Stripping paint

C

cjetmech

I just started to attempt my first paint job on my 67 Fairlane and need some advice. There seems to be a ton of knowledge here so I figured this would be a good place to ask questions. First off the car was covered in a very old custom paint job. I think it was laquer but I'm not sure. I do know it was very thick and had cracked and crazed all over. I knew it had to go to bare metal so I started stripping it with a 3" razor. This worked pretty good and the paint flew off. All thats left now is primer and filler. I was going to buy an eastwoods soda blaster to finish it but after some research I find some people dont reccomend this. So what should I do from this point? Sand it off with 80 or a stripping pad? And what about the filler? In some areas its pretty thick from previous repairs. And since this is being done in my garage when I can get to it. It might sit for a couple weeks before I return. How should the bare metal be prepared. Ive used aircraft stripper and naval jelly in spots so it needs to be prepped/cleaned somehow. Thanks for any input.
 
If you were thinking about buying a soda blaster, why not get a plain old media blaster instead? "Black Blast" media is widely available, cuts fairly well, and is cheap. Can't imagine how it would make more mess than the soda blaster.
 
you can remove filler with a propane torch and brush. YOU DO NOT HEAT THE FILLER !!!! each pass over the filler will draw solvents out and turn it chalky. welders brush works good. just pass the torch over it several times then brush. the lac primer will come off easy with naval jelly. since you already started with it.
 
I prefer media blasting whenever possible. Next choice is to use a coarse grit (I like Blue Max 40) on a DA and rough up the paint surface. After that I use the aircraft stripper to remove as much as practical, then 80 grit on the DA, followed by 180 grit on the DA. Wash the metal with Dawn, wipe down with W&G remover, then 2 good coats of Epoxy Primer. I have not had any issues doing it this way but I am always open to suggestions for improvement.
 
Thanks guys I'll give that stuff a try. I will prob get the media blaster to get rid of some rust. It seems like you just cant use one method to get it to bare metal but need a combo of different ways. Is that all thats needed to clean the metal is dawn soap and water? Will that remove the naval jelly, chem stripper ,soda residue? And could someone tell me the difference between the epoxy sealer that I see being used and the 2K primer. Thanks again
 
I DA strip the exterior down with 80 on grinder mode. then have the rest blasted. I just feel safer this way.
 
Everyone has their own way. I start out with 40 or 80 grit on a Mud hog (8" da) to cover most of the exterior. That is 80 until I hit filler then 40 to get thru that. That usually removes all the paint and bondo at the same time. Places where there are tight areas, like door jambs and such, I will simply blast with a sand blaster. I also use stripping disks for strange shapes. After stripping, I clean with waterborne W&G remover and apply a minimum of 2 coats of epoxy.

I like to use black epoxy on the bare metal as it shows everything. Be careful of the black though, as there are a lot of dents in each can. I have used it on panels that I know were straight, just to find out that I just sprayed a bunch of dents on there. LOL

Aaron
 
i'm spoiled. i have a blasting booth . you guys should try the propane torch. fast and does not make all the dust.
 
Shine.... I know you have been doing this since the first cars were built, but there are a lot of newbys that come here. As often as we have heard of people warping panels by blasting, I can only imagine how many panels will be warped by using a torch to strip them. There are a lot of tricks that you and I use that we probably should not just pass on over the internet. Not meant to keep a secret, but to protect the public from themselves.

Aaron
 
cjetmech;4131 said:
Thanks guys I'll give that stuff a try. I will prob get the media blaster to get rid of some rust. It seems like you just cant use one method to get it to bare metal but need a combo of different ways. Is that all thats needed to clean the metal is dawn soap and water? Will that remove the naval jelly, chem stripper ,soda residue? And could someone tell me the difference between the epoxy sealer that I see being used and the 2K primer. Thanks again
Click to expand...

I use Purple Power, then follow up with Dawn.
 
i use dawn because it is a dispersant. it lifts oil to float away. it is the only thing i ever found that would lift oil out of glass. dont know how it does it but it does. simple green is another one that acts much the same.

and why anyone would use soda is beyond me. if there is the slightest chance of a problem with a product it never comes into my shop. i found not one single paint mfg that would recommend it . privately they will tell you not no but hell no. publicly it is we do not recommend it. you will never see a mfg say dont use my product . except barry . :)
 
Since I'm new at this I dont mind asking the dumb question. Whats the problem with the soda? Cant the residue be washed off? So what is the best media for getting it to metal? Ya read all this stuff lately that soda is the best thing since round tires only to find out its bs. Oh and Shine thanks for the tip on removing filler with a torch
 
just dont set it on fire !!! :)

ask a soda blaster and he will tell you it's the holy grail and we are stupid . ask a painter who has had to disassemble and redo a high end job what he thinks. to me it is a complete waste of time to blast one then turn around and have to sand it to get paint to stick.
and before anybody goes off i own a blasting business. i also did a year of research before i invested in it. what they can do with soda i can do with acrylic and also reuse my media.
 
Problem with soda is all the prep that needs to be done afterwords to get epoxy on it (or any coating). Done correctly it is a great media. You'll find others who are completely against the stuff...and thats fine. I've been working with it for years now and havent had a failure. We have moved away from using it so much now (for automotive uses), because of all the potential problems that can arise when you give it back to the customer. We take the time to explain how to neatralize the acid and wash the panels and prep them for primer, while others out there do not. I cringe when i hear that someone was told to just sand it or squirt it down with water. Seems like it was sort of a fad when it was introduced into the market when no one knew anything about it.......and thats how you get the bad rep. Guys using it that dont know what they are doing.

Shine, going to get a bag of acrylic and try next time we blast. On the restos, soda only gets used mainly for tops of hoods and decklids now. Maybe a roof, depending on the roof.
 
It has been explained on several occasions how to neutralize soda for paint. It seems to me to not be a good idea to apply water to freshly stripped metal. I also have a problem with usig any product that can cause a problem with paint adhesion. Notice that I also didn't suggest paint stripper. Anything that I have to worry about coming back to bite me, like out of joints, I don't use.

Materials are expensive, and going up all the time. If I have to redo a car that I have done because of using a product or proceedure that failed, it has just cost me money to fix someone else's car.

Aaron
 
the real problem is it was never intended to be used in the refinishing business. in the 40+ years i have been in this we never had this kind of thing. but then we didn't have the net with all the wannabe's either. in my day we would run backwards from anything that could bite us. we learned the hard way about chemstrip . just like we learned that sand was the absolute worst thing to use. but now some guy uses soda , paints the car and swears it is just fine. problem is the car is still setting in the garage and will for a long time. once finished and driven then the stuff starts. but they will never admit it. so it goes on.
i just dont see the need to take a risk. can it be neutralized ? yes . is there a possibility of it leaching from somewhere ? yes . really no different than chemstrip or phosphoric acid . one high end failure can wipe out any possible advantage to use it. this is the reason i passed on setting up a soda blasting rig. i just chose a safer media to use.
 
i use type6 acrylic. it is softer for the vettes. the type 5 will clean one down fine. the acrylic will do the same thing as soda with 0 contamination . but also remember that high pressure works against you. it wears out the media fast. i buy by the drum and one will last me forever. but then i dont do that much :)
 
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