TOPIC: Chrome & Aluminum Cleaning.

Had a lot of time the last month and have been moving along on my 59' Barbour. The previous owner painted over every inch of aluminum and chrome with some type of metalic gold paint. I took a small piece of aluminum trim, coated it with paint stripper and used a rough towel to clean it off. Then I took 00 steel whool and followed up with a small buffing wheel....Long story short, this boat has miles of trim, hinges, and hardware, this gold stuff is a bear to strip off. Any other ideas on how to get this paint off?
Could it be blasted off?
Thanks,
Tom

If you're only looking to blast the aluminum and chrome, I would suggest looking into having it soda blasted. Other mediums like sand and glass bead could pit softer metals like aluminum and might scratch up or remove the chrome altogether. I've heard that walnut shell is pretty expensive and I don't know anyone who has actually used it. Soda blasting is safe on aluminum and depending on the quality/shape of the chrome, it shouldn't hurt it either. Soda is more expensive than sand, but if you're just blasting the trim, it might not be too cost prohibitive.

Thanks.
Not up on soda blasting, but is something I can rent the equipent for, or do I take the trim and hardware someplace to have it done?

Watch the sales at Harbor Freight Tools. Buying your own equipment will likely be cheaper than hiring it done. I almost bought the
Soda Blaster a couple of months ago just in case I need it in the future.

you can also try to put a small piece of trim in paint thinner and let it soak a day or 2,it should soften the paint,depending on what kind of paint it is,then clean with soap and water,i make my wife mad,i put it in the dishwaser after it been cleaned,then buff it,john

Buy a box of TSP (trisodium phosphate) Go to the thrift store or yard sale and get a medium size junker stock pot. Get a camp cooking stove (propane,butane, gasoline) or a large & powerful electric hotplate. The stock pot should be large enough to hold the cleats and other misc. hardware. You will put a few ounces of TSP in the pot, add water, drop in the part & boil the snot out of it. Unless you have a death wish, do not do this indoors, nor skip the yardsale part & use the wife's cookware. This is NOT a pot you will plan to eat out of in the future. If the stove is powerful enough to bring on a rolling boil, you will find that this works surprisingly well.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I found those soda blasters at Harbor Freight for $99. Going to try that route first since many of these chrome / aluminum strips are 6 to 10 feet long and finding a tank big enough to soak them in stripper would be difficult.

You can make one out of PVC. Hit Lowe's or Home Depot and get the size pipe you want and cap both ends. Glue one end on and make the other removeable so you can pour in what you want. You can make it as lon as you need to then. Just a thought.

Bob

What would you do for pressure?

carsonphoto wrote:

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I found those soda blasters at Harbor Freight for $99. Going to try that route first since many of these chrome / aluminum strips are 6 to 10 feet long and finding a tank big enough to soak them in stripper would be difficult.

Keep watching the HFT ads for thirty days after you buy it. If they come out with a sale price which is lower than what you paid, they will refund the difference. 'Course, they won't volunteer to do it - you have to call them on it.

Joe, I meant to use the PVC as a soaking tube.

Bob

OK I see where that came from.
Joe

Metallic gold? boy can I relate. As a young 'un, I desecrated my dads boat by "making it cool" with metallic gold spray paint over every inch of aluminum trim. So I was extra regretful, when some thirty years later, I undertook the task of getting it all off there. I guess I didnt prep to well, and nature had already started the removal process.
I soaked it pretty good [along with the entire hull] with paint stripper, then what remained on the aluminum was taken off with a wire wheel on a drill. The softer brass wheels were less abrasive, and I worked toward finer grades, then to sandpaper, then to various steel wool and buffing wheels. The end result was worth it. The aluminum shines as new.

Before:

After:

Try the soda ,you will like it.. Soda works the best on any surface period, plastic,glass,wood,aluminum,fiberglass,etc.. Dont really think you need to go out and buy the harbor freight soda-balster tank, most likely a regular sandblasting pressure pot,,save your 99 bucks and try your regular pressure pot first if you have one. Ive done this for years,but my soda pot cost well over 2500 dollars alone and uses 185cfm of air, but then again it is a large pro unit(armex brand).. Just be careful if you do a lot in one area of your lawn,,will kill the grass unless u neutralize it.. Hope this helps. Also check around at some of your local sandblasting supply houses and ck on there price of media,,Armex usually goes for around 22-25 a bag there