Technical You must be the reason I can't buy good paint stripper anymore!!!

I coined that today. When you're in the business, you want products that work, like they used to! And I'll let you in on a little secret, all that bullshit about running a DA over it before you wipe on paint stripper, or cover it with plastic so it won't evaporate... it's just that, bullshit. I do very little late model work, majority of my workload is older stuff, so I strip a lot of paint (well I used to anyway) but today, for some reason, I picked up another can of the idiot proof stripper, such a joke. Can't post pictures because it's a 1979, but I did a test, I put it on a spot 12" X 12", half hour later, nothing. I ran 80 grit over a different spot, brushed on stripper, 30 minutes, nothing. Sanded spot, with plastic over it, 30 minutes, nothing. So the cans I buy, everything, not just stripper, says for professional use only yet they have child proof caps on EVERYTHING. Had the guy that misused the good old paint stripper acted professionally, I'd still be able to buy it, so now when I encounter an idiot, I'm gonna say "people like you are the reason I can't buy good paint stripper anymore!" OK I'm gonna have some bourbon and relax now. Hit me with your best shot

 

That stripper won't work until you tip it.

 

Encountered the same problem this past summer with paint stripper… tried some on a small spot and it didn’t phase the paint…tossed the crap in the garbage.

 

I'll check in on that. Something has got to give here. I've chemical stripped cars for years, always kinda enjoyed doing it. But this is just pure soul crushing. On cowl vents, I've always used a propane, now map gas, torch, heat it just enough to take a wire brush and wipe the paint off without warping anything, today i came a cats ass of trying it on the body panels, but I'd end up ruining a top skin or hood lol

 

Have you ever noticed on a sleeve that a serpentine or V belt comes in has a notice about not changing it while the engine is running? Same people at work with the non functioning stripper. Gee, who would have ever thought that McDonald’s coffee would be HOT?…….

 

Does that also apply to "Wire Strippers" ?

 

Are you sure you weren’t tipping Bourbon instead of stripper?

that pole isn’t going to help either.

 

The GOOD paint stripper had Methylene Chloride in it. Not a nice chemical. Likely carcinogen, reproductive hazard as well, goes thru most PPE like shit thru a goose. Really painful if it gets in your eyes. waste/used product is really bad for the environment.
But Damn! It WORKED.

 

Yep, worked like it was supposed to in a production shop. It made me money. I took it serious, as every other body shop in the know did. It was no more of a hazardous product that the entire back room of my shop holds. But when it says on the can "for professional use only", and the can is plastered with skull & crossbone symbols, you'd think that people would take the dangers seriously, and therefore the product would still be on the market I don't spray isocyanates without a respirator, I just want my damn pro stripper back!

 

I remember the aircraft stripper stuff worked great circa 1990. Paint would bubble and come right off. Also Big fun wiping it on each other while working on a car. Burned the skin like a champ.

 

Now I'm just ruminating way outside of the cardboard container here (that's thinking outside of the box...), and I'm wondering if brake fluid still attacks paint like it did. I know, there's lots of issues with that. However you never know...

Okay, so I'm way off base. Nothing unusual!

 

Moriarity called me a bit ago and was discussing this very thing lol... I just wanna buy some methylene Chloride and add it to my shitty paint stripper lol

 

I stripped my Dads OT 68 Cadillac in 1980 using a gallon of redi strip (not the jell) he had for stripping antiques. stripped the whole car in less than 2 hours. Stripped the paint, left the primer. Never had anything work that well since. I did DA the primer off but that went fast as well.

 

Interested to find out what this stripper is for powder coat. The paint stripper is all dumbed down so much that it seems to be a waste of time. I also stripped all the old cars back when the stuff worked. But, I gave up a while back once I couldn’t even strip paint off of a set of aluminum valve covers.

 

You mean paint strippers actually worked at some point in the past?

Back in my younger days, lots of stuff was capable of stripping paint, I didn't actually buy any specific paint stripper until after 2,000 and I was never impressed with any of that crap.

I can't imagine any of the modern stuff works, not much of any of the other modern versions of the good stuff that used to work does anymore.

 

Hey, if you or a friend run something on nitro, that might do it. Of course it might be a little rapid.

 

I remember "Lightning Strip" that came in a spray bottle. Holy-kiss-my...

That shit was wicked. Spray bottle was a ½ way good idea. If the mist was breezed the wrong way look out, but it was like watching time lapse photography.

 

Rather accidental, but when young, HotFuel for flying model airplanes would remove a lot of types of paint. Which is why there existed HotFuel-Proof Dope. Fuel contained Nitro(in varying % mixes), methanol, benzene, castor oil, & some other cool toxic-zenes. Course then you'd have to strip the HotFuel components from the model, or car, or bicycle, or whatever you spilled it on before paint would stick, much less not bubble. But the smell of the fumes after it went thru the little mills was intoxicating... . Mmmmmm...
I also seem to remember the LightningStrip Highlander mentions, only in a pint n quart can. Miserable shit to be around, damn-near destroyed the thing painted as fast as the paint got bubbled/crazed/whacked. Yeeauch...
Guess you could use some straight Nitro as a paint remover. Almost like the old commercial: "Wiping & shining, wiping & shining...".

Marcus...

 

Lloyd I was stripping an off-topic Challenger this fall. multiple paint jobs, usually use 80 grit hook it 8-inch mud hog disc on a 3m backer pad on an older Milwaukee buffer. Dusty, but usually works pretty well. This time it was just going through a ton of disc. Couldn't even find stripper at any of the parts stores, so I went to the local lumber yard and found some. Like you I try just brushing it on and nothing. I had read about covering it with plastic but had never tried it. Took the hole qt can and pour it on the hood and brushed it on really thick and covered it with some big 55-gallon trash bags. I had it in my spray booth, So I closed up the booth to cut down on the smell in the shop and let it cook for a couple days. Came back and peeled up the bags and most of the paint with them right down to bare metal. The stuff that did not stick to the bags came right off with a throw a way plastic tapping knife. The plastic holding in the solvents and keeping it wet did the trick. But it had to cook for a couple days to remove the 4 layers of paint that was on it. Your results may differ. I prefer Jack Daniels which I think could strip paint too! lol Larry

 

Paint stripping now days is a war on two fronts: today's paints are tougher and more durable, and paint strippers are weaker/less toxic. End result is a less than rewarding stripping experience....

 

What about Naval Jelly, is that still made? It used to work pretty well.

Edit: Just did a google on Naval Jelly. It’s marketed as a rust remover.
I could have swore that the fella my dad had strip and paint his ‘46 Chevy truck, used Naval Jelly, I recall him using a Bondo spreader to peal the paint off with.

Maybe I am really full of shit after all.
I do have brown eyes…

 

I stripped a Piper Tomahawk once. Laid out plastic everywhere to catch it all. That was a lot of stripper! Had to pay for disposal afterwards, not cheap.

 

I remember carb cleaner used to be able to strip paint, until they dumbed that down to the point that it doesn’t even clean carbs anymore…
Maybe try some Acetone?

 

I'll be interested in what Moriarty shares. This is an old stripper you definitely want to cover with black plastic:

 

Just used an age-old spray can of Klean-Strip brand of aircraft stripper on 3 layers of old enamel on my avatar, worked great but probably old enough it still contained all the effective ingredients our government removed in the ensuing years. Not sure if it's still available, may be worth a try.

 

Yeah man, I've been using 80 grit hook & loop on the 7" polisher lol. Still ain't the same. Mark told me the name of the stripper he's talking about but I forgot it. Said it's out of Tennessee. But he's gonna get a picture of the product and post it. If it's $200 a gallon, it's still worth it if it actually works.