best way of stripping paint off a frame

[dirtydaniel]

having a few conflicting reports from a few people on the best way to go about this, so thought I'd ask you lot on here for some advice.

picked up a cheap aluminium frame recently and I want to strip the paint job off, taking it back to the bare metal.

what could/should I use for this?

any advice appreciated, thanks

 

[JeRkY]

Nitromors stripper...carefully, in a well ventilated area.

You could have it media blasted, but you will have to pay for the service and also have to be careful over what the "media" is. The wrong stuff could badly damage the aluminium if not done well.

 

[stew-b]

nitromors will do it in a jiffy

 

[dirtydaniel]

my good old father recommended this... thanks guys.

 

[PIGEON]

I have tried to remove paint with a product similar to nitromors once.. Which resulted in my entire bike ending up covered in goo that I really didn't want to touch with my hands. I decided to put the frame aside to think about what I needed to do and the stuff cured and then the bike was covered in crusts of rock hard paint/remover.. And then one day I caught a strange asian chap trying to nick the cranks (which I had left on the frame) because he thought the bike was abandoned. He then asked me if he could have the cranks (he already brought a set of tools) and I said sure, go ahead. When I got back the entire frame was gone. I don't know how because the guy was on a bike, not ideal for transporting other bikes. But I guess I'm getting a bit off-topic here.
How should I have gone about cleaning the molten paint off the frame?

 

[dirtydaniel]

haha nice random story there pigeon

will post results of what happened with my efforts tomorrow evening...

 

[mojopete]

I recently stripped my David Lloyd steel frame with nitromors, it was good for the varnish and top coat but would not shift the primer, had to resort to sandpaper and elbow grease.

Pete.

 

[CyclingTheLakes]

I have tried to remove paint with a product similar to nitromors once.. Which resulted in my entire bike ending up covered in goo that I really didn't want to touch with my hands. I decided to put the frame aside to think about what I needed to do and the stuff cured and then the bike was covered in crusts of rock hard paint/remover.. And then one day I caught a strange asian chap trying to nick the cranks (which I had left on the frame) because he thought the bike was abandoned. He then asked me if he could have the cranks (he already brought a set of tools) and I said sure, go ahead. When I got back the entire frame was gone. I don't know how because the guy was on a bike, not ideal for transporting other bikes. But I guess I'm getting a bit off-topic here.
How should I have gone about cleaning the molten paint off the frame?

This reminds me, I've now seen spray paint out there and I believe it has a "stucco paint" finish! I only envisioned in my mind of how it might look on a bike frame. It's some sort of a rough finish, maybe it was called terra cotta.

But back to the original question: play one of those saucy songs!

 

[lilolee]

Paint on the Nitromors in small patches and wrap in clingfilm and leave for a few hours come back and scrap off with a wooden spatula and or newspaper, wash and repeat. Don't scrape too hard on stubborn areas just repeat until done.
The secret is don't let it dry out as Pigeon did otherwise you lose the whole bike No seriously don't let it dry out as it is the mixture of the Acetone (or whatever they use nowadays) and the Sodium Hydroxide that penetrates the paint, but the solvent evaporates quickly hence the clingfilm.

 

[lewis1641]

Nitromors is good on most paint but definately don't let it dry. Wear hand and eye protection as it burns. Dab it on the frame rather than painting. As you see it start to lift, dab some more on. Shortly after rub down with wire wool. Rinse, repeat as necessary. Don't let it dry! Also you need to be they careful every last trace has been removed before you paint the frame otherwise you'll get a reaction. Media blasting is far quicker. Forum member startrek uses a razor blade to remove paint ready for his stunning paint jobs