best paint remover

what in your experience makes the best paint remover( that doesn't discolor the metal underneath)? I got an extra tank and want to do it bare metal

I'm probably gonna use some acid on the inside, depending on the shape its in, should I just douse the tank or would that weaken it too much??

also, whats the best way to pull the emblems so that they will be reusable??

I got some stuff at Kmart called Dad's Paint Remover. It's in a blue and yellow can. I used it to strip off powder coating off of a BMX frame. It didn't hurt the chrome plating underneath at all. It's pretty toxic stuff, it wrinkles up the paint and you just scrub/wash it off.

Indeed, Dad's Easy Spray Stripper works great for everything but urethane and polyurethane finishes. I've used it to strip the paint from guitars for years. When I'm ready to polish the tank on my bike, this is what I plan to try first.

The strippers that I've used (both for automotive and wood refinishing) are quite temperature-sensitive. Especially at this time of year it's worth mentioning that the warmer your workpiece, the faster the stripping will go.

At 90F, you can watch the stripper bubble before your eyes. At 60F, you're better off walking away and making a sandwich while you wait.

Post edited by: gargantuchet, at: 2005/12/05 19:17

A joke popped into my head... something about the strippers I've used... then I let it settle back down into the mire and muck...

Most any paint stripper will work. The brush on kind are all about the same.

If you decide to etch the inside of the tank, use phosphoric acid in solution. About one quart should work great to kill the surface rust inside a tank. Phosphoric acid is what pros use to prep metal prior to painting. Once you have used a solution of this stuff in water, dry the tank good with compressed air and then fill immediately with gas as oxidation occurs quickly otherwise.

Damn, I thought everyone knew the answer to this.

Why it's brake fluid!!!

-Duck

Hey Duck,
You Da Man! Brake fluid is relatively cheap and non toxic (relatively). Set your part in some sort of tray and brush on the brake fluid once a day till the paint just curdles off.
KZCSI

suffering, "MBD" = motorcycle be dead?

no boddah, fix'em mon.

= more bikes daily?

self limiting

= monkey boner, dammit!

take a few Jacksons to town

-Duck

I read on the old board about an "aircraft" stripper. I bought it at Walmarts. It comes in a blue spray can near the automotive stuff. It says "aircraft stripper". Its not extremely expensive and is safe to use on anything made of aluminum. I used it to get overspray from a poor paint job on the luggage rack on my bike. It took the paint off the chrome, aluminum, and wheels. Be careful though...... the stuff is very fast acting and strong.

if you have the means id go with sandblasting.it takes care of two steps. (stripping and "scuffing")
however i wouldnt recommend sending out to have it blasted because whoever blasts it probably wont seal the metal and it will be exposed to moisture.

as for the inside,if it isnt in that bad of shape you can buy a small carton af bb's dump em in your tank with some pb blaster shake the hell out of it.
just remember to rinse your tank a few times with some gas after

auto paint store...aircraft stripper in a non srpay can brush it on, it works best, wash with soap and water, then solvent wash. A sandblaster will warp the metal unless it is a very low pressure type... for the inside of the tank I have successfully used the electrolite method,,,alkali and battery charger