Molecular Tech Coatings EMS-2500

[EridanMan]

http://www.m-tc.com/efs2500_home.htm

They're website is quite impressive, they have a few gallaries of this
stuff being used on Biz Jets and the like, and it (seems to) work
remarkably well.

Any experiences? My "Too good to be true" alarm is going wild, but If
it performs as advertised (and as it appears)... Wow, why would anyone
bother with Acidic strippers anymore?

FWIW, the online reviews I've read reference the original maker of
"STAZ-WETT", so I'm wondering if this is the same product under a new
name.

(This would be for Strip-myself, paint-professionally fantasy I'm
having at the moment;))

[EridanMan]

ARG, the stuff is called EFS-2500, not EMS...

sorry for the type.

EridanMan wrote:
> http://www.m-tc.com/efs2500_home.htm
>
> They're website is quite impressive, they have a few gallaries of this
> stuff being used on Biz Jets and the like, and it (seems to) work
> remarkably well.
>
> Any experiences? My "Too good to be true" alarm is going wild, but If
> it performs as advertised (and as it appears)... Wow, why would anyone
> bother with Acidic strippers anymore?
>
> FWIW, the online reviews I've read reference the original maker of
> "STAZ-WETT", so I'm wondering if this is the same product under a new
> name.
>
> (This would be for Strip-myself, paint-professionally fantasy I'm
> having at the moment;))

[Mike Spera]

EridanMan wrote:

> http://www.m-tc.com/efs2500_home.htm
>
> They're website is quite impressive, they have a few gallaries of this
> stuff being used on Biz Jets and the like, and it (seems to) work
> remarkably well.
>
> Any experiences? My "Too good to be true" alarm is going wild, but If
> it performs as advertised (and as it appears)... Wow, why would anyone
> bother with Acidic strippers anymore?
>
> FWIW, the online reviews I've read reference the original maker of
> "STAZ-WETT", so I'm wondering if this is the same product under a new
> name.
>
> (This would be for Strip-myself, paint-professionally fantasy I'm
> having at the moment;))
>

Well, we ain't seen the cost yet. It may be $150/gal. I'm interested cuz
the next paint job I do on the Cherokee will need a strip. I got away
with a DIY scratch and paint last time. Next time I will definitely take
pictures too.

If you really want to strip it yourself, you will need to do that at the
paint shop for a multitude of reasons. You may be able to get the shop
to let you do the crud work in the back corner to save money. But their
insurance company will likely not allow it.

Good Luck,
Mike

[Jon Woellhaf]

I got a "free" sample of it. Only cost me about $50 shipping because I gave
them my FedEx number and they shipped it Next Day.

I haven't tried it yet.

"EridanMan" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> http://www.m-tc.com/efs2500_home.htm
>
> They're website is quite impressive, they have a few gallaries of this
> stuff being used on Biz Jets and the like, and it (seems to) work
> remarkably well.
>
> Any experiences? My "Too good to be true" alarm is going wild, but If
> it performs as advertised (and as it appears)... Wow, why would anyone
> bother with Acidic strippers anymore?
>
> FWIW, the online reviews I've read reference the original maker of
> "STAZ-WETT", so I'm wondering if this is the same product under a new
> name.
>
> (This would be for Strip-myself, paint-professionally fantasy I'm
> having at the moment;))
>

[Jay Honeck]

> If you really want to strip it yourself, you will need to do that at the
> paint shop for a multitude of reasons.

Our old hangar neighbors stripped their Grumman a couple of years ago,
prior to having it professionally painted. It's a helluva an awful
job, but I didn't notice anything difficult involved. You just gotta
invest the hours.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[EridanMan]

> Our old hangar neighbors stripped their Grumman a couple of years ago,
> prior to having it professionally painted. It's a helluva an awful
> job, but I didn't notice anything difficult involved. You just gotta
> invest the hours.

Hey Jay... Love your website btw!

Yeah, the 'traditional' ways of stripping an aircraft seem tantamount
to torture... I'll pay someone to do it for me, thank you... The
water-based-gel method seems quite civilized by comparison... in that
'if-its-too-good-to-be-true-I'm-afraid-it-probably-is' kinda way.

Take a look at the website and the example pictures that they offer...
there is a review done by a mustang restoration website linked as
well... Its a prety impressive claim.

-Scott

[EridanMan]

Jon Woellhaf wrote:
> I got a "free" sample of it. Only cost me about $50 shipping because I gave
> them my FedEx number and they shipped it Next Day.

Could you keep us informed on your experience with your little test?

[EridanMan]

> Well, we ain't seen the cost yet. It may be $150/gal. I'm interested cuz
> the next paint job I do on the Cherokee will need a strip. I got away
> with a DIY scratch and paint last time. Next time I will definitely take
> pictures too.

Yeah, I've got an email in to the company for a price quote for 10
gallons of the stuff... It could be gods gift to painting... if its not
cost-competitive, its not worth it.

FWIW, Aircraft Spruce listed STAZ-WETT (which seems to be the same
stuff, or at least, the Review of the EFS stuff lists the STAZ-WETT
website) for 58 bucks a gallon...

580 for a stripped plane, if its as easy as advertised, is worth it...
1500 for the same thing? I'll just pay for a pro to do it, thank you.

> If you really want to strip it yourself, you will need to do that at the
> paint shop for a multitude of reasons. You may be able to get the shop
> to let you do the crud work in the back corner to save money. But their
> insurance company will likely not allow it.

Yeah, finding a paint shop who will be willing to paint after I strip
is a pretty big issue... I am NOT equipped (or skilled enough with
paint) to do a satisfactory job.

One of my on-field A&Ps actually does have a painting bay he uses for
touch-up work, but he doesn't offer full painting services... I am
going to talk to him to see if he'd be willing to put on the paint
coats for me for actual labor cost if I do the prep work. That would
have tha added advantage of I wouldn't need to fly her anywhere, and I
could go ahead an mask off the new custom paint scheme I designed.

Its a fun pipe-dream... probably not feasible though.

[Jon Woellhaf]

Yes.

"EridanMan" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Jon Woellhaf wrote:
>> I got a "free" sample of it. Only cost me about $50 shipping because I
>> gave
>> them my FedEx number and they shipped it Next Day.
>
> Could you keep us informed on your experience with your little test?
>

[EridanMan]

Hey Mike,

FWIW, the cost is 60 bucks a gallon... not cheap, but if it works as
advertised, definitely worth it.

I've ordered a gallon, I am going to test it by stripping a small area
of the plane that is in desperate need of touch-up, and based on how
that experience goes I will decide whether or not I'll even consider
doing the full plane in a year or so. I'll report on my experiences
when I have a chance.

-E S Cragg

Mike Spera wrote:
> EridanMan wrote:
>
> > http://www.m-tc.com/efs2500_home.htm
> >
> > They're website is quite impressive, they have a few gallaries of this
> > stuff being used on Biz Jets and the like, and it (seems to) work
> > remarkably well.
> >
> > Any experiences? My "Too good to be true" alarm is going wild, but If
> > it performs as advertised (and as it appears)... Wow, why would anyone
> > bother with Acidic strippers anymore?
> >
> > FWIW, the online reviews I've read reference the original maker of
> > "STAZ-WETT", so I'm wondering if this is the same product under a new
> > name.
> >
> > (This would be for Strip-myself, paint-professionally fantasy I'm
> > having at the moment;))
> >
>
> Well, we ain't seen the cost yet. It may be $150/gal. I'm interested cuz
> the next paint job I do on the Cherokee will need a strip. I got away
> with a DIY scratch and paint last time. Next time I will definitely take
> pictures too.
>
> If you really want to strip it yourself, you will need to do that at the
> paint shop for a multitude of reasons. You may be able to get the shop
> to let you do the crud work in the back corner to save money. But their
> insurance company will likely not allow it.
>
> Good Luck,
> Mike

[Mike Spera]

I forget how many gallons of stripper it takes to do an airplane. Many
shops spray it on to save time. This also applies a pretty thin coating
that saves material. Brushing it on does the opposite (takes a lot of
time and wastes material). At current paint job prices though, you can
buy lots of materials and still get off cheap. Most of the cost to paint
an airplane is in the labor.

I spent about $1000 in paint and material to do a scratch and paint.
Likely you would double that to do a full strip, alodine, conversion
coating, prime, and paint. Probably more like $2500 or so.

Like I said, the killer is the labor. Disassembly, masking, stripping,
cleaning, reassembly, control surface rebalancing, and repairs eat up
surprising amounts of time. I took 6 full days to do it without a strip.
2 more full days to repair and repaint the wheel pants. It would take me
an additional 4-5 days to strip, clean, chemical wash, and prime a small
plane like a Cherokee by myself.

My time killers were in removing/replacing the fuel tanks for
hose/gasket replacement, rebuilding the fuel selector, installing new
dorsal fairings, installing new wing tips, and repairing the cowling
fiberglass. Next time around, I will have all the repairs/upgrades done
in advance to save time.

Let me know how that stripper works.

Thanks,
Mike


> Hey Mike,
>
> FWIW, the cost is 60 bucks a gallon... not cheap, but if it works as
> advertised, definitely worth it.
>
> I've ordered a gallon, I am going to test it by stripping a small area
> of the plane that is in desperate need of touch-up, and based on how
> that experience goes I will decide whether or not I'll even consider
> doing the full plane in a year or so. I'll report on my experiences
> when I have a chance.
>
> -E S Cragg
>