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I was wondering if anyone out there had a favorite tool or technique from removing built-up paint layers from different surfaces. Currently, I am trying to re-install double hung windows into the frames which they fit but the tolerance allowable does not afford me the oppurtunity to sand and make a “cut” into the wood. Was just wondering if anyone knew something that I didn’t– man, is this type removing is tedious and time consuming since I’m trying to get it down to natural wood so as to stain it.
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Stripping paint is fun, isn't it?
Personally, I'd hire it out to day laborers.
For flat surfaces, I buy a heavy duty heat gun. The higher wattage, the better. You can find the good industrial ones in Old House Journal. Take the paint off it off with a custom puddy knife or paint took. I usually buy a couple of them, and sharpen them on a sharpening wheel, and grind one down to about 1" wide, and keep the other one stock. You should be able to get the flat surfaces down to bare wood with this method.
Next, buy some Methyelene Chorlide. The stuff is absolutely nasty, and illegal in some states. It is highly toxic, and only temporary day laborers or your brother in law should work with the stuff. There are some home versions under the name Jasco I think, but the good stuff, the real toxic stuff, 100% Methyelene Cholride can be found in chemical plants in your area. There are 2 consistancies, liquid and a semi-paste. I buy the paste, especially for verticle surfaces.
Have your brother in law apply the stuff as thick as you can get it. Some people then cover it with kitchen plastic wrap. I think that just adds to the mess, but hey, your brother in law will figure it out. Keep it moist, by covering it or adding fresh stripper. Let it work for about 3-4 hours.
Neutralize the stripper with water, and towel dry.
Repeat this process until all the paint is gone.
Follow up with some 100 grit sandpaper.
Assuming your brother in law is doing it, please do the following:
* Don't buy or let him use heavy rubber gloves with the Methylene Chorlide. He only uses his hands for asking you for money.
* Don't ventilate the area. Hey, he smokes anyway, and is covered by health insurance.
* Do use heavy duty extension cords for the heat gun. Hey, it is your house right? Cover the floors.
*If you are looking for something more mechanical, I like the replaceable carbide blade paint scrapers. They are often only available at paint specialty stores. With a sharp blade, they will take paint right down to the wood, leaving a glass-smooth surface. They are not great in tight spaces however, so you may still need to chemically remove some areas. On the heat front, IF the paint area is away from any nooks and crannies or cracks, in other words not near something which might easily catch on fire, a propane torch works many times faster than a heat gun. Be warned that the flame will lick into small areas like joints between pieces, etc. Be sure to wear a respirator if there is a chance there is lead paint. Also, try it out on some scrap for a while until you get comfortable. Buy one of the hand-held variety with a built in trigger type ignitor.
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Hi PRP - Scooter is right about the hassles of layered paint removal. I have used that "Orange" paint removal stuff as an alternative to methalene chloride. It works, is considerably safer, but costs more. MC is particularly nasty and the short term effects from inhalation are directed at the nervous system manifest as decreased visual and audirory abilities. In the long term animal studies show increased liver and lung cancer rates. Just what us beer drinkers need, something else to attack the liver. Inhalation can be also be fatal on the spot if enough enters the blood stream. Oddly enough MC is still used to decaffinate coffee and is "approved" as a fumagant for some berries.
Catch ya, DocSeven
*Ok Scooter, I'll try the higher wattage heat gun method and wear the respirator. Also, thanks for the laughs, but I won't dream of assigning this task to unsuspecting day laborers, unsuspecting brother-in-law yes, but day laborer, no. Yes and Doc, thanks for the recommend of what I think you were describing -"Citrus Strip." I've haven't used it yet but was eyeing it. It is kinda scary that anyone would recommend MC for anything else other than careful and considerate stripping in a very controlled environment. Can't imagine ever drinking Decaf again. Can't wait till I get out of this project altogether -- and I'm almost through, this was the last step before re-installation. I've been using the MC and just hate the mess and the extensive clean-up.Can't use the method you suggested Chris Campbell because I don't wish to do anything to upset the size of the opening, although, a 100 grit would be fine enough.Ok, thanks all, no substitute for hard work.
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"Peel Away" brand paint stripper has worked wonders for me. It is much less hazardous than MC and helps to avoid the lead-poisoning risk that comes with heat or mechanical stripping (air bourne lead paint particles and lead 'vapor' from heated lead both are BAD). For wood that will be clear-finished, they recommended their formula #7 (there are a bunch of formulas, I trusted my paint supplier's advice). It was very easy to use and cleaned up with water. It takes 24 to 72 hours to work (some trial & error is needed to find best).
Right now it is my favorite way to strip paint.
(it is still a time consuming and messy job though :-(
*If you use the variety of peel-away that is basically lye and cornstarch, be sure you take the neutralizing seriously. I agree that this stuff is great for a number of reasons (lead paint, plus it sucks the pigment right out of the pores) but if you don't get it neutralzed then you will start getting white stains through your finish.We did all the wood work in our bungelow with it, and basically I'm very pleased. But I do have several spots where we didn't neutralize it well enough and now there are white spots. I wish there was a way to actually test to see if it has been neutralized. Maybe there is now, but I wasn't aware of anything in 1989 when we used it.
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Norm and Bryan: is there much of an odor associated w/ this. The low odor or citrus odor of Citrus Strip is one thing that I find kinda appealling.
Want to give me more technique information on this, like scraping, number of applications, covering the saturated area, and the like?
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Well, now towards the end of stripping my 2 story house and having tried all the above, I'd go with the carbide bladed scrapers and perhaps the Paint Shaver. I wasn't too impressed at first but it's growing me - much easier than scraping and does control the dust. Don't count on it to take all paint off and leave perfect surface - some scarping after and then a sanding with a r.o. sander - also with dust collector. Good enough to be stained or even just sealed with a clear sealer.
*I broke down and bought the Metabo stripper. The dust collection works very well, but the hose fitting on the machine has a peculiar twist lock on it that makes it difficult to adapt my varied collection of vacuum hoses to it. Hearing protection is a must.
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I'm using the Citri Strip stuff on some antique
doors we're using for a friend's house. I've got
about 8 verifiable thick layers of paint; It's
taken me 3 coats to get to bare wood, but each
coat only needs to be on about 20 - 30 minutes;
scrape the goo off gently, reapply another coat
until you get to wood. I can use it without a
respirator and I chose it because of the
probability of lead paint plus I hate the nastier
chemical strippers; It is very messy because all
that old paint just peels off into a goo-ey sticky
mess; I will only need to sand the relief work on
the interior panels (nooks and crannies). I lov
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I did some cabinets with 3M's Safest Stripper. It is very low odor and even takes a few minutes to burn your skin. Expensive, but worked. If you use a chemical stripper, be sure to follow the directions....in other words, be patient. Let the stipper work.
Rich Beckman
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The Peel-Away worked for me, on 100yrs of built up paint, in one application. When you remove the paper over-lay pretty much ALL the paint lifts with it. The only clean up is with a green scrubby pad and water (any remaining paint is real soft). The wood was almost perfectly clean afterwards (ready for staining) with almost no paint remaining in the grain. The trick was to allow enough time for it to work without waiting too long and splotchy bleaching of the original wood to occur (when it did, some sanding evened it out). For my application, about 48 to 60 hours worked best. From reading the other posts here, I think this way really is the least messy...
The smell is not 'chemiclally', but it does get strong after a while (we did lots during winter).
The summer, with air flow, I had no problem with smell.
It worked real well with complicated shapes.
*Thanks all!Bryan and Norm, I just called around to find the Peel Away #7; Wow, nearly $70 a gallon. I'm used to paying about $15 for MC based strippers. I'm likely to try elsewhere before passing on this costs. Let me know if I'm being taken to the cleaners, would 'ya!Sincerely, PRP
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I was wondering if anyone out there had a favorite tool or technique from removing built-up paint layers from different surfaces. Currently, I am trying to re-install double hung windows into the frames which they fit but the tolerance allowable does not afford me the oppurtunity to sand and make a "cut" into the wood. Was just wondering if anyone knew something that I didn't-- man, is this type removing is tedious and time consuming since I'm trying to get it down to natural wood so as to stain it.
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#7 isn't the cheap stuff (obviously!) that I was referring too. We paid about $90 per 5 gallons, back in 1989. I think we had something like #1 or #2. As I said, it is basically cornstarch and lye and occasionaly, I see home-made receipes for this. The lye has to be neutralized or you get the white spots I was talking about.
We put it on about 3/8" thick and left it for several days (which is too long) 48 hours should be plenty. Be sure the paper is in complete contact with the paste; otherwise the paste dries out. Remove it with wood scrapers (make your own out of some hard wood). The plastic ones they give you aren't worth it, and metal is ok, but be sure you don't gouge your wood. The messy part is the neutralizing (I think this is why they came out with #7). We used white vinegar and sprayed it on from a hand sprayer. If I was doing it again, I might get a small pump sprayer. Scrub it in real well with a nylon bristle brush, then rinse with clear water. This all raises the grain of course. But on wood where we had seven or eight layers of paint and finish, it lifted everything off! And no lead dust either.
As for safe and appropriate disposal, I'm not so sure.