DominicM

Have got a Eurosport fuselage that I'd like to strip the multiple layers of paint off. Is there a proven chemical paint stripper that will do the job? I do have NitroMors but seems from various forums I've found it would probably damage the gel coat or worse. Any advice appreciated. Dom

rhklenke

My Feedback: (24)

Dominic,

I stripped the paint off of ours (2 layers, original and one repaint) using Citristrip. It worked pretty well in that it got most of the paint off. It did get down to the weave in a couple of places and also exposed some voids in the original paint/gelcoat. I wound up doing a bit of filling/sanding to fix that, and if I had to do it again, I might just have stuck with sanding the old paint off...

Of course if I did that, I'd probably be complaining about the work of sanding and that next time I'd use a stripper...

BTW, our Euro was 6 years old when we stripped and repainted it, and that was 2 years ago...

Bob

invertmast

My Feedback: (23)

Citristrip is what i use, but your still going to have to put some elbow grease with some sandpaper as well.

k_sonn

My Feedback: (32)

I've stripped a few Skymaster planes using CitriStrip. Took the paint right off down to the gel coat with no sanding needed. Your results may vary depending on the type of paint you are stripping.

Kirk

smchale

My Feedback: (67)

Dom, I just used citristrip for the first time last fall. Worked well, needed to keep it wet and leave it on longer than noted in the instructions but it worked. I wrote about it in the current issue of RCJI.

DominicM

Many thanks all for the replies. Rare to have concensus on an answer to a question on RCU isn't it! How refreshing. I'll get hold of some CitriStrip and crack on. Thanks again.

DominicM

Searched and not available anywhere in the UK...darn it!

Jetflyer3000

Wont Nitromores do the job. You can get this in the UK

DominicM

A few things I'd read suggested it won't work but I may just give it a go on a small patch and see what it does.

smchale

My Feedback: (67)

Dom, some strippers are more aggressive than others. Just read the labels, a few I looked at said "could be" harmful to fiberglass. Citristrip isn't as aggressive, and while it does take longer as a result, it doesn't hurt the surface. I would imagine you should be able to find a UK equivalent.

spaceman 01

My Feedback: (44)

Hi there,
I just stripped and finished mine with the natural citric stripper , also for removing the four layers I used # 0000 , 0001 still wool about four to five bags.
here are some pictures.

rhklenke

My Feedback: (24)

I just read a review by a guy in the Netherlands who bought it off of Amazon. Can't you do that?

Bob

bluescoobydoo

why not try standard thinners just leave it a while then wipe it off it may take a few goes until you get the timing right

DominicM

Left the NitroMors on for up 45 minutes and it didn't even dent it! Yes, may well try thinners. Citristrip not available on Amazon.co.uk. Nice paint job Spaceman...something to aspire to.

bluescoobydoo

if the nitro did not dent it! I would be tempted to get a small orbital sander and some course paper to start with a get finer from there

smchale

My Feedback: (67)

Dom, the same thing happened to me with citristrip. I left it for the recommended 30 mins and nothing happened. I continued to leave it longer and found if I put it on thick so it would stay wet that 24-48 hrs was more effective. Tough because I didn't want to be that patience, but it did pay off and make the amount of sanding at the end easier. Once it dried then no more stripping happened, it had to remain wet. It still took multiple applications over a two week span.

http://youtu.be/CdrK_quKaVw

http://youtu.be/e5f9wH9_5m0

DominicM

Blimey...that long!? OK Sean...will go with that. Cool vids as well. Lot of work but will be worth it.

invertmast

My Feedback: (23)

With citristrip the heavier its on the better. I found that trying to brush it on didnt work well. So in the end i just poured it on the surface and then spread it out with a body filler spreader, being sure to keep it 1/8-1/4" thick.

jetjockey

My Feedback: (8)

Several years ago, I stripped a Composite ARF MiG 15 that had several layers of camo paint on it successfully without damaging the fiberglass. I went to an automotive paint store, and they recommended Klean-Strip Fiberglass Paint Remover (used on Corvettes by body shops to remove old paint). It removes paint, acrylic, polyurethane, lacquer, and enamel from fiberglass with no damage. You do need to wear rubber gloves as it is caustic and can burn exposed skin, but it sure worked for me and I was really pleased with the result. Be sure to wash the surface with soapy water after stripping to neutralize any residual stripper before repainting.

Good luck with your project.

Regards,