How do I strip just 1 coat of paint off my bike?

[snickle]

I have a 1953 26 inch frame that has been repainted probably a few times, what would be the best chemical to use to figure out what the original color scheme was for this bike?

I read that aircraft paint remover gel was best, is that too strong?

 

[militarymonark]

a synthetic reducer such as xylene or I thin its spelled like that and can be found in most hardware stores.

 

[JRE]

Ether Synthetic Reducer or Xylene works great. Will leave the factory paint and take the rest off.

 

[militarymonark]

be careful when you start seeing the pinstripes they come off with that stuff.

 

[rockabillyjay]

I've used Easy-Off oven cleaner with good results. What ever you go with, I'd test a small area under the BB shell to see how it reacts and how long it takes to work first.

 

[snickle]

Thanks for the replies, I will try xylene under the crank and see how it comes out.

 

[Iverider]

I've used oven cleaner on a vehicle with a crappy respray before, but not no a bicycle. The result was pretty good. You can use a scotchbrite pad (Green for a lot of coats or grey for just one respray) Be careful and only do small sections at a time. I always kept a water source nearby to rinse if needed.

 

[patrick]

I have a 1951 Schwinn that has been painted over twice and I am using xylene for the first coat and very fine steel wool and wd-40 for the second. It takes a while but it has the best results for me.