New Mexico Brant
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
I used "Everclear" grain alcohol on the removal. Everclear is available in different proofs depending on your state; in New Mexico it is 190 proof. It doesn't work with all paint binders; I have used Goof-off and acetone as well depending on the paint. Denatured alcohol should work the same at the Everclear but they add toxic stuff so you can't drink it; I have noticed a haze residue with denatured alcohol on art pieces so I stopped using it years ago. With the alcohol, you can add small amounts of water to cut-it if its "too hot" and removing your base coat you are trying to save. With this bike the maroon is pretty stable but the original white decorative elements are very fragile.Please explain how you removed the other layers of paint, but left the original pain in such nice shape! Thanks in advance!
I work small areas at a time with small pieces of cotton cloth ( 3 by 3 inches, folding in half and then large postage stamp size for the final removal t-shirt for the removal of the top layers of paint, terry-cloth towel for the final layer. You want the cloth pieces to be wet but not dripping. Sometimes it will take many seconds for the overpaint binders to "relax" and start coming off so you should not give up if you do not see results immediately. Try test spots with to see what solvent works best. Once the cloth is covered in paint discard it immediately and use a new one. Be very careful with pin stripes as they are typically very fragile and hard to save. Once down to final over-layer I use the smaller cloth pieces and just wipe usually once pulling away from the exposed original paint; discard cloth with removed pigments and use a new one every sweep!
With some bikes you can remove most of the overpaint rather quickly but the final layer and detail cleaning will take hours to do well. Patience and working small areas cannot be stressed enough! With this bike the green and cherry red overpaint is adhering to any bare metal spots better than areas were the original paint is intact. I still have a lot of work that needs to be done at these spots. I have experience removing overpaint off antique furniture and art objects but I am stilling learning on bikes. Any input from others would be appreciated.
Good luck!