Paint Stripper

[Matthew Moore]

I need to strip the paint off my frame, crank, and fork and I was wondering if anyone has some good suggestions for what paint stripper to use. Also if anyone has any extra that you don't need I'll buy it off ya

[yoli]

i had the paint stripped off my fork by Herk the Stripper in Santa Monica on Main Street. nice guy, gave me a good deal, and he did it in 24 hours. don't know what his pricing or turnaround is for a whole frame.
afterwards, i had the fork buffed and plated by West L.A. Plating who i can also recommend for great customer service and a well done job.

[Matthew Moore]

thanks for the info but I think I could save money by doing it myself. I've been told aircraft paint stripper works really well . Does anyone have some of that?

[E-Rock]

you can usually find that stuff at any autoparts store, but keep in mind, it's nasty stuff, so use gloves, and be safe.

[Matthew Moore]

thanks for the heads up

[JB]

Jasco Paint and Epoxy Remover seems to be the recommended product.

The downside is that it's about the most toxic stuff known to man (see the MSDS here - http://www.denaultcommercial.com/msds%20sheets/JASCO%20PAINT%20AND%20EPOXY%20REMOVER.pdf).  You have to work with it outside, ideally while wearing a respirator, and you then have to bring your used stripper, paper towels, etc. to one of the Hazardous Household Waste disposal locations, as it's too toxic to go in the regular garbage.

Given that the stripper costs $10, and sandpaper / paper towels / masking tape etc. is going to run another $5-10, and spray paint is going to run $5-10, it might be a better deal overall just to drive out to Magna Powder Coating in El Monte and have them sandblast and powder-coat your frame for $50.

YMMV.

[Elizabeth Hunter]

It sounds like a bunch of people are planning on getting something powdercoated at Magna so maybe we can carpool down there to save gas/get a discount?

[Matthew Moore]

I already have half of the stuff that you mentioned but yeah maybe I'll get it blasted.
Elizabeth if people are going to get stuff sand blasted give me the heads up if the price is reasonable i'll throw down.

[E-Rock]

one thing you should note from the MSDS sheet is that the stripper is incompatible (and potentially reactive) with aluminum, so, if you're trying to strip paint off of an aluminum frame, you should get it done professionally.

[kurtz]

Given that the stripper costs $10, and sandpaper / paper towels / masking tape etc. is going to run another $5-10, and spray paint is going to run $5-10, it might be a better deal overall just to drive out to Magna Powder Coating in El Monte and have them sandblast and powder-coat your frame for $50.

YMMV.

wait a minute, what?  i can get my frame and fork painted any color i want for a paltry $50?  what's the catch?

[Matthew Moore]

hey well if anyone is down to get their stuff stripped and or painted hit my up by email (matthew.kyle.moore@gmail.com) or my cell (310 365 7743)

[Jaz]

I have to say, if you are doing it yourself. Sanding worked really well for me. Took a while, but then the spray paint really sticks. Montana FTW obviously, and get some ridiculous colors.

Not sure, but I've been told paint stripper strips off everything for the spray paint to grip well.

maybe it's just people talking others out of using it, or what, but just....well....yeah...be careful.

[Steve Mattson]

I recently stripped the paint off an older Bianchi steel frame using Jasco paint stripper.  It worked great and with some steel wool, rubber gloves, long sleeves, long pants and eye protection (The stripper BURNS your skin if contacted) and soft wire brush, I got all the paint and primer off the frame.  I'd follow ERock's recommendation about aluminum--don't use the stripper on those parts like your cranks which I assume are aluminum.  Is your frame aluminum?
I then used 3M scotchbrite pads and very fine (300 grit) sand paper to polish/buff up the metal--I did this because I want to have the frame nickel plated and any scratch will show up.
The place in El Monte that powder coats is called MEGA Powdercoating.  Someone paid only $50 for sandblasting and color of his choice.  There is a thread on the forum about it and you can search it in the general category:

Cheap Sand Blasting and Powder Coating

They seem to do an ok job and have excellent interest in making you happy.  They do their own sandblasting--which I think for my frame would be the last thing I'd want (it would look sandblasted and rough under the nickel plating).  They will probably get better and better the more bikes they do.

[Steve Mattson]

Here's the info:
I'm letting everyone know of a recent place I took my bike to get powder coated; half the distance of Olympic and half the price in a quarter of the turn-around time.

Mega Powder Coating
1443 N Potrero Ave
South El Monte, CA
91733

(626) 279-6200

Mega does a pretty decent job sand blasting and powder coating. If you are a perfectionist, then I would recommend taking your bike to Olympic Powder Coating in Santa Ana. If you want something pretty clean, but are not anal, then this might be a good option for you if you don't want to hand paint,can't afford car paint, or simply prefer powder coating.

To sandblast and powder coat costs $50 in about a two day turn-around. It is important to tell them exactly what you want and what you want tapped off. While they did slightly spray into some of the tubes, (ended up being no problem, races just a little snug) they managed to tape off the chrome on my chain-stay and save it without even asking. When I talked to Olympic, they said they would not be able to save it. This place did, which was a nice surprise and their customer service is very friendly. I brought my friend's bike in as well and was not satisfied the first round. Easily enough, they offered to do it again, so I came back in two hours while they redid everything.

My frame has a few small pinhole looking blemishes barely noticeable near where the top tube meets the lug at the head tube and a slight miss of the spray hidden by one of the bottle cage screws. Like I said; not entirely flawless, but really nice if you are not religious about perfection. I have received many compliments on my paint job, so it might be a good option to you. They have many colors to choose from as well.

Also, it helps to know Spanish, since few of the employees speak english well.
 
If you want immaculate, take it to CycleArt for a lot of money or perhaps someone that paints cars. If you want a really nice powder coat, then cruise to Santa Ana for about $120. If you want a nice powder coat, cheap and almost perfect for $50 and closer to home, then go here.

[Matthew Moore]

thanks for all the info everybody. much appreciated. although sand blasting sounds like a great idea I don't have $50 so I'll just take the sand paper approach.