TOPIC: Removing paint from fiberglass?

Have any of you used this Sherwin Williams product called aircraft fiberglass paint remover (part # KSGAF354)? Here's a link, but it doesn't offer much info: www.sherwin-automotive.com/products/show_product.cfm?product=KSGAF354

If you have used some kind of stripper before and had good results, particularly with Interlux Brightsides and their Pre-kote primer, I would very much appreciate any advice you might have.

Thanks!

Frank

Frank
I have not used the product your asking about.
I have used it's sister product: Fiberglass paint remover.
Don't have a part # for you, but "believe" it is packaged in a light blue can.

It seemed to do a decent job of removing the old paint (of unknown origin) that was applied to my G-3 hull.

That said, there was a thread, sometime back, regarding these products and their use.
Some one popped up and made the comment:
"If your going to use these products, you must be absolutely certain,
any and all residue, is completely removed from the substrate.
If not, the chemical can remain within the substrate and continue to deteriorate the underlying mass."

At the time, I took the poster's comments at face value,
"and still do,"
that he knew what he was talking about.
For my project, with an open hull and significant nooks and crannies the product could hide,
I proceeded with, and or, limited it's use, with extreme caution.

My sense is, and take my opinion with the grain of salt it is offered.

Your in that position, of wanting to do things completely over:
without, all of the hassle a do-over implies.

If it were me, with multiple layers of questionable underlayment,
that could react with the intended finish product:
I would bite the bullet and get everything off of there.
In other words, forget what has been done, the personal investment, etc.,
and look at it, like a completely new project.

At the risk of sounding trite and condescending, sometimes the answer were looking for,
is the answer,
we don't want to see.

That said, I'd consider having it soda blasted.
or, hire someone to sand all of the existing crap off of there.
(I say that, because I know, neither you nor I are younger blokes and that kind of work takes it toll on us)
And, begin, anew.

From that place, you could use any product available.

regards
lar

Soda blasting will remove filler too right Lars? That would NOT be good. That's why I want to chemically remove all the paint, then sand the whole thing down again. I don't see where soda blasting would do any different, but like the issues I got into with painting, I really don't have a clue. Is there some reason soda blasting would work better than chemical stripping and sanding?

Man o man, I woe the day I used Brightsides on this deck. What an incredible and expensive drag it has been. Part of my concern here is money. I can get gallons of paint stripper for 20 bucks. How much is soda blasting, and then what am I gonna end up with that needs to be fixed?

Thanks for any advice!

Frank

Frank , im in the middle of restoring a 1974 Glastron Carlson CV21 (thats a mouthful lol ) and it was painted at some time with automotive paint and clear with high build primer (a pretty good paint job ) and its originally a bronze metalflake Gel . i used this stuff called Citristrip stripping gel from Home Depot , its about twenty bucks a half gallon , IT DOES NOT TOUCH THE GEL-COAT and works well (smells like Tang ) i used just a touch over a gallon to strip the top and hull sides of my boat .
i used a straight razor after it was on for about 30 to 40 minutes . Gil

I used aircraft remover but it is a little tough on 50 year old gelcoat. I would not recommend it.

Wow Gil, is that ever gonna be cool when you're done! What's your time frame on it? Are you going to be able to restore the original gel coat?

Good tip on the aircraft remover too, thanks tey. I'll check out the stuff Gil used at Home Depot in the a.m. I sure do appreciate the help guys, thanks.

Frank

Frank....I concur that CitriStrip works very well and is easy on the nose(and skin for that matter). With any stripper it is a messy messy job with constant cleanup as you go along. Flat surfaces are a breeze compared to rounded and corners etc where you have to get into the small wire brushes etc.

That said. After doing a 17 foot Oday Daysailer one time removing some really crappy house paint or something off of it....when I was about half way thru I was thinking maybe the better choice would have been using power tools...ie belt and palm sanders on the bigger flat areas to remove the old paint down to gel coat...especially when not worried about the gel coat but planning to prime and paint again.

You have a chore ahead for sure but once you get it off you have a fresh pallet to work with.

Good luck buddy.

Tim

Frank
Your right, soda blasting may prove to be to aggressive.
Costly, maybe. Found a guy local, who would do my deck for $150.
I would think a guy who knew his tools and medium would know when to back off.

Is there some reason soda blasting would work better than chemical stripping and sanding?

Two things come to mind, time, and labor.
What could be done in an hour with the blasting approach could take weeks sanding.

As an additional recommendation, talk to the corvette boys, they might steer you in the right direction.

Also, both the fiberglass and aircraft products might soften any filler.
My larger concern with the aforementioned is:
Are you going to be able to apply it without splashing it somewhere you don't want it.
If I remember correctly, your supposed to aggressively wash the chemical off. Just because it is diluted, does not mean it isn't active.
The water could spread it where you don't want it.
For instance, under the rubrail, dripping down the hull.
If I'm not mistaken, your not unhappy with the lower white?

For now,, I would try Gil's suggestion.
See if you like working with it.
A less caustic approach for sure.
Plus, didn't he say, "it smelled nice."
beats wearing a respirator.

regards
lar

frank,i have been away from the corvette game for 15-16 yrs,but the was a paint stripper that was safe for use on fiberglass. you might check corvette mid america or ecklers. media blasting was popular when doing a total resto. a good guy could actually take the paint down one layer at a time and even stop at the original factory primer. biggest drwback was getting all the dust etc out of the car.

They have new strippers we have at work that are especially designed for composite ,works well and won't burn the crap outta ya. Its a peroxide based stripper,and has a cosistancy of mayo,so it sticks to vert surfaces well.. Soda is really nice and will not harm the glass below....

what i also used was course steel wool dipped in the stuff for tight nooks and crannies .
im hoping to maybe have her ready for the water next fall . as for the original gel-coat its toast so i'll be repainting and re-flaking her . i have a long way to go . i guess the journey is the destination lol

PC1000 wrote:

Have any of you used this Sherwin Williams product called aircraft fiberglass paint remover (part # KSGAF354)? Here's a link, but it doesn't offer much info: www.sherwin-automotive.com/products/show_product.cfm?product=KSGAF354

If you have used some kind of stripper before and had good results, particularly with Interlux Brightsides and their Pre-kote primer, I would very much appreciate any advice you might have.

Thanks!

Frank

Pc ..If your paint isnt coming off or chipping like crazy Leave it on there .Just wet sand her down with 400 , spray a decent Epoxy Primer to seal it Then reshot it .Buy like a quart can of the Epoxy . Wet sand a small area with the 400 Then spray a single coat on it to see if your old paint reacts to the Epoxy .If it doesnt Wet sand the Whole boat Epoxy primer it and then paint away .If it does then strip it down .Personally Ild just sand it down with a DA (( Orbital Sander )) then Prime and paint it .Ive seen some of that stripper Linger around and Bubble the new Paint unless its all removed and on a boat that would be a hard thing to be sure of .Youll end up sanding it to prep it for paint anyway and that crap can make a googy mess that will plug up sand paper fast .Not all of it but some will so youll use tons of Paper in the end .So dont make more work for yourself if you dont have to .Spend that time enjoying your boat .

gil_72gt-160 wrote:

what i also used was course steel wool dipped in the stuff for tight nooks and crannies .
im hoping to maybe have her ready for the water next fall . as for the original gel-coat its toast so i'll be repainting and re-flaking her . i have a long way to go . i guess the journey is the destination lol

Will you re-flake her yourself Gil? How do you do that? My paint buddies tell me they have these three part systems now where they lay a base coat (like gold in your case), then do an intermediate coat of metallic or metalflake, then clear it. I'm always curious about how this stuff gets done. I may be old fashioned, but I LOVE metalflake!

Best of luck with it, and thanks again for the tips.

Frank

im going to paint it my self . im going to base coat metallic bronze then mix flake into the clear for two to three coats then bury the flake in more coats of clear .

Boy, does that ever sound cool! When do you think you'll be painting it? Make sure you take lots of pics and post them!

Frank

You can watch the turtles pace of its resto over here .

www.classicglastron.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=2209

gil_72gt-160 wrote:

im going to paint it my self . im going to base coat metallic bronze then mix flake into the clear for two to three coats then bury the flake in more coats of clear .

Thats how ya do her . It should look great . I love those boats . For those who dont know you need to run a fairly big tip on your gun when your shooting large flake with Clear . If you check Harbor Frieght and look for a 2 gun set in a case .A detail gun and a Big gun with 2 tips .Throw the detail gun away but the Big gun is great .Has 2 tips with it .Its around $49 $39 on sale . Works as well as some $400 guns ive used .The Large tip can handle flake as long as you dont get to crazy in size .Shake her now and then so the Flake doesnt drop out to the bottom .OK Ill shut up now ...

OK Ill shut up now ...

Please don't, Larry. You've thrown out some great tips on painting lately, great stuff IMO!

I've also followed Gil's projects before, very meticulous! Definitely worth checking out his stuff.

Looks like the best advice I got is DA sander and sand all the paint off. Stripping makes a mess and I really don't want to have to re-do the hull, that paint job is great because I could wet sand it. All I really want is a surface I can wet sand and compound.

Can you wet sand this Rust-o-thane come of you guys use?

Thanks again for all the help. We'll see how it goes. If nothing else, the little woman supports this effort and that means a lot!

Frank

MarkS wrote:

OK Ill shut up now ...

Please don't, Larry. You've thrown out some great tips on painting lately, great stuff IMO!

I've also followed Gil's projects before, very meticulous! Definitely worth checking out his stuff.

On a Couple of Car forums Ive been on if you give to many tips Guys start thinking your being a smart Arse .Thats not by a long shot what I want to be . I worked in a Auto Body shop and as a Mechanic 20 some years Ive done work for people at home part time for another 12 pluss my own stuff I drag home .Am I the GOD of Paint ?? Hell no . Can I do good work ?? Well if Karma is with me ...L.O.L.. Even a Broken Clock is right twice a day .Biggest thing Ill Preach is Safety . Anything with a Hardner in it can KILL YOU ..DONT take that statement Lightly ..Im in the Health field now and Ive seen guys with COPD from not taking care of them selfs . Ild Hate to see you trying to Enjoy your boat while trying to drag around a oxygen tank or with somebody trying to throw dirt on you .

bobo wrote:

gil_72gt-160 wrote:

im going to paint it my self . im going to base coat metallic bronze then mix flake into the clear for two to three coats then bury the flake in more coats of clear .

Thats how ya do her . It should look great . I love those boats . For those who dont know you need to run a fairly big tip on your gun when your shooting large flake with Clear . If you check Harbor Frieght and look for a 2 gun set in a case .A detail gun and a Big gun with 2 tips .Throw the detail gun away but the Big gun is great .Has 2 tips with it .Its around $49 $39 on sale . Works as well as some $400 guns ive used .The Large tip can handle flake as long as you dont get to crazy in size .Shake her now and then so the Flake doesnt drop out to the bottom .OK Ill shut up now ...

you mean these squirt guns ? i got them for Xmas, the big one works like a charm and with the 1.8mm tip should squirt the flake well . i'll put a few marbles in the cup to help keep the flake suspended.

Wow, nice case. I didn't get a nice case like that!

Larry, I got a good mask for that 2 part stuff, just needs new cartridges every 14 days. Gonna get a tyvek suit (or 2) and new CLEAN/CLEAR goggles. Still working on cleaning the garage/basement/shop, not getting too far, too many projects keep coming up.

Frank

gil_72gt-160 wrote:

bobo wrote:

gil_72gt-160 wrote:

im going to paint it my self . im going to base coat metallic bronze then mix flake into the clear for two to three coats then bury the flake in more coats of clear .

Thats how ya do her . It should look great . I love those boats . For those who dont know you need to run a fairly big tip on your gun when your shooting large flake with Clear . If you check Harbor Frieght and look for a 2 gun set in a case .A detail gun and a Big gun with 2 tips .Throw the detail gun away but the Big gun is great .Has 2 tips with it .Its around $49 $39 on sale . Works as well as some $400 guns ive used .The Large tip can handle flake as long as you dont get to crazy in size .Shake her now and then so the Flake doesnt drop out to the bottom .OK Ill shut up now ...

you mean these squirt guns ? i got them for Xmas, the big one works like a charm and with the 1.8mm tip should squirt the flake well . i'll put a few marbles in the cup to help keep the flake suspended.

Thats the ones .Little gun is kinda crappy .Maybe use it for clearing door jams . Big gun shoots very well once you get it set up right .If your flake isnt way over the top big that should work nice .Marbles good idea . Just dont steer it with a stick when its in the gun .Youll pick up dust and crap in the paint you just filtered . When you put that flake on there I first spray front to back then side to side so you dont get Tiger stripes .Then pull your gun way back aways and just dust coat it to help the flake lay down uniformily .Then clear the crap out of it .Have enought clear on so if you have to wet sand it you wont break threw to the high points of the flake .They will oxidize and look like crap .If you would spray some more clear on her .That CV should look real sharp . Sorry if you already know what I told ya .TCP Global sells many different types of flake reasonable .Have alot of pearls to .If your paint guy mixxs his paint ask him if he has Clear Binder . Its usaully alot cheaper than the clear and sometimes helps the flake lay down better .Mix your flake in it before clearing and then once flakes is on with the binder Clear away .

PC1000 wrote:

Wow, nice case. I didn't get a nice case like that!

Larry, I got a good mask for that 2 part stuff, just needs new cartridges every 14 days. Gonna get a tyvek suit (or 2) and new CLEAN/CLEAR goggles. Still working on cleaning the garage/basement/shop, not getting too far, too many projects keep coming up.

Frank

Im very glad to here you got a good Mask . I like 3M myself . Make sure they are Charcoal Organic Vapor Cartridges .14 days is incorrect . Keep the cratridges in original sealed wrapper till your ready to spray .Put the mask on with out the cartridges and Hold your hands over the holes where they would be . Breath in and make sure it doesnt leak around the face mask .With holes plugged by hands you shouldnt be able to suck air in .Shave your face to Whiskers can cause leaks .When its fitted tight then put cartridges on .a Good cartridge is only good for 8 hours of use in Light to moderate concentrations of Isocrynates .When your done spraying even between coats put it in a sealed bag Like a Gallon Freazer bag and seal it . They will last longer .If you use it a hour and done for the day Freazer bag it then put the whole thing in a Big coffee can .Remember you cant smell Isos .But if you start smelling anything not normal Isos are getting threw .So if you smell paint ... GET YOUR ARSE OUT OF THERE ..If you go in to check your work Wear your resperator . Till its dry its still bleeding isos .I know its alot of work but its better than having a guy like Me Wiping your Arse in a Nursing home because you get out of breath by doing anything .
Larry

Good tips Larry, thanks again.

I planned on doing this in my garage under the house. Not a good idea? I sorta enjoy life...

Busy day today, gotta get crackin!

Frank

My garage is also under the house, I have an exhaust fan there but the wife still complains about the "smell" when I paint, even with the small spray cans. Best to do it outside evening when the wind is calm, that way only the bugs will bug you and your fresh paint

PC1000 wrote:

Good tips Larry, thanks again.

I planned on doing this in my garage under the house. Not a good idea? I sorta enjoy life...

Busy day today, gotta get crackin!

Frank

Just get everybody a resperator ..Dont forget the cats and dogs ...L.O.L..Maybe you could build a temp shelter outside or get one of those Cheaper outdoor Car shelter things .Remember to if your spraying and got alot of Overspray or fumes in the air Your also building a Bomb .If your Compressor kicks on or your fan motor makes a spark you just lit the fuse .With a shelter you could run your air hose out to it .When I spray and the Compressor is near I get my tanks pumped up then cut the power off to them .Real Body shop fans have sealed motors and Aluminum moving parts so they wont spark .God Im such a spoil sport ...L.O.L..Just if your concentrations of fumes get high just back off and let it clear out .A Hvlp gun helps because of less over spray to .