well i work on my cars quite often but when sanding the original finish i get head aches and my lungs hurt i use a particale mask but not very efficent i cant afford to media blast everything aircraft stripper only works so well any tips on paint and rust removal
Invest in a good respirator, not one of those paper jobs, and go with a air powered da or board sander. Of course stripper does work, but you have the fume issue.
If you do your own body/paint work...well then you should invest in a good quality mask.If you suffer everytime you do what you enjoy..are you really enjoying it?
i hate doing bodywork to, its the only part of working on cars that i dont like, and my best tip pay someone to do it for u.
good respirators are pretty cheap at a hardware store i just picked up one with those changeable canister types for just under 30 bucks. 3m has the ones that are made of soft silicone with them pads those work really nice and there only like 10 bucks. ditch the paper mask that dust goes in your lungs and stays FOREVER>
I detailed cars for years. I hated wet sanding paint. Nerve racking. Always worried about burning paint. It was the most stressful job i did.
IMO soda blasting. But this doesn't sound like an option for you. Otherwise it's good old elbow grease and sanding. Maybe a good DA.
That's about right. Time consuming, back breaking, but right. Please do get yourself a good respirator though. You'll be much happier.
invest in disposable "DISPOSABLE" masks rated for "LEAD" exposure or you will have no protection from the lead. Lead dust on your clothes goes where your clothes go
Thought about wet sanding? Hutchins has a real nice d/a that pulls water onto the surface of the car as you sand. Yea, wet sanding is not exactly common in the early stages of prep, but it might be a viable answer to your speciffic problem. It is getting warmer.... wet sanding with one of these machines does not get you as wet as the traditional manner of wet sanding.
I detail cars to, have been for 16 years, we dont do much wet sanding apart from occasional denibbing and touch ups but. i dont stress heaps but sometimes you might be asked to do something almost impossible on a 3 or 4 hundred thousand dollar car ( i work for mercedes benz) and you dont want to say i dont want to do it becuase employments hard to get now and that is stressfull along with getting the job done right and ontime, anyway wet sanding doesnt require a mask, i have buffed a few cars for myself and others after new paint and i dont mind wet sanding compared to dry. If you are getting headaches it might be the mask restricting airflow, to much beer in the sun or the night before or not enough water or the dust. ive alsways used the paper masks, i get allergy problems when sanding and start sneezing so i often breathe light through my nose and continuosley step back for deep breathes through my mouth, it slows me up alot. I dont think lead paint is that bad, i dont think today we get much exposure to lead, a bit from sanding i dont think would have much if any effect and if it did i doubt it would be imediate.
My new favorite way is paint stripping discs on a 4 1/2" grinder. They make smaller versions to put on a drill to get into tighter places too. Lowe's even carries them!
I hate body work as well ,but unfortuantly its part of the process.I dont do it often ,but when it needs to be done i do my own ,because i dont have the bucks to pay someone to do what i can do myself.It also makes me feel better when its painted ,because i did it .I dont spray gloss paint myself ,cuz i dont have a booth ,but i have sprayed primer many times with good results outside.The paint job is the easy part ,its the prep work that makes the job ,and its also that part that costs so much ,fixing dents ,blocking ,stripping paint ,wet sanding.I have stripped the paint on a whole car many times with a wire brush on a grinder (taking care not to get the panels hot and warp them).Air sanders would be alot better though.No matter what method you use its unpleasent .Most people are to lazy to do body work (since it has no affect on the way the car runs)and either farm it out just leave dents and rust.I myself cant live with either one of those options."The pot at the end of the rainbow will be worth it" is what i tell myself as im covered in dust and sweat stripping paint and blocking panels ...
Yup, I agree here. The stripping discs are fast, they don't produce really fine dust and there is no air blowing the dust around (as long as you use an electric grinder). They leave a nice finsh that requires no further prep before primer. They do a fairly good job on rust too. Cost is reasonable - about 7 bucks each and one disc will bo a fender. Buy the good ones, though - the $3 Chinese discs wear fast and fly apart when about 1/2 way worn.
i wish they made the stripping disks in 8", i have a sander/buffer that would be great, runs slow and i could cut the disks down when they wore out on the edge, i just cut my 4-1/2" down and kept going, then i had to switch to my 2" die grinder disks to finish, i love the way these disks rip the mill scale off of hot rolled.
Here is a good thread on metal prep http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108138&highlight=3m&showall=1
I used to use a 3M Scotchbrite disc on an angle grinder to finish aluminum at work. Pad had velcro to attach to the backing plate. Was either 8" or 9". Brown which was co**** and white was fine. Probably pretty expensive. On edit; CLICK HERE
i wasn't talking about scotchbrite disks, i mean the ones they call "clean and strip", there like 3/4" thick, i have scotchbrite disks, the clean and strip disks are like $15 each, the only ones i have seen are 4-1/2", i'm going to try and do a model-a box with them today. so i just typed clean and strip disks on google and find these..lol http://www.lehighvalleyabrasives.com/servlet/the-108/4-dsh-1-fdsh-2"-Non-Woven-Clean/Detail
I stripped my whole car to bare metal. Here's how I did it: first it took and scuffed the entire surface with 80 grit just to give the stripper something to bite into. Then I used odorless AIRCRAFT stripper (good stuff). After it bubbles I used a sharp paint s****er and razor blade to get the paint off. I had to do multable applications in a few spots. I then used a 3-M disc to get rhe metal clan and shiney. It worked out well for me. Regretably there is no "easy" way or short cuts to stripping paint. Just another less than glamorous job in the car hobby. Todd
i used the 3m things on a 1/2" drill...stripping 2 layers of paint and primer and 1 layer of thick sealer at the both next to the metal...i reverse the drill to keep the bulk of the dust shooting downward to the ground...strips paint and rust very well..then i have been using a rust remover luquid from auto zone..with a br*** wire wheel on the drill, it shines the pitted metal just like new...and it basicly removes none of the metal..ie as in thinning the 71 year old steel......
Shoot, isn't anyone gonna mention just using razor blades? It's hell on your fingers, but once you get the hang of it, you can strip the original paint and leave the original primer. It works great on large flat areas like a hood or on a large convex surface, in the tight spots, you'll need a striping disk. But using razor blades is quiet (you can listen to your tunes), it's theraputic, doesn't spread dust everywhere, so if you have a two car garage you share with your significant other, you don't have to hear her *****ing about getting **** on her car, it sweeps up easily, once you get the hang of it, it's pretty quick, and my favorite, it's CHEAP!!!
Try using a jell based stripper soak it wat and cover with wax paper so it dose not dry out keep it wet with stripper for 8 hours then remove with a razor blade insection sticker remover cours steel wool. I know it sounds bad but if the stripper dose not burn your eyes when you use it it is not the right stripper. laquers stip better but catalized primers and paints need a stronger stripper. the longer you keep it wet the better the result. and thats what she said.
i use aircraft stripper gel stuff its not the one i used to use they stoped selling it i guess cause voc laws or something doesnt work very well let it sit put plastic bags over it didnt buble well just made a mess so i still end up sanding and im out 30 bucks
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