Problems Stripping Paint from Titanium

[kingoffootball]

I recenty bought a titanium stem which had been paint and I have been trying to strip the aint. It went well to begin with, but the stem was originally a matte finish and I have got to a point where there are still traces of the yellow paint, but the most recent attempt did not seem to make any further progress. So far, I have used paint stripper with a stainless scraper, scourer and wire wool.

Any suggestions how to get the remaining yellow tint off? Or will I have to forgo having it bare ti and get it painted?

 

[Twozaskars]

When rebuilding my Land Rover I discovered that paint stripper isn’t what it used to be. The missing ingredient (dichloromethane) can be purchased online and mixed in but is extremely hazardous.
For this could you not use a heat gun then a brass wire brush? Vapour blast?

 

[markoc]

I'm no expert with Ti - but I'd be looking at some cutting compound to start with, and then some wet and dry dependent on what finish you want.

Probably need to be prepared to invest a few hours (and beers) in the process.

 

[Carge]

@wadsy has had his stuff like that (and some of mine) vapour-blasted. Leaves it very clean, albeit somewhat matte, but it can then be polished.

 

[rc300]

Would have it blasted

 

[kingoffootball]

Thanks for the replies so far. I know paint strippers aren't as powerful as they used to be, but this one has worked fairly easily on steel and aluminium. I guess it would also have been the case on the titnium is the finish underneath had have been smoother. I don't really want to use any worse-for-the-environment chemicals as I have no way to safely dispose of them.

I do have a heat gun and both manual and drill brass wire brushes. I also have wet and dry already. I am not set on any particular finish, but I have an identical stem with a bare (but smoother) finish which still has the rainbow colouring from the welding that I will keep like that. I was edging towards this being polished or brushed as an alternate finish .

If I had anything else to be stripped/powdercoated, I would ask the powdercoater to strip it at the same time. There's nothing waiting at the moment though.

I got this stem rather cheap, so I would like to try to avoid spending much/anything on refinishing it if I can.

 

[mdvineng]

The Ti isn't the issue but the paint type is.

 

[fettler]

Paramose still does the business and still contains dichloromethane. Always wear goggles. Only available in 5L containers minimum at about £45 last time that I bought it but that's enough to do 3 or 4 frames at least. Always wear goggles. Available in thick or thin, get the thick as it clings onto round tubes rather than running off. Always wear goggles. Gloves are optional but I'd give it about 5 seconds before you're running for a tap if you get any on you. It does say 'for Trade/Industrial use only' on the side but no one ever asks when you buy it? Always wear goggles and using a plastic scraper will be kinder to your frame finish if that doesn't melt as well. Keep your nostrils well away from the work and always wear goggles.

 

[Frankenorange]

Those stems have a very rough surface finish and they vary quite. Lots of pits for paint to sit in so i think gentle blasting and then finishing to suit is your only option. The unworked surface does make for a very good key for paint though.

 

[kingoffootball]

Well, having failed to make progress removing the nipples from the front wheel of my Ritchey, I decided to have a go with a brass wire wheel on this. No expectations of success, but a few minutes on the big wire wheel followed by a small one to get into the angles did the job. after that, I gave it a quick going over with a nylon wheel:



Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm glad to have made some progress. Now I just need to think about what finishing I want to try for.