Paint removal?

[Jerry Eisele]

Need some input! I'm thinking of removing paint from a fiberglass boat. Has any one had any success removing paint? What product has worked, what kind of prep, tricks, etc?? Thanks in advance for your help.:confused:

[Morgan's Cloud]

Ahh , been there done that ... on more than one occasion .
What are you going to do after you have removed the paint that is there now Jerry ? Will you re-paint ?
Chemical removers are harsh and there is a high risk of damaging the underlaying gelcoat if you want to restore the gelcoat (if that is possible).
If you are re-painting you have less of a worry about that as it will all be part of the re-finishing process.
I have seen some paints that were so far gone , they easilly sanded off right back to the gelcoat. I have also seen some so poorly applied that I was able to scrape the finish off in huge sheets.
Will media/soda blasting work in your case ?(they are much more gentle than sandblasting)
Whichever way you go , it's a fairly labour intensive job unfortunately .
Steve

[Ted Guldemond]

Also been there done that. West Marine and Home Depot sell a product called Safety Strip and Peel Away. It's an alkyline based stripper that is relatively easy on polyester gelcoat. It is slower that the methylchloride based strippers. Morgan's Cloud is right. The methylchloride (Zip Strips) will damage the gel. Peel Away works ok on most one part paints. I have not had any luck removing any two part polymer systems with it. I ended up sanding off most my hull and deck. If you choose to media blast, make sure the blaster knows what he's doing. Its not like a car where you go through soft paint and stop when you hit metal. You're going through soft paint into soft gelcoat. Consequently you can end up with a patchy irregular surface that will have to be sanded anyway. If your going to repaint and are concerned weather the existing paint has adaquate adhesion. US Paint and Sterling recommed taking a small area (3 inch square) and scribe a series of lines 1/4 inch apart in a grid like pattern. Then apply masking tape. When you pull off the tape if the paint stays on the boat, your ok to paint over it.

[MOP]

My experience is chemical strippers can lead to trouble if you do not get all the residue off or out of the tiny pores and scratches, if not cleaned properly you can experience checking and some minuscule blistering.
I have found sanding to be the least problematic. I prefer using an electric palm sander as I feel dragging the air hose more tiring plus I feel it tends to rock the sander a bit causing irregularities. I start with #50 grit using very little pressure (sort of gliding it over the surface) it does not clog up to quick and cuts reasonably fast. Use long sweeping strokes until the until the under lying color just starts to show, the color change is your guide to not cutting to deep and keeping the surface even. I then go to #120 and then #180, I then a put a very thin coat of surface filler to fill the scratches and many tiny pits that appear from sanding. For paint automotive fillers works fine, on glass I use polyester filler. I then apply blue dye or primer depending on the job and lightly block sand to show any hi/low areas, dark primers will show up imperfection a little better then white. When it looks good I block/wet sand with #220 and wipe it carefully with a tack rag and acetone. Once I think I have it right I pour water over the surface, if it beads or separates I clean it again as there is still something in or on the surface that need to be gotten rid of. There can be mold release deep in the pores or other contaminants, the water should sheet smoothly with none of the above. It is a bit time consuming but produces very nice results. 220 is fine enough to produce a good surface with enough "tooth" to hold paint or gel, going finer many times will not allow the paint or gel to get a good hold on the surface. Never ever touch the final prepped surface with your bare hands the oil in your skin can and will cause defects in the final surface. I am sure there are variations but this was learned over many years and has kept my clients happy. 75% of a good job is in the prep!!! I did a lot of structural and prep work but can't shoot paint or gel worth:toiletpap

Phil

[Boatnuts]

Try a product called "MultiStrip" available in may paint and hardware stores. Removes most paint including Awlgrip and Imron and will not harm gelcoat. Also, there is a product called "captain Lee's" that is used on Corvettes just don't think it works as well as MultiStrip.

[Danny]

I am curious as to the preferred method of sanding, by hand using a block, orbital disk, vibrating pad??? I too have paint over gel and I am going to regel.
Danny

[Pismo]

Just curious, has anyone ever tried brake fluid? I have never seen anything remove paint as effortlessly as brake fluid does when spilled on something painted.

[gcarter]

I am curious as to the preferred method of sanding, by hand using a block, orbital disk, vibrating pad??? I too have paint over gel and I am going to regel.
Danny
It's hard to beat a D-A for flatness. The best ones are going to be pneumatic though. Should be $60.00-$80.00.

[Marlin275]

I had a developer tell me he used a high pressure water & sand jet.
This was a professional unit they were using for interior paint removal.
He said on one setting it could cut your fingers off,
on another setting next to nothing.
He said it was great for bottom paint removal.

[Mr X]

"sand blast" with ground up walnut shells......
It will leave it with nothing to do other than buff the gel-coat, providing the gel was not damaged during the painting/preperation process.

[Jerry Eisele]

Thanks for the input. Now I'm going to try to digest all the info.

Mr. X, Is walnut blasting avalable in most markets.

Thanks again, any other suggestions are wlcome.

[DAULEY]

jerry
did you buy the 18 in nj

[Mr X]

Thanks for the input. Now I'm going to try to digest all the info.
Mr. X, Is walnut blasting avalable in most markets.
Thanks again, any other suggestions are wlcome.

In most large marinas and shipyards.

[Jerry Eisele]

Steve, I would like to strip the paint and bring the gel back. The paint is in above average condition and could be wet sanded and buffed, but I would like to have the original gel if posable.

Ted & Boatnuts, Thanks for all the info on the different stripper, I had no idea!!

Phil, Great stuff!! Could you do the sanding process and then 1500 wet sand and buff?

Dauley, No, But a red 22' Tessta Rossa 1988

Thanks Ted, I'll check around.

[Cuda]

They sell walnut blasting media at Harbor Freight.

[Jerry Eisele]

Thanks Joe, Can you use regular sandblasting equipment??

[Patrik Sweden]

My solution spells: Little Brother...

I promised him a Saturday with my 22 alone with his friends... He scrape the bottom of my boat... :yes:

[Morgan's Cloud]

Steve, I would like to strip the paint and bring the gel back. The paint is in above average condition and could be wet sanded and buffed, but I would like to have the original gel if posable.
Ted & Boatnuts, Thanks for all the info on the different stripper, I had no idea!!
Phil, Great stuff!! Could you do the sanding process and then 1500 wet sand and buff?
Dauley, No, But a red 22' Tessta Rossa 1988
Thanks Ted, I'll check around.
Then like Mr X mantioned , it all hinges on how 'well' prepped the boat was for painting I guess. It does happen , but it's unlikely that when you get the paint off it will be a simple case of buffing the gelcoat. Reason being .. "Why was it painted in the first place ? "
Ya just don't know what lies under that film of paint. If you stripped the paint off my St T. you'd hit gelcoat that was just unrestoreable. It would also be EXTREMELY difficult to remove the paint.
Now , on the Mag. whoever it was that painted it many years before I got my hands on it never even sanded it down and the paint came off in huge sheets with a scraper. Still , the gelcoat was not salvageable.
Pismo's question about brake fluid had me on the floor .....
I hope that's not something you have personal knowledge of based on run-ins with jilted ex-girlfreinds.....
You know ... their dad's were aircraft mechanics and they always had a supply of 'skydraul' in the garage :eek!: :D

[MOP]

Steve, I would like to strip the paint and bring the gel back. The paint is in above average condition and could be wet sanded and buffed, but I would like to have the original gel if posable.
Ted & Boatnuts, Thanks for all the info on the different stripper, I had no idea!!
Phil, Great stuff!! Could you do the sanding process and then 1500 wet sand and buff?
Dauley, No, But a red 22' Tessta Rossa 1988
Thanks Ted, I'll check around.

Red Testi! If you are real careful when breaking through the outer layer IE: where the color starts to turn and you find good even color underneath then yes, but what I would suggest is shooting it with clear Awlgrip. Many an older dark color boat has been brought back to new condition, the clear holds up very well and needs little to no work to maintain its luster.

Phil

[Jerry Eisele]

Thanks, I think I'm going to start by stripping a small area, cleaning, wet sand and buff. It seems like a time consuming job, but it will be worth it. I like the clear coat idea, but I'll see what I have before I make the next decision.

Thanks again for all the input, it's been a lot of help. I need to do some work on the 18', so it might be the first of the year before I get this project started. I'll keep you posted

[DonziChick]

Dad - If you end up wanting to blast it with walnut, I know Tony has the equipment to do it.

[gcarter]

I agree w/Steve, if it's gone, it's gone. It's probably not often people paint a different color, they just paint because it's easier than re-gelling.
Actually good paint is almost as scratch resistant as gel. I've had zero issues with mine after 2 1/2 years. And it sure is a lot easier to care for.

[CHACHI]

Has anyone tried Easy-Off oven cleaner? I used it to remove the name on the transom of my Minx. Maybe it was the type of paint, but there was no damage to the gel at all.
Ken

[Morgan's Cloud]

It seems that Easy Off works well only on very small areas , like unwanted names and numbers , possibly because of the kind of paint used for those jobs and the fact that they're well weathered too.

I doubt that it would dent a really high quality 2 stage automotive/marine/aviation finish.

[gcarter]

I doubt that it would dent a really high quality 2 stage automotive/marine/aviation finish.
Once again I agree w/Steve. I even clean my paint w/acetone.....it doesn't touch the paint. Good for removing grunge, etc. .......laquer thinner is a different story though.
Easy Off was one of the things I used to remove bottom paint though......It worked about as well as anything else.