Stripping paint off Aluminum parts

[WiandeV]

Hi Guys

I have a question for the guys that have done it a few times. I need to strip 80 years worth of repainting and fixing up paint off the gutters on my saloon. How will I go about as to not sit with dissolved aluminium in a bucket? Paint stripper or will I have to use a heat gun and scraper?

Thanks

[Mick Hobday]

Hi Guys

I have a question for the guys that have done it a few times. I need to strip 80 years worth of repainting and fixing up paint off the gutters on my saloon. How will I go about as to not sit with dissolved aluminium in a bucket? Paint stripper or will I have to use a heat gun and scraper?

Thanks

I would use a chemical stripper.  The modern ones from your local DIY store give very poor results, you need to get the ones marketed as "For industrial use only", available on eBay, or from Trade outlets such as Rest Express or Fiddes if you can prove you're a professional user with proper facilities.  They contain the reactive agent Dichloromethane, a nasty carcinogenic so use carefully.  It's what used to be in Nitromors until about 5 years ago when it became banned for DIY use.

[Chris KC]

Be very careful with heat as it is easy to cause distortion. Also grit blasting better avoided on thin panels. Personally I favour sanding where it's possible; wet sanding keeps dust down.

[WiandeV]

Yip, the bain off my existance is getting the paint off the rain gutter strips. I reckoned any heat will be an issue.

If something like nitromors won't damage the ally then I am happy. Will obviously first test it. Love the fact that we still have stores that stock nitromors.

[Stuart Joseph]

Hello, the only product that I find really works is 'Jawel' paint remover from amazon. As others have stated the DIY ones are 'opeless.

regards from the creative county - Staffordshire.

Stuart

[Chris Garner]

Aqua-blasting. A crankcase I had done recently.    

[Hedd_Jones]

As noted , someone should really report nitromorse to the trade descriptions people as it as far as I can tell does not strip paint.

Hovever, if you go to Wilkos, in the varnish bit they sell a varnish stripper, which works very well indeed, smells much like the old nitromorse, if a little thinner. its in a cream metal tin with a safety cap.

Ive just stripped my brass radiator cowl with it. I was impressed. The only issue, which I found with the old nitromorse is that once it dries nothing much happens. I used tissue paper laid on top and then coated with stripper to keep it wet. I also used cling film which was fine, but wastefull.

[Chris KC]

Aqua-blasting. A crankcase I had done recently.

Gosh Chris that's clean - but how do you eat your dinner off it exactly?

[Chris Garner]

With a knife and fork, Chris!

[Nick Turley]

Hi Guys

I have a question for the guys that have done it a few times. I need to strip 80 years worth of repainting and fixing up paint off the gutters on my saloon. How will I go about as to not sit with dissolved aluminium in a bucket? Paint stripper or will I have to use a heat gun and scraper?

Thanks

Hi 

I would definitely not use any chemical stripper with aluminium !  
In my experience it embeds itself in the pores of the ally and try as you might it never comes out.
The result of that is that the new paint eventually show bubbles.

The method I use with great success and can therefore recommend is soda blasting, not any kind of grit or glass.
Soda blasting does not generate any heat and has a super effect on ally of seeming to anodise the surface.
Paint then stays on with no nasty long term effects.