Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

MichaelP

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Apr 26, 2010
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I have multiple coats of paint on my Starcraft. She is showing signs of corrosion on the bottom where the paint is flaking off. The inside looks very good with no signs of corrosion. I want to make quick work of stripping ALL the paint from this boat and looking for the best way on a budget. Soda blasing is waaay to pricey and don't favor chemicals. I'm considering a pin scaler but would this leave marks in the aluminum?

You can check out my resto thread in my signature to see the boat.

Thanks!
 

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soggy_feet

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

Certainly would.
Would also work harden the aluminum, making it brittle and more prone to cracking.

I'd use a wire wheel, or sanding pads on an angle grinder before i considered a scaler.
 

soggy_feet

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

And I know you dont want to use chemicals, but naval jelly/phosphoric acid would etch clean the aluminum for fresh paint.
Just like rust on a car, if you dont totally address the problem before you put paint back on, you're just setting yourself up for more problems.
 

sschefer

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

The scaler is to agressive and the al is too soft. The al on your boat is heat tempered and hammering it with a scaler could cause cracking. 80g crushed glass, walnut shells or if it's really bad Aluminum Oxide in a sand blaster would do the trick without chemicals. Soda ash would not be agressive enough for your problem with multiple coats of paint. I'm not a fan of chemical stripping but if it works for you then it would also be an option.
 

Mojo^

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

I used Easy-Off oven cleaner to strip my 14' Jon. It took 10 cans to do the inside and out and a little over three hours working in one section at a time. $1.50 a can at Dollar General. It's important to do this in direct sun so it will help heat the aluminum and speed the chemical reaction. Spray it on, let it work 10-15 minutes and then hit it with a pressure washer. Depending on what kind of paint is on there, it should peel right off. Much cheaper and more user friendly than commercial stuff. Make sure to use the Heavy Duty Easy-Off.

FYI, it did NOT kill any of the grass but you should definetly use heavy gloves when working with this stuff and wash the aluminum with soap and water afterwards.

BEFORE
BeforeEasy-Off.jpg


DURING
DuringEasy-Off.jpg


AFTER
AfterEasy-Off.jpg
 

MichaelP

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

This is all good stuff guys and gals. Keep it coming and THANKS!
 

soggy_feet

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

Im actually using oven cleaner to clean the rust scale out of a 6 gallon steel fuel tank. Kinda tricky to hit all surfaces, but left overnight, I find bare steel in the morning.
 

Mojo^

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

I began using a DeWalt angle grinder and extra course Gator paint removal pads but the process was far too slow and those pads are something like $9 for two. I went through both of them just doing the transom. In the amount of time it took with a grinder to strip the outside of the transom I was able to strip the entire outside of the boat with oven cleaner. Granted, I am going to have to go back over it with a finishing sander to rough-up the surfaces for application of paint and primer but that should go fairly quick and will be a lot easier than trying to wrestle with that heavy grinder. That thing is rough on the back.

There was a lot of galvanic corrosion on the aluminum in the rear portion of the boat and the oven cleaner seemed to help loosen and remove the heavier deposits making for easy removal of the remainder with the grinder using a stainless steel wire cup. Perhaps I should have left it on a little longer to see if it would have removed all of it.
 

MichaelP

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

The oven cleaner is something I plan to try out this weekend. I can scrape off some of the bug stuff with a hand scraper used for stripping house paint then 4" stainless cup wheel then chemicals.
 

boatnut74

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

I used aircraft stripper on mine and it went very quickly. It was alot faster than doing it with sandpaper and one gallon did the transom and both sides on my 22'er
 

Mojo^

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

I guess I should have looked at your project before I chimed in. I firmly believe that the only way the oven cleaner worked so well was because I was able to flip the boat up-side down allowing the 90+ degree sun to heat the hull. Unless you can warm the metal somehow, your success with oven cleaner may be limited.
 

MichaelP

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

So far the aircraft stripper and Kleen Strip work the best. We had temps in the 80s yesterday and I tried the oven cleaner in direct sunlight but it didn't soften the paint enough to scrape it off easily. I kept on checking until it was dry and the paint hardened again. I have some pink stuff to try next.
 

lakelover

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Re: Would you strip paint from an aluminum boat with pneumatic pin scaler?

I found that Klean Strip in the orange can works best. I discovered as I worked that the paint was so sound that I decided midstream not to strip the whole thing, but to paint over on the topside and sides. If you haven't seen it already, you can check out my thread (p.18, starting with post 449) http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=309879&page=18

The stuff in the orange can works a lot faster than the red can stuff and is only a few dollars more per gallon.
 
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