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Best paint remover

Started by Desert Phone Guy, April 01, 2020, 03:08:47 PM

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Desert Phone Guy

I am sad that Zip Strip is no longer being produced.  It was my go to stripper... took everything off easily, and did not damage wood at all.  I have tried the "new and improved Zip Strip"  and it does nothing to the old paint I applied it to.

Does anyone have a "silver bullet" stripper that they could recommend? 

Thanks in advance.

Steve

scottfannin

I can't believe it's true, but when I look, nobody I buy from has Zip Strip either.  My normal way of solving this is being blocked by the Covid virus.  There is this maybe 90+ year old semi-demented hunchback who sells paint and is like the Yoda of paint.  So if I want to coat something or remove something or finish something, I go there and explain.  He makes some troll noises and leads you to what you need.  He's closed indefinitely, not because our state would stop him from selling "essential" construction materials, but because he knows it is utterly unsafe for him to interact with the public.  Sometimes that shop has screws and knobs and things that are useful too.  I brought him a badly messed-up WE 317 a few months ago and asked what would work, including telling him it was from a bit before his time.  And he brought out Zip Strip.  Presumably now he can't restock.  But all that said, my plan and perhaps it would work for you is to visit the older type of hardware store where you can tell them the problem and they sell you a solution--granted for slightly more than Amazon would charge but worth it and you can imitate it online cheaper after that if you want to.  So I'm going to ration my half-bottle left very carefully.

countryman

I don't know that specific product, but my guess is that it is no longer produced and only remaining stock is still available.

Same here with paint strippers, the "good stuff" isn't available any more. It had some sort of environmental and health issues and was banned (Wikipedia: Dichloromethane).
Modern strippers have safer ingredients but act slower or not as good on any type of old paint.
On certain types of really old paint I had good luck with caustic soda for stripping, but that is nasty stuff. Protect eyes and skin very well! Also it can only be used on items that tolerate washing them with a lot of water for neutralization.

Doug Rose

I have used citristrip for years with great results on wood, metal and bakelite....Doug
Kidphone

scottfannin

I just tried to get some of that Citristrip.  1 month delay on Amazon.  Lowes and Home Depot both say they won't ship it.  I wonder if I should get it in the pipeline anyhow for when my container of Zip Strip runs out.  The nice thing about these vs. automotive strippers is that you can just use the same bottle on say, a 317 or a horribly painted over 634.  I can just see my 11 year old shop assistant (son) choosing a wrong container and vaporizing something 10X his age.  The hardware store that had Zip Strip is open now for a few hours a day so MAYBE it's worth breaking quarantine a little, but there's a problem--I live at the highest % of infection spot in the world, on the border between New Jersey and New York City, so I'm thinking, is it worth it to get a phone cleaned instead of waiting 2 months--maybe, I think maybe it is...that's pathetic isn't it?

FABphones

Quote from: scottfannin on May 09, 2020, 03:01:22 AM
...The hardware store that had Zip Strip is open now for a few hours a day so MAYBE it's worth breaking quarantine a little, but there's a problem--I live at the highest % of infection spot in the world, on the border between New Jersey and New York City...

Or you could ring to see if he has any in stock, if they do ask him to reserve one - put one aside with your name on it - for you to collect at a date you can both agree on there and then.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

TelePlay

There are other options to have it delivered for free (but the postage is in the price).

eBay sellers will ship at a good price and free shipping, cheaper than off the shelf at my local Walmart (which has both the liquid and spray) and Walmart will ship for free.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Citrus-Scent-Citristrip-Paint-Varnish-Stripping-Gel-1-Quart-QCSG801/274331507936

scottfannin

Interesting.  Have to admit it did not occur to me to shop for consumable items on eBay. 

countryman

On eBay you often buy from local, owner-operated stores - just not local to where you live.
Mail order can even be more environmental friendly than driving long distances for shopping just a single item. "Here", the hardware business has concentrated to a handful of chain stores. If one of them doesn't carry an item, the others probably also won't. Specialized stores are few, will only sell to professional users, sell bulk, will charge markup for small purchases, or will have to order your item to the store... so you have to drive twice...
Instead of wasting time and money driving around I like to order on eBay - warranty and a fair return policy included.

captroosh

As you guys may know I am new to the Hobby. I do keep an eye out for an exceptional buy or inexpensive phone for restoration. I came upon this one,  recently did some research and believe it is a WE 553 or 653. Obviously in rough shape. While I have worked on Bakelite and Plastic I have not attempted to remove paint on a metal phone. What would be best for this without disturbing the original paint as much as possible.
Capt. Roosh.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

captroosh

Sorry here's the image
Capt. Roosh.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

countryman

Great restoration object, I like this type of projects...
My guess is, this one will come out very nice. It looks like normal DIY or oil paint was put on without priming etc.
Usually any brand of paint stripper should lift it off just fine. From my experience the old black paint is much more resistant and will remain unharmed.
This is a wall phone I got with several layers of oil paint, it took its time but it came out good.
Just watch out and do not expose any other plastic material but bakelite to the stripper. On this phone the transmitter cap was not bakelite and took a slight damage.


FABphones

Quote from: captroosh on October 16, 2020, 09:43:00 AM
...While I have worked on Bakelite and Plastic I have not attempted to remove paint on a metal phone. What would be best for this without disturbing the original paint as much as possible.

If I was restoring that phone I would tackle it in one of two ways, the first with a hope of retaining the original paint.

First attempt - Strip the phone down completely so only the shell and outer painted parts remain, than soak in warm soapy water. This might help the outer coat of paint lift away, it depends on the paint used and how well the surface was prepped before whoever gave it it's new look.

Bear in mind the original paint might not be present in all places under that outer coating, and check the phone over for any rust coming through the paint. If there is, chances are it will need a strip down, rust treatment and repaint anyhow.

If the topcoat does not lift then it is on to step two, paint stripper, but in my experience paint stripper will also remove the original paint from the metal, and removal may be patchy so might take more than one attempt.

Citristrip is not available in my location, but others on here have used it with great success.

I have heard of original paint resisting paint stripper but that has not happened with the products I use. You can do a test patch somewhere out of sight inside the phone if you want to see if the original paint lifts. As countryman says, keep paint stripper away from any plastic parts.

Do you have the receiver for this phone, if so could you add a photo. I wouldn't advocate using paint stripper on receivers unless Bakelite.

If you end up removing all the paint there are plenty of threads on here re painting metal. A bit of time spent on your phone and it will come up looking good.

Keep us up to date re how you get on, looking forward to seeing this progress.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

captroosh

Countryman exceptional job. FABphones great info. I don't actually have the phone yet. I am in an auction for it. To my knowledge there is no receiver for it, at least not in the pictures I've seen. Should know by tonight if I won it. If I do I will be sure to Document the Restoration Process. While buying owning one of these old phones in great condition is nice, I really do enjoy restoring them. To me it's like uncovering a hidden gem.
Capt. Roosh.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.