What are the options on removing paint?

[jon1996]

I am in the process of restoring a 1962 Ford 821 Powermaster backhoe, Someone at some point in time painted the whole thing Cat yellow, Now I have all the tractor sheet metal off and it wont be to bad with a wire brush on a grinder,

But the FEL and the backhoe would be a nightmare, Its thick and they painted over the original paint, I thought about sandblasting but have had very little luck with a blaster and thick paint takes forever,

So what option do I have? Liquid stripper and then pressure wash? How do those sandblasters that hook to a pressure washer do?

 

[KansasFarmer]

Go to your local auto paint supply store and get some gel paint stripper and neutralizer. Use a brush to apply, wait a few minutes and it scrapes right off.

 

[strum456]

If just brushing it on doesnt work fast enough, put some masking plastic on it for about an hour then scrape it.

 

[john_bud]

Go to your local auto paint supply store and get some gel paint stripper and neutralizer. Use a brush to apply, wait a few minutes and it scrapes right off.

Have you ever done that with a large piece of equipment? :confused2: You're talking about needing a couple 5 gal containers as it will take a multiple applications to get through the layers. That ain't cheap.

I would use a pressure vessel sand blaster. The siphon units are toys at best.

If you don't want to invest in a 300 tool, then how about a needle scaler? Harbor Freight sells one that is decent.

 

[Zebrafive]

Rather than sand isn't there a powered iron/steel that really takes paint off?

 

[SPYDERLK]

Oven cleaner

 

[Soundguy]

even purple stuff will do it.

all in all.. if he's de-painting a backhoe.. it's gonna be alot of work no matter what mechanical or chemical means he uses..

soundguy

 

[Gary Fowler]

A heat gun will curl it up just like the naval jelly ready to scrape off. If he has a cutting torch, he could burn it off also. Just have to be careful with the fumes and dont overheat the metal.
I think the easiest would be the naval jelly soak followed by 3000 PSI pressure wash. You would need some protective clothing like slicker suit with hood, rubber boots and goggles+ face shield for your eyes along with rubber gloves for hands as that stuff is highly caustic.

 

[dfkrug]

If just brushing it on doesnt work fast enough, put some masking plastic on it for about an hour then scrape it.

Once I did a whole car that had 2 layers of paint on it. I used about 2
gallons of the stripper, as I recall. If you scratch the surface of the paint
first with 60-grit paper, you can speed up the process. You can even hear
the paint coming off. I used a putty knife to remove the soft paint.

But don't let it dry. I did not do too much surface area at once, and in
tough places, I used STRUM's trick to keep the stripper wet while it did its
work.

 

[Artisan]

Texas Blaster if you can't find/get a local media blasting company to strip it. I wasted a ton of time and effort doing it myself. Never again, I will find a pro to do it. My 5HP 80 Gallon compressor WITH a siutcase compressor was barely enough to push it "properly" as well. You need big air. The hassle of obtaining media, the media mess, oh man...everything is a PITA.

 

[Soundguy]

Texas Blaster it. I wasted a ton of time and effort doing it myself. Never again, I will find a pro to do it. .

many of us find doing the work ourselves is part of the restoration process, and part of why we do it.

anyone can buy a tractor and have someone else restore it..

soundguy

 

[LazySusanFarms]

Stripped many a corvette with aircraft stripper and acetone. At least on the back hoe, you don't have to worry about the underlying gel coat.

 

[jon1996]

I think the backhoe will be easier than the FEL the FEL has tons of hard to reach places, Its gonna be a long ordeal to get it stripped and ready for primer, I knew that when I got it, But I think once done right it will be worth it, it runs so good and it will dig all day at idle if you want, its just a cosmetic issue

 

[Soundguy]

take yer time.. work on a piece at a time...

 

[PILOON]

Oven cleaner

Don't laugh guys.
I use it often for small things and also it subs for carb cleaner.
Great also for fireplace doors and even my andirons.
Recently I stripped a piece of furniture with oven cleaner as well.

 

[PILOON]

If just brushing it on doesnt work fast enough, put some masking plastic on it for about an hour then scrape it.

I have stripped a few light aircraft in the past.
We always covered with plastic film so that the aeromatics would not evaporate as they are what does the job.
Scuffing is a big help also.
I would always buy the smallest qty sold of different brands of stripper in order to do test strips as different brands/formulas would have different effects depending on the paint used.
Just pray that it is not lacquer as only thinner will be effective.
You can protect any rubber (hoses) by wrapping with foil tape.
Around here we have a shop that you DIY the job using their air and equipment for $40/hr + sand you consume @ $7.00 per bag. I did my 60" snow blower for a total of $70. ish.
They provided 2-300 CFM's of air for great results.
Even used them to blast some furniture and wrought iron patio sets.

Some rental yards also rent 100-150CFM compressor rigs as well as sell the media.
(did a complete log cabin 30' x 40' in one day with such a rig.

INMO blasting is the way to go. Besides in a day you could probably blast a couple of your tractors as well as the BH. Just cover all engine parts very well with blankets or wrap and tape with HD poly. Duct tape is perfect for protecting glass as sand bounces off.

With a good setup it is awesome to watch bare metal make appearance as if magic
BUT----prime it FAST as 8 hrs later it will look rusty.
In other words, blast with the left hand and prime with the right LOL>

And I'll add, Boy does paint adhere to a blasted surface! Even my 5 year old snow plow (and blower) still look great. The paint sure sticks.

 

[2458n]

The oven cleaner does do a nice job on truck frames. Replaced a worn out bed on a dually. Six cans of oven cleaner from the dollar store. Car wash. Repainted with a brush and one gallon of Rust proof high gloss black enamel. Dump bed sets up high and frame, axle, springs and other looks good. Cheap to do at under 50 dollars.

 

[MasseyWV]

many of us find doing the work ourselves is part of the restoration process, and part of why we do it.

anyone can buy a tractor and have someone else restore it..

soundguy

I agree.

 

[Danno1]

Originally Posted by SPYDERLK
Oven cleaner

Works good on tablesaw blades too.


.

 

[Gator6x4]

A neighbor who restores old JD's buys oven cleaner by the case at the Dollar General Store. He applies the oven cleaner and then uses a high pressure washer. I don't think any grass will ever grow behind his shop where he cleans the JD's at.