Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Pauln]

Can anyone advise how to strip paint from and old aluminium caravan? The new paint strippers do not seem very agressive and after 4 hours I have stripped with a rotary wire brush an area of only 3 sq feet.

[Bayliss Thomas]

I have just used Nitro-Mors on the aluminium roof of my vintage car, it took the old adhesive used on the fabric section and the old paint off with ease.

[old van man]

yes its hard work with paint stripper i get the best results with a hot air gun and a paint scraper, you just need to be careful with the build up of heat in the panels of the caravan, i have also used a twisted wire brush (the cup type ) fitted in a 4inch angle grinder, this rips the paint of very quickly,but this can mark the surface with deep swirls OVM

[Pauln]

I have been using Nitromoors but it doesn't seem as agressive as it used to be. In the area that I have cleaned the wire brush has marked the surface.

[Dalek63]

you could use costic soda thats very good at paint striping, but be careful it can be nasty stuff if you dont wear the right gloves and eye protection, etc etc
_________________
I can resist anything except temptation ! ( Oscar Wilde)
"Don't try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." ( Mark Twain)
http://www.period-classic-caravan-club.co.uk/

[gresham flyer]

I use caustic soda to strip paint and modern varnishes from victorian furniture,victorian doors etc etc.

Smaller items can be soaked overnight in a suitable tank.

Door handles ,catches,removable panels.

I have various sizes,a plastic retangular water tank, for hobby use one similar to what is fitted in a domestic roof space is ideal. Keep a lid on it to stop animals falling in though!!!!

All sorts of old things purchased at autojumbles,carboots etc can be stripped of their paint,varnish and other grott.

You are then left with an original item.


Large items are stripped with a caustic soda solution using an old fashioned scrubbing brush of different sizes,then carefully powerwashed off without raising the grain too much.

Always wear goggles and gauntlet gloves, and an apron if leaning over,it eats you clothes,and it stings, ouch

I also use a good quality paint stripper sometimes,similar to nitromoors but a trade product from my local supplier.

If preparing a vehicle for a respray,get the use of a profesional DA orbital sander,air fed or electric,use 40/60 grit initially,you can strip the paint back to bare metal if you wish,or back to a good surface ready for further preparation. It is not necessary to give a vehicle a bare metal respray in most instances.

I took my caravan back to bare metal because someone had handpainted it,the fibre glass panels were taken back to the original primer,you do not want to remove the resin finish to the fibreglass.

Do not use a flat retangular orbital sander,or those triangular ones,they leave small swirl marks.If doing any job look at what a profesional uses,he has to earn a living out of his tools!!!

Good Luck

[Bayliss Thomas]

Not sure why I did'nt mention the SODA BLASTER, its made for exactly the type of job you have in hand. See it at www.Frosts.co.uk

[HMK]

Lucky I've just seen this post

STOP!

Please do NOT attempt to use Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide / NaOH) on anything made of Aluminium!

As stated in a previous post, it is excellent for stripping paint on most things, especially wood.....but NOT ALUMINIUM

I remember thinking those gauze things that you put over a frying pan to stop the fat spluttering everywhere were made of some sort of stainless steel.....they're not - they're made of Aluminium I decided to clean the grease of one of those once with Caustic Soda & in less than one minute, all I was left with was the handle & the outside metal ring

I, of all people SHOULD have known better

Lucky it was only a couple of quid item.....& not the outside cladding of a caravan.

[gresham flyer]

Think of this scenario.

You have just imported an Airstream caravan from the states.

It arrives by loader to your house on a Friday teatime.

You are itching to clean it up after its long trip

But it will have to wait till Saturday morning because Friday is down the pub night with your mates

I`ll just put on that loosening agent my pal told me about,that will make it easier to clean in the morning.

You arrive home half cut at half past midnight to find the axle,part of the vinyl interior and nothing else

That loosening agent must have been Caustic Soda.Damm

[buzzy bee]

Hi

I use knotted nylon discs on the grinder 4 or 5 will do an average car, it will take rust, filler, paint etc, but not the tin work, would think it would be ok for alluminum too, but not sure. They are quite dear, but no more than wire cups, and last longer/do more work in my oppinion.

Cheers

Dave

[Bayliss Thomas]

Whatever method you decide upon after your trial and errors please do not confuse what I have mentioned (SODA BLASTING) with the comments regarding use of caustic soda. The soda blaster uses common baking soda and is completely harmless.

[MVPeters]

Didn't somebody recently mention a paint stripper designed specifically for aircraft aluminium?

Mike

[Dalek63]

Aircraft ali...............................hhmmmmmmmmmmm oh yes i know, but you have to fly the aircraft through the cloud of volcanic ash to strip it bare
_________________
I can resist anything except temptation ! ( Oscar Wilde)
"Don't try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." ( Mark Twain)
http://www.period-classic-caravan-club.co.uk/

[MVPeters]

........... Which reminds me: Home improvement stores (used to?) sell 'bricks' of lava for sanding. As you sanded, say, a moulded edge of a table, the brick conformed to the molding. They didn't last very long & were very dusty, but they worked GREAT. Probably not very relevant to exterior car/caravan work - but you never know.........

On a more related topic, there's a very long article somewhere on the WWW about how to refurbish & polish an Airstream. A lot of these seem to be painted, usually white, so there may be some paint-stripping clues - I'll try to find it again.

Mike

[gresham flyer]

[img][/img]

DA sander used on the large areas,paint remaining is removed by sanding by hand.

I use MURKA,a fantastic abrasive.
Comes on a roll 150mm wide by 50metres.
Comes in 40/60/80/100/120 grit.
Buy 40/60 and 80 for most jobs and it will last the amature handyman years.
The crap they sell in DIY centres is false economy.

Just cut off a peice and fold into three.

I use this for everything on site and in the workshop,joinery,sanding prior to painting,fillings when drylining plasterboard,sanding paintwork and fillings on vehicles.
Today I was removing layers of paint from items with ease.
It is a quality oxide paper,when sanding and it starts to clog just bang the dust out and carry on.

We have a painter who has been using the same piece for months.
Obviously he is frugal in his rubbing down before painting woodwork,we tease him all the time.

And another thing. :shock:In the old days folk would splosh water all over the vehicle wet flatting the paintwork prior to spraying, water getting in all the nooks and crannies,you trying to get it out with the airline,you would start to spray and a streak of water would appear from nowwhere, in todays world the vehicle is kept dry all the time untill you flat with 1200 wet and dry your finished paint job.How come you ask. FREECUT paper,another anti clog abrasive ,it comes in many grades,I sprayed the caravan this week,and in no time did any water go near it.
Only now it is finished will I wet sand with warm water,dash of fairy and a good bar of soap,then cut back with ,(no not T CUT) but brasso.
An old trick used by vehicle finishers donkeys years ago.
I will post some photo`s tomorrow.