Best Technique To Remove Paint

[rollfaster]

"I will never buy a house or spray painted Bluebird bike that is available and affordable."

Said no one on the forum!

Acceptions can be made!

 

[Bikeman 86]

View attachment 659242 View attachment 659240 View attachment 659241 View attachment 659243 View attachment 659244 View attachment 659245 My vote is not to buy house or spray paint bikes. This one is a lost cause now because some idiot used miultiple coats of house paint, I used Goof Off and a scotch brite pad very lightly, take was so incredibly caked up. I was gentle but started seeing bare metal. This kid even painted the bars, truss rods, wheels, you name it. No more for me, OG paint bikes only!

It was given to us my grandfather is often given bikes because he takes ones that dont work missing wheel broken chain bent crank and fixes them up to ride-able condition were not trying for perfect just more attractive that red is really ugly and if its free were gonna take it no matter the paint usually i leave the over paint alone but its flaking off and the blue is much much more attractive thus will sell better when displayed out in front of our house.

 

[Bikeman 86]

And what ever you try....don’t sand at all

thanks i had considered wet/dry sand paper at first

 

[2jakes]

thanks i had considered wet/dry sand paper at first

Takes time to remove only the top layer
of paint and not the original .

I did the chemical-strip as a last resort.
I was lucky that the original paint did not
come off.
I don't recommend it because there’s no assurance that
it will work on all bikes.
Try the other techniques first so as not to
further damage the original paint.
Good Luck!

 

[GTV]

Old thread...
I’ve tried my hand at paint removal on a few old cars but not on a bike before. I used Citri-Strip mostly and had mixed results. I want to see what’s left of the original paint on my DX, I don’t have huge expectations (i think it’s mostly gone underneath) so I think it will be good practice if nothing else. I’m curious to know if there’s any new suggestions, what would you suggest starting with?
Old pic from when I first got it...

 

[Miq]

This is bad advice; You'll make a sticky mess of all the paint it comes into contact with- Lacquer thinner is much too "hot" for enamels.

^^^THIS^^^ is bad advice. Not trying to be offensive @Duck

If you search around here, you will find countless stories (often w great pics) of the magic of Lacquer Thinner and 0000 Steel Wool for removing rattle can paint but preserving the original factory enamel paint beneath.

When I wanted to do it this year, I tried a few methods simultaneously to see who had "good" advice vs "bad" advice for my bike with it's particular rattle can red coating. Of course YMMV. I called it the Paint Remover Challenge. Check it out.

As you know from doing cars, it is hours and hours of gently rubbing, while breathing toxic fumes. Enjoy!

 

[Andrew Gorman]

I've had good luck using Goof Off Graffiti Remover for taking off a top layer of spray paint. Works quickly, an it's easy to use in stages- one application will usually let you know if there is something worth saving below. It's a thick aerosol- spray it on, let it work for 10 minutes and wipe it off. Lather, rinse and repeat.

 

[Kickstand3]

^^^THIS^^^ is bad advice. Not trying to be offensive @Duck

If you search around here, you will find countless stories (often w great pics) of the magic of Lacquer Thinner and 0000 Steel Wool for removing rattle can paint but preserving the original factory enamel paint beneath.

When I wanted to do it this year, I tried a few methods simultaneously to see who had "good" advice vs "bad" advice for my bike with it's particular rattle can red coating. Of course YMMV. I called it the Paint Remover Challenge. Check it out.

View attachment 1095493
View attachment 1095495

As you know from doing cars, it is hours and hours of gently rubbing, while breathing toxic fumes. Enjoy!

I’m with mike on this , you don’t want scrub with anything that can scratch. On heavy areas let a clean rag with thinner sit a little longer then move on . If you feel the original paint is getting tacky move along and come back maybe the next day or so . Keep rotating to a cleaner spot on your rag . Patients .......... slowly for sure.
I use Q Tips with a little thinner on final detail

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[piercer_99]

I still say the best method is to pay someone else to do it.

Still waiting for the day I can afford to do that.

 

[39zep]

My 2 cents... I stumbled onto a product called "Krud Kutter" available at home depot. It is a water based graffiti removal product. I found that I could brush it on heavy (100%) then wait as the paint loosened, then come back with a 50% mix with water to carefully lift the paint. I used cotton pads, Q tips and a lot of patience. I could rinse with 100% water to stop the process. Problem is every situation is different. I got very lucky that it removed the overpaint and left the OG paint. Goof off HD is very aggressive and can roll right through your overpaint and OG paint in a heartbeat. Abrasives should be a last resort. Every situation is different, type of paint, did they sand/prep before hand. Experiment in small areas, be patient. It like those pyramid dig guys digging with small paint brushes.
Definitely worth a shot at finding a diamond in the ruff. My 2 cents...