harris hawker

New Member
Ok I need some advice on the best way to prep my series for paint. The welding is nearly done after two weeks soild, and after looking at the body work to see what's what the last owner has painted all the galv capping black, and the body work has been brush painted. I think its enamel paint as I tried sanding one of the wings I have off and the sander hardly touched it with 60 grit paper. Plus there are rivets all over the place that won't take to well to loads of sanding, any ideas any of you!!!
 
proper da with proper discs 80 grit 160,and 300 to finish

I used a random orbital with 60 grit discs and it won't touch it, I sanded the side of one wing for over an hour and it still needs more. I have worked in grp as a bath finisher some years ago so know about sanding grades and prep, but what ever this paint is its hard as hell
 
Try stripping it with Nitromors. It's never the cheapest option but it will at the very least loosen up the old paint for you to sand it away or hopefully scrape.
 
Try stripping it with Nitromors. It's never the cheapest option but it will at the very least loosen up the old paint for you to sand it away or hopefully scrape.

I looked into that, but I am not sure if it will damage the aluminum??
 
If yer not keen on Nitromors, .... grab a 500W grinder and a wire spinner. It'll take just about as much time, but soooo much more satisfying than a scraper :D :D :D

If it makes ya feel better, Smidge has had 4 colours - original Blue, then bronze green, and finally "battleship grey" - and back to Bronze with me.

Not a fun job, prepping fer paint >:/
 
If yer not keen on Nitromors, .... grab a 500W grinder and a wire spinner. It'll take just about as much time, but soooo much more satisfying than a scraper :D :D :D

If it makes ya feel better, Smidge has had 4 colours - original Blue, then bronze green, and finally "battleship grey" - and back to Bronze with me.

Not a fun job, prepping fer paint >:/

Do you mean a wire brush fitting for a grinder? I did see a paint removal disc in b&q looked like a ridged coarse scotch pad but I don't know what they are like
 
if you use cellulose paint you may need a sealer to stop it reacting with whatever is on it, you dont want crazing on the final coat.
need to de-paint my capping and windscreen frame too!
 
if you use cellulose paint you may need a sealer to stop it reacting with whatever is on it, you dont want crazing on the final coat.
need to de-paint my capping and windscreen frame too!

I will be using the paint from paddocks, as far as I know its an enamel system but all the panels will get degresed first anyway.
 
Nah .... one of these will eat that paint in no time...and any filler....fibreglass....rodents...... :D

Thats what i used for mine, and used it to clean up the metal before welding the footwells. It took the old bitch off the legs and the paint off the door posts. But how much :eek: dont use B&Q.

I went to Toolstation which has free delivery (useually next day) if you spend over £10.
 
I looked into that, but I am not sure if it will damage the aluminum??

Nitromors shouldn't bother the metal, u can use it on woodwork and its fine, its wot i used to use in the bodyshop i worked at. best way to do it is blather it (in a well ventilated place or you mite start to feel a bit squiffy :s ) cover it in a plastic sheet and leave it for 5mins, then come back to it with a paint scraper. Repeat as many times as u like, just remember to wash it off wi plenty of water, that should neutralise it. U mite wanna wear gauntlets too, coz if you get it on you and don't wash it straight off, it burns like hell!!! I used it recently on a truck cab I bought that was painted with enamel and it was fine, but don't forget when you paint it again to use a decent etch primer on the bare metal (not the ****e you get from halfords, same goes for hi-build, ur better off using proper stuff that you mix rather than the aerosols. I went thru four cans on a series 3 wing, and the whole lot rubbed off with wet and dry paper!!! If you don't have a gun and a compressor, put ur hi-build on with a roller and be prepared for a lot of sanding!) have fun!!!
 
Caustic soda is great for stripping paint.

& Nitromors has been waterbased for a few years now.
 
Nitromors shouldn't bother the metal, u can use it on woodwork and its fine, its wot i used to use in the bodyshop i worked at. best way to do it is blather it (in a well ventilated place or you mite start to feel a bit squiffy :s ) cover it in a plastic sheet and leave it for 5mins, then come back to it with a paint scraper. Repeat as many times as u like, just remember to wash it off wi plenty of water, that should neutralise it. U mite wanna wear gauntlets too, coz if you get it on you and don't wash it straight off, it burns like hell!!! I used it recently on a truck cab I bought that was painted with enamel and it was fine, but don't forget when you paint it again to use a decent etch primer on the bare metal (not the ****e you get from halfords, same goes for hi-build, ur better off using proper stuff that you mix rather than the aerosols. I went thru four cans on a series 3 wing, and the whole lot rubbed off with wet and dry paper!!! If you don't have a gun and a compressor, put ur hi-build on with a roller and be prepared for a lot of sanding!) have fun!!!


What's the plastic sheeting for? Is it to stop the stripper drying out?
 

What's up with the paint from paddocks? People on here have used it with good results, the soda blaster is a bit pricey for a one off but the other stuff looks ok.

Etch primer?? Never used it before, can you roll it on? And where is best to get it from?
 
Etch primer u can just buy Upol stuff in an aerosol from most motor places, just helps the paint stick to the bare metal to stop it flaking off. Don't need to sand it, as it only goes on very thin, then you go over with Hi-build... That is if you want a really good finish, and with the Hi-build, use quite a fine paper, maybe p180 then 320 then use wet and dry before the paint. Remember to use a block and not ur hands, or you'll get high and low spots from your fingers. And don't forget to degrease before painting, any silicone or dust left on before the final coat will really bugger it up!
 

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