Viking Sales - Silent Paint Remover

Editor's Review: Infrared Paint Removal

The Silent Paint Remover consists of two heating elements in a housing with a handle. It heats a 12-in. by 5-in. area at a distance of about 2 in. It can be used freehand, or it can be placed at an angle with the help of an adjustable support. When you see moisture escaping from the wood below, the paint is soft enough to scrape. I tried it on an old paint-encrusted window sash after seeing the tool demonstrated only once and found it easy to use.

The Silent Paint Remover may be the safest removal option for lead paint. Lead begins giving off small amounts of lead vapor when it reaches about 700 degrees. The Silent Paint Remover's elements heat up to around 500 degrees. Leave it on the chosen area for about 20 seconds, and the surface of the paint heats up to 300 to 400 degrees. Because the paint becomes plastic, it's easily scraped from the wood's surface with little or no dust. As an added bonus, the Silent Paint Remover softens old, hard window glazing just about as quickly so that it, too, can be removed easily.

The model tested has been discontinued, but a new version is available.

Editor Test Results: