Topic: Something to avoid...

[HondaMan]

...is THIS crap. After being on the tank for now 4 hours, and despite having it ladled on 4 times in attempts to make it do SOMETHING, ANYTHING, to the paint, the paint is completely unscathed. Not a blemish.

Anyone know of a brand that works that is sold in California? Colorado's congress slipped in the "No VOCs" law last year. Almost no one knew about it, including me.

[denward17]

Did you sand the paint with 100 grit sandpaper first?

The Klean-strip worked ok for me.

[HondaMan]

Did you sand the paint with 100 grit sandpaper first?

The Klean-strip worked ok for me.

Nope. Never had to do that before. I have been using the Aircraft Stripper for almost 20 years, and all that needed to be done was to be sure it covered all the paint. It went right thru the clearcoat, even decals. This stuff does nothing at all, even in places where the seat sanded away the clearcoat down to the basecoat.

[RAFster122s]

Sorry you have calicommunism in Colorado. The epa has impacted Tucson and Phoenix air quality requiring specialized blends of fuel which has our gas prices a step down from California in price. We have had high gas prices since the bull began. I can understand Phoenix getting the treatment because of the inversion bubble that traps the air pollution. But not sure why Tucson with it nearly constant 5-10mph breeze has significant pollution. But then again auto accidents are leading to lots of deaths whether they be single or multiple car accidents so autos are not as safe as they were... that's the Impression I am left with. I'm not talking high speed crashes either...although there are those happening too.
Sorry you are dealing with ineffective products because of government regulations...

[carnivorous chicken]

Same thing happened to me here, went through three cans of paint stripper to get a tank and fork ears done for a 350F. I'm guessing here in Mexico I could've found something stronger -- I looked and asked, but nobody I talked to could help. So I ordered this stuff from amazon and it was... weak.

[Honda Hansel]

What you are telling us .Is to stock up on the good stuff before its to late
Up here in Canada we can still get the good stuff Aviation paint stripper that is not to be used on aluminum

I'm on my way to stock up 

Honda Hansel 

[HondaMan]

What you are telling us .Is to stock up on the good stuff before its to late
Up here in Canada we can still get the good stuff Aviation paint stripper that is not to be used on aluminum

I'm on my way to stock up 

Honda Hansel 

I think you are wise! When I started this job I found that the last 2 ounces in my last can of Aircraft Stripper (about 6 years old) had lost it's volatility because the can's seams had rusted - maybe because of the MEK inside? It had almost no scent to it and had turned to a paste, so i threw it away. I wish now I'd kept it: maybe mixing it with this stuff might have worked?

After 24 hours (and many applications of this stuff) a section about 1" wide and 4" long of paint finally let go, but that's all so far. So, I sanded it all with the 100 grit sandpaper and reapplied, and will re-layer it again tonight, to see if it will do anything. I read all the labels of the strippers in the local Ace Hardware and they all say the same thing this one does, so it seems to be universal here now in CommieRado. I'll be leaving here soon, have had quite enough of these people.

[Kelly E]

I've been using brake fluid for a while now, it still works as good as when the master cylinder leaks.

[newday777]

I've been using brake fluid for a while now, it still works as good as when the master cylinder leaks.

I've been saving my used brake fluid just for stripping paint. Someone mentioned it some months ago.

[RAFster122s]

Storing the volatile solvents in a glass jar in a jar that will seal tightly and prevent vapor loss is a challenge. Not sure if a silicone seal would hold up or a regular ball canning lid would do the job. But losing solvents due to the can liner being breached and then rusting out the metal container is how I lost a gallon of the old Berryman's carb cleaner and an old can of aircraft stripper. The orange stripper Home Depot or Lowes carries did OK, best used with plastic wrape to concentrate it and it takes longer, but it is safer than having the nasty stuff and you can strip stuff inside without fear you are going to get cancer or chemical burns.

I bet brake fluid with plastic wrap to keep the part wet will work, the plastic wrap likely will turn to goo, so don't leave it too long...

Venture a guess how much plastic is recycled in the US...do a Google search if you want to be shocked... extremely low. But lots of things made from petroleum oil and it's derivatives...
Plastic media blasting is a gentle way to Strip paint from exterior parts if you can get the part in a blast cabinet.

[dave500]

i remember paint stripper that actually had the paint making a slight crackling sound as it curled up and blisted off the instant you applied it!it was a green gelly,boy it was ferocious!

[RAFster122s]

MEK and methylene chloride based strippers with heavy concentration of MEK or methylene chloride are capable of this...
Jasco 128-fl oz Extra-strength (Semi-paste)
That stuff if you can get it works fast (like in 15 minutes) and can rip through multiple layers and even remove epoxy.

But if you read this article you will learn why it is getting pulled out of paint strippers across the US...
https://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/09/methylene_chloride_is_a_deadly_chemical_found_in_paint_thinners_why_has.html

The final nail in the coffin came last April...
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-ban-most-uses-methylene-chloride-protecting#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%93%20Today%2C%20April%2030%2C,well%20as%20neurotoxicity%2C%20liver%20harm

[HondaMan]

MEK and methylene chloride based strippers with heavy concentration of MEK or methylene chloride are capable of this...
Jasco 128-fl oz Extra-strength (Semi-paste)
That stuff if you can get it works fast (like in 15 minutes) and can rip through multiple layers and even remove epoxy.

But if you read this article you will learn why it is getting pulled out of paint strippers across the US...
https://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/09/methylene_chloride_is_a_deadly_chemical_found_in_paint_thinners_why_has.html

The final nail in the coffin came last April...
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-ban-most-uses-methylene-chloride-protecting#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%93%20Today%2C%20April%2030%2C,well%20as%20neurotoxicity%2C%20liver%20harm

All I can say about the first article is: if you're dumb enough to tie a plastic bag over your head until you die from it, you shouldn't use paint stripper, either.
For the second: (well...we're not supposed to go political here...).

[PeWe]

But a stripper ripping off your pants quick is OK?  Letter i missing makes a difference....
Women can also be dangerous in a wrong place and time....

[jlh3rd]

Always the over hyped stories presented as a "proof" of millions dying. I dealt with paint strippers for decades. I didn't need instructions, I read 'em, but my nose and skin told me everything I needed to know. And if there was a skull/x on the label, I paid double attention. There was absolutely no way to continually breath in those vapors, one whiff and I was retreating to a safe area , even if outside.
Sorry for the losses, but if you rock a vending machine back and forth to get that stuck item, that machine can kill you.

[HondaMan]

...but if you rock a vending machine back and forth to get that stuck item, that machine can kill you.

Remembering the news photo of the chained vending machine laying on top of someone who died made me wonder if the machine tried to get up and scoot away, so someone cuffed it?

[jlh3rd]

lol...

[HondaMan]

A slow update: I got a can of the hottest lacquer thinner I could find now (which ain't much compared with the stuff I've used for cleaning carbs for years, now also outlawed) and mixed it 50/50 with the stripper, mostly because the stripper is viscous and will stay on the sides of the tank. On 12/6 I applied it 3 times, again on 12/7 and 12/8, and it has lifted a strip about 3" wide and 1/4 the length of the tank. I can scrape some of the other paint away now, which I couldn't do until today, with a stiff metal scraper. Tough to do without scratching the tank: I might end up with a new can of Bondo before this is over...

This is outrageous. How will contractors repaint anything now? The costs will be outrageous, as they will be forced to replace whatever the structure is that needs a color change for lack of being able to remove old paints. How will cars, trucks, tractors, cement trucks, etc., get repainted now? It will require they be fully sandblasted, which is hundreds of times more dangerous for inhalants than any form of MEK application. I worked for a couple of years in a fabrication shop that built heavy equipment on big ('huge' is a more fitting word, here...) truck chasses, stuff like airport snowblowers, earth moving trucks, city buses (those were the smallest things they built there), standby generators (half-gigawatt size) for skyscrapers and hospitals: all of that equipment needs paint, and frequent repainting, from the rigors of use. MEK paste (sprayed on) was the primary means of paint stripping, followed by sandblasting (and lots of air-powered scrapers & sanders). While we could tell in the offices when MEK was being used by its scent, no one there ever got sick, nor grew extra arms or legs, nor got hurt, nor died from it.

WAY past ridiculous, this sort of overreach is beyond outrageous.

[RAFster122s]

Most cars in accidents are getting totalled very quickly, even minor stuff. I wonder if it is the electric push or some other driver behind it. Even in accidents without airbag involvement. I know parts prices and availability is a major issue but why total out cars that readily? Buddy took his foot off brake at traffic light driving to work and rolled into vehicle in front of him in his wife's CR-V and insurance is talking about totalling the car without any airbag involvement because it has leaked a tiny bit of coolant.
Most states are clamping down on rebuilt vehicles and restricting or eliminating ability to have salvaged titles.

[seanbarney41]

Calm down...sand the paint off.  It's not that hard to do...and if it really is that hard to get off just leave it and paint over it.

[PeWe]

Heat gun and a scraper?

[vfourfreak]

I was doing some house decorating in The Philippines earlier this year and this is what was available. It worked OK.

Back in France for the Summer I decided the XL125 needed a touch up of the bodywork and found that I still had a bottle of Nitromors brought over from Ireland.

That stuff is evil, you can tell when you get a splash in the eye. 

It practically sizzles as it goes to work.