how best to strip (all) the paint?

[wibble_puppy]

hiya,

all the paint on my van has to come off, probably inside as well as out . This is a job I am going to need to do myself to save money on the van's restoration - but I'll have to do it little and often as I have ME and can't do much of anything at a time. I've been advised to use a hot air gun.

i was leafing idly through practical classics earlier and it quotes one car (not van) which had its paint stripped by a method they called "dip and strip" - at a cost of £60 (which sounds cheap compared to hand stripping).

Wot's all that about then?

And how would you lot go about stripping all the paint off a van?

juliet

[uclarge]

you can try sanding down all the paint off the car, that is how typically it is done, this process of sanding also helps remove rust from metallic surfaces (most people tent to use wire brushes BUT DONT ON PAINT!!! otherwise th paint will come off too, coming from experience in th past!) you can use a filler to help smoothe out any imperfections in the body surface too... i hope this helps you, charly

[Alec]

Hello W.P.,

this is not an easy job. I cannot believe that you can dip a whole car or van to remove the paint for £60.00.

There are a few options, mechanically using an orbital sander, or there is a special wire brush system which I have not tried. Frost sell them www.frost.co.uk. Blast cleaning is an option, but needs a specialist lest panels are not distorted in the process, not cheap I believe.
Chemically using a paint stripper which is messy and if the paint is thick takes several applications, not exactly what the manufacturers say on the tin.
You will find that a hot air gun is quite ineffective on automotive paint.

Sorry if that sounds a bit negative, but it is not a small task.

Alec

[bigginger]

Hear hear - it takes forever. I've found rotary sanders and the like to be pretty useless, paint stripper the same (Nitromors say it can be used on metal) as you spend as long getting the gunk off as you would just sanding, and blasting (while effective) quite extraordinarily messy. If you can't strip the car to a shell and send it to a blaster to be done professionally (by far the best option), I've found that an angle grinder with a wire brush to start, followed by a sand paper disc to finish is best. It's still a filthy, noisy job though, and you'll need to wear a mask and goggles.
a

[Willie]

I used Nitromors paint stripper on my Minor which had many many
coats of paint on it, very messy but did the job. You can remove
large amounts of paint with 'production paper' which is a very
rough abrasive paper (dry,not wet and dry). I used the production
paper to remove the first layers of paint then applied the nitromors.
(When using any abrasive paper ALWAYS use it on a sanding block).

[guydenning]

i'm not sure you can get nitromors anymore - i think it's on one of those 'banned substances' lists along with creosote, red lead paint and landmines. oops nope i forgot - you can still get landmines.

if the existing paint looks sound (ie no bubbles, blisters, cracks etc) then i'd sand with an orbital sander (mask). wherever it looks like the paint is hiding tinworm i'd take it back to the metal with a drill mounted wire brush (goggles a must too). in an ideal world you'd want to blast it but you're talking a shed load of money on kit if you don't have it. warning - it's not a quick job, and once you start you'll inevitably find all manner of hidden unexpected horrors. if you can get it dipped and stripped for 60 notes i'd chew their arm off - but it sounds like a prehistoric issue of practical classics or a typo...

[bigginger]

I bought a big tin of Nitromors in Homebase yesterday...
a

[SR]

i was thinking about this too, once down to bare metal ,am i right in then jenolite them filler/stopper then guide coat to see imperfections , rub down till its right ,then aerosol etch primer, wadya think,steve

[moggyminor16]

i would use a blow tourch if the money is tight as the dipping means that every thing has to come out evern the little bits that you would think could stay all nuts and bolts screws plastic etc .
i have dune the roof of my trav useing a blow toruch and scrapping it off yes borring job but is going to be a good finish if you do it right ,2 days with about 4 hours each day doing it so not all that bad.
what i will say is either use rust killer to put on it after wards or hammer right the smothe one , this looks good , kills and stops rust i have my traveller in it ,it looks good no rust will get throw sines like any other no need to polish it at all and the engine bay will be grate as all that oil around there it will be repled of the paint if you paint it right .
hope this helps out or will help any one on a tight buget .
moggyminor16
1966 traveller wait to get finished
1962 saloon wait to get back in the garage
a rolling shell 4 door wait for new owner just needs putting back together

[Alec]

Hello SR,
use filler on bare metal, then:- etch prime, primer\filler, stopper, primer, guide coat, top coat.

Alec

[guydenning]

I bought a big tin of Nitromors in Homebase yesterday...
a

aha - then i'm being misled by someone... i shall have to investigate and buy a few tins then... before they do ban it! cheers!

[ColinP]

There are/were 2 type of Nitromors!

1) water washable (i.e. use water to neutralise & wash off - not a good idea on a steel surface unless you need a good rough red surface!)

2) White spirit washable (neutralise with white spirit - and the one that got me high when using it in a built-in wardrobe without ventilation!)

The second is much better than the first and probably unobtainable unless your a terrorist.

Colin

[wibble_puppy]

thanks very much for your replies, everyone.

Just to clarify, all the paint is going to need to come off the whole van, down to bare metal all over. Then it'll be over to the professionals for welding, filling and all that bodywork thang. Want to get as good and as durable a result as humanly possible so wouldn't trust myself to do the filling perfectly.

i guess i need to find an option which is cheap, doesn't take too much effort, and can be split down into small stints of about 20/30 minutes at a time (including set-up and clear-up time), because of the M.E. You're right in thinking that I don't have access to any heavy-duty equipment. Have to find a way to do it which doesn't need elbow grease too, as I don't have the power in my arms. - power tools are GOOD!

Moggyminor16 your method sounds the closest to the method which has been mentioned to me by my helpful local garage - except that you mentioned blow torches and my garage suggested hot air guns? Sounds like Alec has found hot air guns noooo use?

I've been advised that you could use a sandblaster on various bits of the van but not on the back end, as it can warp the metal - anyone else found this? (it's a bit academic though as I don't have a sandblaster lol) I've heard though that it's the best way to strip a surface which has been (can't think of the right word but it's a finish a bit like pebbledashing on a house) because of all the little bumps.

guydenning the £60 dip and strip is listed in the current issue of the mag so goodness knows where they got it done - it was a small car though - but possibly a typo as you say

My husband suggested getting a couple of old scrap panels and testing different stripping methods on them - what do you think?

[bigginger]

A thoroughly good idea! Sannd blasting stands a better chance of warping the metal at the rear of a van because of the greater flat areas involved, bu is still possible if you're careful - it's one of the things you need to check the basting person is happy with if you send it to one.
a

[Kevin]

I would not fancy using a blow lamp on car bodywork especially the alloy ones on a Traveller, I dont imagine the fumes are to good either and you would really need to know what you are doing, it will be time consuming which ever method you use Willies way sounds as good as any.
http://shopping.lycos.co.uk/3502en90847.html

[wibble_puppy]

cheers for that kevin

Can you get "production paper" to go on power tools? (as I ain't gonna be able to sand anything by hand ) And if so, would you use a rotary sander or a mouse or a belt sander or a combination?

I should have said before the van has only been painted one "new" colour (the current badly applied Trafalgar Blue) on top of its original (GPO yellow) colour, so hopefully not that many layers to get through.... and I'm guessing that it will be best to disassemble it all, wings and cab off and so forth, before I start me stripping, rather than afterwards?

juliet "doesn't need spoon-feeding, honest" xxxxxx

[wibble_puppy]

PS good news on the Nitromors availability then

[bigginger]

Certainly best to take of wings and doors, I'd leave the cab on for now, though you'll have to remove it or the back body to clean up in the join between them at some point - and the underside, come to that. As I say, I be inclined to leave it on as long as possible a) to save distorting it and b) it just takes up a hell of a lot of space when it's off! The Nitromors I got is the water soluble variety, so you'll have to be careful about drying/protecting panels after you've stripped them. I keep meanig to try the Ronseal stuff that goes on as a paste, and which you can remove in big chunks afterwards - I'll keep you posted!
a

[wibble_puppy]

ok thanks for that advice bigginger

I keep meanig to try the Ronseal stuff that goes on as a paste, and which you can remove in big chunks afterwards - I'll keep you posted!

aiii I'd be v interested - it does sound easier than Nitromors which let's face it makes a pig of a mess

[Kevin]

I keep meanig to try the Ronseal stuff that goes on as a paste, and which you can remove in big chunks afterwards - I'll keep you posted!

If thats the stuff you can also use on house doors as well its not quite all its cracked up to be.