Fiberglass friendly paint stripper

[tracerbob]

I know this has probably been covered before but is there a paint stripper out there that won't eat the fiberglass? Bought a second hand scale boat that seems to have a ton of paint on it. From what I can see through the paint chips, it's probably epoxy glass. I just don't want to sand for hours on end trying to get this stuff off. Any ideas?

 

[DJT]

I used Red Devil 77 on a prather tunnel that appeared to be epoxy glass with no ill effects.

 

[topfuel443]

Ive used Tal Strip before (not the aircraft version), you can get it from Advanced auto parts. Although it says not to use it on fiberglass, you can, you just have to be careful not to let it sit on there any longer than it takes to soften the paint and then wipe or wash it off......

~James

 

[Don Ferrette]

One thing to be very, very careful of is the chemical residuals that these strippers leave etched in the surface. This can come back to haunt you when you are in the middle of your re-paint. Even though you think you have adequately cleaned the surfaces, these chemicals can ( & will) remain & react when your paint "kicks off" as it sets up. The right way is to wet sand off what's there (yeah I know that sucks). You might be surprised how quickly you can knock down old paint wet sanding with #400. But if you insist on chemical strippers you should at the very least seal the hull with an epoxy based primer like PPG DP48LF to minimize chemical bleed thru. Since this is a scale boat & the level of work doing one far surpasses other boats you might want to seriously re-think your prepping decision & spend a little extra time & "sweat" to insure that things don't go astray.....

 

[tracerbob]

You might just be right Don. No easy way to do it. I guess I'll get some adult beverages, a shady spot, and a large tub of water and just...do it. <_<

 

[Don Ferrette]

You might just be right Don. No easy way to do it. I guess I'll get some adult beverages, a shady spot, and a large tub of water and just...do it. <_<

There ya go. A couple cold brewski's & it'll be over before you know it.

 

[[email protected]]

I found in order to start that project right it requires one part ice, lots 'o parts Johnny Walker Black! That way everything looks even..... :lol: :lol: :lol:

And if you get good and loaded and your hands are bleeding from to much sanding, Jas-Co works good. But it'll leave train tracks if you don't run either a razor or a scraper down it quick enough. A serious bath of simple green and than Wax/DeGreaser remover will work. Than prime it.

Honestly, you'd have to be desperate to go the Jas-Co way though, like Don said sanding will take a lot of time but will bring much more joy!

 

[Foolwitools]

Hi Guys!

I've used Savograin "Super Strip" on several epoxyglass hulls. This stuff is a pretty nasty stripper.....You just can't walk away from it. 2 or 3 minutes is the max. time to leave it on. this should at least soften the old paint so you can scrape a layer or two off with a dull putty knife.Do small areas, watch it wrinkle, scrape it off, and wipe up the drips with acetone. Use medium steel wool dipped in stripper to get the last little bits off. again, not too long in one spot. Use masking tape on the edges of the hatch area. try not to get any in the interior of the hull. If the hull has nicks or cracks, maybe fix them before you strip. you don't want to get stripper imbedded in the cracks. Make sure whatever stripper you use is water rinseable.

Don is right about chemical residue. I wash the stripped hull with acetone and then scrub it with warm soapy water( dish soap) and a brush.

only problem I ever had using this method is a time I stepped away to get the phone and let it on too long.

Take your time, be careful, Good luck!!

Bob the Fool :blink: