Paint-stripper recommendation?

[Peter Naulls]

I have a steel bonnet which I intend to get grit blasted when restrictions on travel are lifted. My past experiences of blasting have been mixed and one person recommended removing the bulk of the paint before blasting - to avoid heat build up when blasting for an extended time.

Is it worth it? and if so has anyone got any recommendations for stripper? Anecdotally I've heard Nitromoors is not as good as it used to be. The paint looks to be cellulose, multiple layers.

Peter.

[Hugh Barnes]

Indeed, Nitromoors is an emasculated version of its former self. I have been using this of late with reasonable results..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Biostrip-20-P...1438.l2649

[Peter Naulls]

Thank you Hugh.

Peter.

[Chris Garner]

Starchem Synstryp: Expensive, but certainly does the job. Evil stuff though!

[Mick Hobday]

For health and safety reasons paint strippers no longer have dichloromethane as the active ingredient. That is why Nitromors and all the other DIY store strippers are now pretty useless. If you search for "Industrial Paint Stripper" then you will find the original dichloromethane stuff.
I would advise against grit blasting, it is far too severe for metal panels which will warp under the heat and force. Soda blasting, a similar process but much less intense, usually gets excellent results, especially if done by an expert. Classic car restorers use it all the time. Soda blasting might struggle to remove extremely thick paint, and it's not good at removing encrusted grease deposits.

[Nick Turley]

In my recent experience stripping using a commercial stripper or a professional dipping service is fine for steel.
But do not use stripper on aluminium as it eats into the surface and it is virtually impossible to neutralise fully, this lets you know about two years later when the paint starts to bubble in places.
The only good solution for aluminium is soda blasting which is superb and gives the bonus effect of preventing corrosion in the future.

[Dave Wortley]

Bartoline TX 10 was almost as good as the old formula Nitromors. I used it recently to strip most of the panels on daughter’s landrover series 2. £12.50 from Amazon.

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“Free delivery”it says.

[Chris KC]

Personally I wouldn't blast any body panel; nor would I spend money on paint stripper, which in my own admittedly limited experience is completely useless. Mechanical abrasion using a sanding disc, wire brush, or (haven't yet tried, but intend to shortly) one of those paint stripper disc jobbies.

[John Mason]

When I had my Ruby re sprayed I did have it done by a professional and he stripped it all back (in some places almost 3/16th of an inch thick) all the way back to the metal with a heat gun and scrapper before finishing of with various grades of sanding disc and paper. I do not appear to have any heat distortion from the heat gun.

John Mason

[Dave Wortley]

Chris, Done the mechanical stripping and then spent ages clearing up the dust in the garage. Nice enough to do it outside at the moment, unless the neighbours object to the din.