The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Paint removal and derusting cost

Hi All

I wanted to send my AD for stripping, this guy in VA is quoting me around 1500 to 2200$ if as whole truck, but in peices it is lot more. How much should be average, because for I was trying to strip using DA sander, man a easy task My compressor started dripping water and I only have 30 Gallon one from Craftsman

Any insights are appreciated.

Ganesh

Ganesh,

I've been stripping my parts with a WAGNER PAINT EATER and getting all sorts of guffaws and snickers from people around here. Let 'em laugh, it works. The thing tears through paint and bondo with ease without removing a molecule of metal. I completely stripped my hood, both front fenders, a fuel tank and FIREWALL with a single disk in the Paint Eater and a couple drill mounted units for tight places.

So my advice is invest in one and get some of the disks that you can chuck up in a cheap drill motor (available at Ace and other hardware stores) and get to work... just don't tell anyone around here that's what you're doing unless you have thick skin.

Thanks Woody, I tried to use those paint eater disc, I was afraid if it was warming my metal at the edges, may be I am putting too much pressure. Thanks for infor

Ganesh

I have been using the same type of discs from 3M and they work awesome! Of course I am not trying to make my truck into a concourse winner trailered show truck but just as a nice daily driver that I can still use as a truck so the overall paint job isn't going to be all that important. You are right Woody, these things just eat off the bondo without touching the metal!

It's easy t tell when you're "overheating" metal, it turns blue. Personally I don't think it's possible to overheat metal with a Paint Eater, the disk would probably melt first.

Keep in mind that it only removes paint. If you have deep pits with rust it's not going to get anything below the top of the metal because it won't remove metal. A grinder will get that stuff but at the expense of thinning the metal. Where I had deep pits I used phosphoric acid and Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator. Rust needs moisture and oxygen to "grow". Deprive it of either and it becomes a non-issue.

For getting into the really difficult corners use THESE in the gray color. I've thrown away all of my rotary wire brushes. I've had those things grab my clothing once too many times. They don't work as well as the Nyalox, they throw wire and they'll tear the hell out of you if you're not careful.

Some of these newfangled things actually work

If you find the Wagner Paint Eater a bit underpowered for the job, a Norton Rapid Strip disc in a 7" variable speed polisher works fantastic. The one Harbor Freight sells works great. Norton sells the Rapid Strip discs in drill size, 4-1/2" grinder size, and 7" grinder size. They just screw right into a 5/8" arbor thread. The 7" in a polisher has more horsepower and surface area than the paint eater with the same kind of self-cleaning abrasive material. It hardly bothers the metal.

When I bought my Paint Eater the disks with the 5/8" arbor weren't available yet and I agree that it makes for a more conventional tool and more and more guys are catching on and using these disks.

I've never had any problem with the Paint Eater bogging down and kind of like the different ways it's designed to be held.

But the heart of the system is the disk so spin it however you see fit.

Those prices for media or chemical? Just 57 nomad (body,2 doors,tailgate,& hood not including floor or rockers)media & sand blasted it was $1200.Just dipped a 57 bw truck (cab,2 doors,4 fenders,bedsides,2 steps,2 grills,& hood) it was $2550.

If you do not have a lot of rust Soda Blasting would be the way to go. Soda blasting remove's the paint but not rust. I do not know about the Bondo.
62Blue
Don

Thanks all good info, I dont want to spend too much money, I put more money on building the shed so I can work myself. I am using paint eater disks and and DA sander, probably will just live that for now and see

Ganesh

I've tried quite a few methods of removing rust, bondo, old paint. I had never tried the 3M pads until today. They work better than aircraft paint stripper on the rear fenders of my '52.
It took about two hours to remove 5 layers of paint from a fender. It works great, and the metal never got hot. I had tried chemical stripper on this same panel, and it didn't work well at all.
I still like sandblasting better, but if you don't have access to a sandblaster, or your panels are so thin you are afraid of blowing holes through them, this is a good "backyard" way to go.
See the pictures in my photobucket account.

http://s298.photobucket.com/albums/...vy/?action=view&current=P1011379.jpg

Bluedawg