best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

Hello, I have done a little searching and still have a question on whatmethod to use,, I recently bought an older byron f-16 plane is in good shape but the paint they used is coming off, Large pieces, flaking, bad adhesion, I am not very familiar with glass, this fuselage is all glass,
My question is what is the best way to get all this paint off and get it back down to glass, soi can prep and paint it, I dont want to sand the thing, Idont see that ending well, I am not sure about chemical stripping, dont want to damage or weaken the glass, not sure if a stripper would be fine or not. I also know there is some kind of baking powder blasting that can be done, but once again, not sure if it would damage the fuselage. It is the white version, about 1/3 of the paint on the right side is off,, Iwant to strip it out and Put the desert camo scheme on it,, I am confident in the prep and paint, just not sure how to get the old paint off the glass,,,
as always Iam thankful for your experience and help
Ronnie</p>

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

You have to sand it. Chems that will dissolve the paint will dissolve the fuse. It was probably painted without getting all the mold release off the fuse. You can try dragging a single edge razor blade backwards over it rather than sanding.

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

pretty well a sand job, this thing have any detail like panel lines? detail will be gone with a sand and prime job.
Likely have to start with 100 grit to get the bulk off and switch to 180 as you get to the last bit, if you using a good auto primer you can likely finish it in 280
Use automotive sandpaper, NOT the wood work kind.
You could ask your local autobody shop for a quote of strip and prime, just make sure they are trusty and knowledgable in this type of field., look for a shop that has corvette experience.

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

I was searching and there have been quite a few guys who have used this on glass gliders, etc,
http://www.wmbarr.com/citristrip/default.aspx
they said it worked very well, did not damage the glass or any problems, one fella said that it took it to the gel-coat perfect,, and it is a lot safer than the aircraft paint remover for fiberglass,
Yes it has panel lines, I am worried that if I sand the whole thing I may loose some of that detail, and where th pain is gone, I see no gel coat, looks like every byron that came out of the box,,
I searched and alot of people recommend the aircraft stripper, even some of the shops (corvette shops) said they use the strippers,,
One thing I dont want to do is ruin this plane,,

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

You can apply a little heat with a heat gun and try to peel the paint off. It sounds like it wasn't prepped correctly so that may be a good option. The Fuse is made from polyester glass not epoxy, so are the older Corvettes so the same chemical stripper may work well.

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

Hi. The F-16 you have is polyester resin. The fact that it is old makes it even more fragile and prone to damage. I would use a light sand paper. If feasible wet sand carefully to avoid sanding away details. A chemical stripper on such an old polyester fuse may attack and soften the resin permanently.

Patience and sand paper for best results.

Steve

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

I have used water soluable paint remover on 3 old Corvettes with great success. Brush it on with a paint brush &amp; scrap the softened bubling paint off with a plastic puddy knife. Get the neutralizer that stops the chemical reaction after paint is scraped off with a plastic puddy knife ( not a metal one ). Rense and wash with soap &amp; water. Let dry. Its a lot lesswork than sanding. If sanding is used be prepared to repair flat spots.
Any time I try something new I do a test stip on something else just to test the system.
Just my 2 cents worth.

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

You also mentioned the paint was easy to chip off. An air compressor may ease the removal of the loose paint by blowing it off.

Just a thought.

Steve

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

not that easy,, just some of it is chipping off,, he must have been having happy thoughts when he painted the other side of the plane.

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

Hot water pressure washer is also a good paint remover. Especially so if the paint is not well bonded. If your local self serve car wash has good HOT water you could give that a try. It has to be hot water though. Something about the heat makes it work 100 times better

Ken

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

That method will reduce the old polyester glass fuse to a screen door. Only the glass weave will remain, the resin will be removed with the paint.

Steve

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

Another possibility would be to soda blast the paint off. A full size soda blaster would probably be a bit of an overkill, but Harbor Freight sells a product called an Air Eraser. It's an airbrush sized sand blaster. Using plain baking soda, I was able to blast the ink off a sheet of paper. On the fiberglass, it would leave a satin finish without removing any of the molded details. They also sell a fine blasting media if it turns out you need something a little more agressive. I bet the finish would really help with paint adhesion too. It sells for less that $40.

Scott

RE: best way to remove paint from byron f-16
 

So much for that idea!

Ken