Paint stripper for sgs 1-23

[[email protected]]

My club just bought Schweitzer 1-23
Needs repaint
Best chemical to strip aluminum?

[Tony[_5_]]

On the latest 2-22E, I used Smart Strip paint remover. I got it at Sherwin Williams but it appears to be available at many retailers. Not as fast acting but also not as noxious as chemical paint stripper. Apply a thick coat and then let it sit, remove the next day.

[[email protected]]

On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 10:34:04 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> My club just bought Schweitzer 1-23
> Needs repaint
> Best chemical to strip aluminum?

YOU AREN'T STRIPPING THE ALUMINUM!

What paint is on it? Polyurethane is really tough to strip. If it isn't Poly then one of the bio-strips ( all basically bio-diesel ... a alkyl-ester, usually methyl ester, of fatty acids) will work pretty well if you are patient, and are very low toxicity.

The usually recipe is coat it up, put newspaper over it, and wait.

You can try various test samples.

If you are stripping polyurethane ... that's a lot harder and you'll need really noxious (and toxic) strip.

[2G]

On Tuesday, December 19, 2017 at 7:26:28 PM UTC-8, wrote:
> On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 10:34:04 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> > My club just bought Schweitzer 1-23
> > Needs repaint
> > Best chemical to strip aluminum?
>
> YOU AREN'T STRIPPING THE ALUMINUM!
>
> What paint is on it? Polyurethane is really tough to strip. If it isn't Poly then one of the bio-strips ( all basically bio-diesel ... a alkyl-ester, usually methyl ester, of fatty acids) will work pretty well if you are patient, and are very low toxicity.
>
> The usually recipe is coat it up, put newspaper over it, and wait.
>
> You can try various test samples.
>
> If you are stripping polyurethane ... that's a lot harder and you'll need really noxious (and toxic) strip.

The bottom line is, if you want to strip anything, you will be using a methylene chloride stripper:

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-09/documents/september_12_speaker_presentation_-_gregory_morose_0.pdf

This will require proper safety equipment (respirator, etc.):
http://www.paintpro.net/Articles/PP303/PP303_strippers.cfm

Tom

[Darryl Ramm]

On Thursday, December 28, 2017 at 9:47:04 PM UTC-8, 2G wrote:
> On Tuesday, December 19, 2017 at 7:26:28 PM UTC-8, wrote:
> > On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 10:34:04 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> > > My club just bought Schweitzer 1-23
> > > Needs repaint
> > > Best chemical to strip aluminum?

Where is the paint/finish shop you are working with on this? They should be giving you exact advice for what to use and exactly what they want to see done.

[Blue Whale]

There are some environmentally friendly aircraft paint strippers that work great as long as you do small areas at a time. If necessary cover with a plastic wrap to keep the area from drying out...then scrape the residue off with a plastic scrapper...repeat if necessary. Biggest issue is always around the rivets. The 1-23 wings were profiled with a lot of body filler. Here is a resource for paint stripper: http://solventkleene.com/Dzolve15R.html

Someone once said to me "the best way to remove the paint from a Schweizer is to fly it until the paint has peeled off" because once you go down the refinishing route.....it's gonna become a multi-year project for the club.

[Papa3[_2_]]

On Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 4:49:17 PM UTC-5, Blue Whale wrote:
> There are some environmentally friendly aircraft paint strippers that work great as long as you do small areas at a time. If necessary cover with a plastic wrap to keep the area from drying out...then scrape the residue off with a plastic scrapper...repeat if necessary. Biggest issue is always around the rivets. The 1-23 wings were profiled with a lot of body filler. Here is a resource for paint stripper: http://solventkleene.com/Dzolve15R.html
>
> Someone once said to me "the best way to remove the paint from a Schweizer is to fly it until the paint has peeled off" because once you go down the refinishing route.....it's gonna become a multi-year project for the club.

I think our club used the Dzolve mentioned above on a 1-26D or E a few years back. I think the consensus was that it worked about the same as the ones we used in the past but without as much of the nasty stuff. You do have to keep it covered and work in relatively small patches. Overall, 90% of the paint comes off pretty easily and the last 10% is the tough stuff. Lots of plastic scrapers and scotch brite pads.

This is an ideal project for a club, since it relies on a fair amount of elbow grease. You need one or two relatively skilled people to keep an eye on things (make sure nobody grabs a household hook scraper and starts gouging aluminum), and the rest just follow orders.

We've been averaging one refinish project or another in Aero Club Albatross for the last 5-6 years, and it's done a lot to build club spirit.

Erik Mann

[[email protected]]

We expect to wet sand and paint most of the surface but we still are entertaining the idea of stripping some small manageable areas to the bare metal for cool visual highlights

[[email protected]]

On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 10:34:04 PM UTC-5, wrote:
> My club just bought Schweitzer 1-23
> Needs repaint
> Best chemical to strip aluminum?

Product we find works best is Aircraft Stripper- yep that is the product name sold by Klean Strip. Lots of auto body places carry it. Uses methylene chloride.
It stinks, burns skin and should not be breathed(it raises blood pressure).
That said it takes paint off much better than the stuff they sell at Home Depot for stripping furniture by pregnant mommies.
Clean up is with slow drying lacquer thinner and Scotchbrite pads.
Scrape loose paint off with wooden scrapers onto newspaper. Let it dry off before putting into a garbage bag. Store discards outside in a metal container with the top off.
It takes 2 people a day to strip one side of a 1-26 wing and then some more time for good clean up before Alumaprep,Alodine, epoxy primer.
This doe not work well in cold. Do in heated shop.
Good Luck
UH

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

Ahhhhh....yessss.......stripper, shop with limited ventilation and lots of MEK (before we knew is really messed with your body in a bad way) to final prep before etching......
Yes, we used to pour it on and ScotchBrite away....worked well.....
Did a great job, one cat acted more stupid than normal, meal discussions could be "interesting" for those that had not been in the shop.
Eventually, we learned better!

Safe stuff works slower, but.....it's safe.
Good stuff works faster and better, but REALLY take health precautions to mind, 100%......

If you follow current rules, better and safer than, say, welding new tubing into a fuselage while wearing a poly blend T shirt....but that's yet another story!