you can soften paint with a torch and then scrape most of it off. Don't waste acetylene on this - this is the perfect application for oxy/propane. Many "acetylene-only" rosebuds work just fine with propane too. (Just don't go the other way!)
Of course, the ultimate stripper is sandblasting. Leaves a finish that's perfect for paint.
And look into electrolytic derusting. That removes paint and filth along with rust, although it makes the bath really dirty and takes longer. If you need any help with this, post back.
metalmagpie
Thank you very much for all the information. I will need to use heat to get most of this piece of machinery apart so I might as well use it to burn off some paint. This Iron worker has been neglected and over painted with all different types of material so this will be a real chore. Thanks again