Sanding Vs Paint stripping · Aussieveedubbers

kombi_kid · 30 Jun 2003, 10:05 pm

hey
what do all u critics recommend i do to get rid of my paint on my fasty?
should i sand it back with a fine grit sand paper or paint strip it???
cheers
rhys

vanderaj · 30 Jun 2003, 10:45 pm

I have no idea, but I'm finally in the same boat. 🙂

I was watching The Block (fine quality perv time) on the weekend, and the gay guys swear by the Black and Decker Mouse, which I notice was also heavily advertised that night. I wonder if that'll work on body panels.

Andrew

jboy82 · 1 Jul 2003, 1:14 am

I prefer sanding, only because i dont know how paint stripper works!😀
If you are restoring, sand Blasting is actually not that expensive, however you need to strip everything and get rid of some of the residual sand after.

Josh

fish · 1 Jul 2003, 5:54 am

you can buy an acrylic pad, fits on your sander polisher, and it will strip the paint off back to bare metal. you have to be carefull not to let the panels heat up though, so moving around a lot helps. better than sandpaper, and faster. they come in purple and black. the black ones are softer and take more push to remove the paint. you can do small bits at a time or as i have done the complete roof of my kombi in one arvo and then rust preventative and then put the primer straight on. seemed to work ok. cheers, fish

kombi_kid · 1 Jul 2003, 7:46 am

hey
i got my spliity bead blasted and it cost me a grand!
sounds good fish! i might sandblast is and around all the seems.
cheers
rhys
p.s. keep the suggestions coming!

pyr0 · 1 Jul 2003, 8:35 am

guys stipping is easy get a brush paint the stripper on wait 3-5 minutes then using a paint scraper, scrape off paint and throw away. simple but messy :thumb

REDKG · 1 Jul 2003, 10:26 am

why are you taking the paint of the fastback? stripper first then a light sand. easier and better for the lungs.

pyr0 · 1 Jul 2003, 10:30 am

OH yeah to make it less messy put a tarp under the car 😉:thumb thats what i do also put tape over the door - body gaps ( where the door meets the body) and other spots like that, IF your not taking everything out of the car that is:thumb

kombi_kid · 1 Jul 2003, 4:24 pm

hey
i dont know weather ill take it back or not its just that the last coat that was on it they sprayed about 1mm of bog all over the car?!?!?! and there is about 3 coats of paint?
paint stripper is fairly expensive though?!
cheers
rhys

helbus · 1 Jul 2003, 7:29 pm

There are a lot of methods.

Paint stripper
Messy if the paint is thick acrylic lacquer as it melts. Enamel is easier as it 'wrinkles'. original paint is thin so again it is relativley easy.
Cams is a good high strength brand. Putting plastic over the paint stripper an d leaving it for half an hour helps it to work better.

Sanding.
Only a viable option if there are no signs of any problems with the paint structure.

Abrasive wheel
Like a half inch thick wheel of scotchbrite material. You can use it in a drill and on lw speeds on panels it is very slow. More effective in door jambs and inside panels. Expensive $10 a wheel

Bead blasting
Good for outside panels. Make sure blaster does do vehicles for restoration, not just a side venture. Sand should only be used in door jambs or unerneath or the pan.

You can use a combination of these. You may wish to use only paint stripper on the flat outside panels and blast the inners.

kombi_kid · 1 Jul 2003, 9:31 pm

if there is cracks in sections of bog that is cracked do u reacon for me to take it all the way back?
bead blasting is to exy at the moment!
cheers
rhys

fish · 2 Jul 2003, 5:25 am

the only trouble i have found with sandblasting is that when it comes time to spray you find all the sand that has got into the seams and places where you wouldn't think it would go and it gets blown out all over your new paint work and then it's a major sanding back job. really gives you the smits, so the sanding with the pad worked better for me. The paint stripper worked well but still had to clean down the panel after and the cost of the stripper wasn't cheap. only took me 4 pads to sand the entire kombi back to original metal, inside and out. it's only when you start sanding the bog you realise that whoever had it before you did a bodgy job on the cutting out of the rust. Cut it all out if possible and weld a new bit in, but treat around the patch as it will rust on the weld later. cheers, fish:bounce

fish · 2 Jul 2003, 5:33 am

this is me bus

fish · 2 Jul 2003, 5:39 am

bugger, the pics were too big again. have to call andy and get him to put them on for me. i'll try first myself again. fish

Andy · 2 Jul 2003, 7:49 am

Andy to the rescue 🙂
Here's Fish's pics.

pyr0 · 2 Jul 2003, 11:34 am

was ur car sprayed under that portable carport fish ???

kombi_kid · 2 Jul 2003, 4:08 pm

hey
i have taken out all the rust it just seems that before the people who owned it before me sprayed the whole car with bog?!?!?! i wont do the inside as im keeping the same could and its all right! i think ill sand it back to bare metal as im changing it from acrylic to 2 pac.......
cheers
rhys

pyr0 · 2 Jul 2003, 4:43 pm

i think u sould go back to bare metal to since ur changing from accrilic to 2pac

fish · 2 Jul 2003, 8:18 pm

thanks Andy. yep, sprayed her under the tarp thingo. neibours loved it !! he he he

helbus · 2 Jul 2003, 9:13 pm

Hey Fish,

Looks like a good job.
It is satisfying if you can do it yourself Yeah. 🙂

Rustbucket68 · 2 Jul 2003, 9:48 pm

I ended up using paint stripper and went back to the bare metal. it had been about four different colours during its life and took weeks to scrape off. All the doors and removeable bits were taken to the sandblasters and they also primed it. Much easier to get sandblasted but costs a lot more, mind you we went through about 8 litres of stripper and it made a hell of a mess. In the end it was worth taking back to the metal so you can paint it in whatever you like and also get to know every inch of your VW.

pyr0 · 3 Jul 2003, 11:47 am

couldnt agree with you more there "if ur gonna do it at least do it right, THE 1ST TIME"

kombi_kid · 4 Jul 2003, 7:43 am

or in my case the 3rd time 😉
cheers
rhys
p.s. anyone else have any other methods?

karmannghia60 · 4 Jul 2003, 4:18 pm

Hey fish, what happened to the pop-top? Did you replace it with something else, can't see it from the pic

waltermitty · 11 Jul 2003, 6:04 pm

Go to a paint shop and look at a "wizz wheel"
air tool even better visit a panel shop and check one out in action , very effective just sand untill you have a stsble surface some of the new primer undercoats are universal any once they are on you can finish anyway you like.
Mitchell😎.

azz · 11 Jul 2003, 11:58 pm

vanderaj wrote:I have no idea, but I'm finally in the same boat. 🙂

I was watching The Block (fine quality perv time) on the weekend, and the gay guys swear by the Black and Decker Mouse, which I notice was also heavily advertised that night. I wonder if that'll work on body panels.

Andrew

Who exactly were you perving on in the show?
And the black and decker mouse is shit!!
Its for hobbies- Mine lasted 1 week of sanding a wooden chair.
Do not buy one if you want quality

koolkarmakombi · 12 Jul 2003, 7:01 am

I used an angle grinder with a wire wheel for all the seams, worked a treat. That is a sweet yellow split, painted under a tarp u said!

Is that acrylic? Must have a few coats of clear over the top!:bounce

DubCrazy · 18 Jul 2003, 10:33 pm

best way to have striped off the old paint is with a speed ajustable buff machine with a 12 inch flexi pad with a 36 grit sandpaper stuck to it... paint striper is ok but if not cleaned of properly it can cause a bleed through when re-painted. as for sanding... just takes to long. to rip the paint of a kombi with the set up i suggested would take about 2/3 hours all up to bare metal just be sure to wear a good dust mask...

decked dubby · 18 Jul 2003, 10:47 pm

Here is the go:

1. Mask off the area to be paint stripped.

2. Scratch up the old paint with 36 grit.

3. Brush on some quality paint stripper.

4. Scrape off old stripper.

5. Wash down area with thinners and a rag.
6. Use a clean and strip disc to clean up metal.

You will get a top quality result doing this. Those little mouses are shit for body work.:thumb

[Edited on 18-7-2003 by decked dubby]

kombi_kid · 19 Jul 2003, 9:04 pm

thanks guys gives me good stuff to ponder over until i get around to painting/stripping my VW's!!!
cheers
rhys

kombi69 · 20 Jul 2003, 8:07 pm

Hey Fish, Do you know the brand/manufacturer of the acrylic pad you mentioned before?
Does it fit on an orbital,belt or disc sander?

you can buy an acrylic pad, fits on your sander polisher, and it will strip the paint off back to bare metal. .. better than sandpaper, and faster. they come in purple and black. the black ones are softer and take more push to remove the paint.

GL1972 · 21 Aug 2003, 9:39 pm

Here is my experience.
I've just gone through a full body off bare metal. It had 3 previous paint jobs. (I would have preferred to have tiny bamboo slivers inserted under my fingernails!). Tried all types of stripper and found a motorgard brand from Autopro was the best and reasonable price. Do no more than a 1m x 1m area at a time or you will be scraping dried up paint later. Do a wet coat of stripper and it will soak into the paint leaving it like vinyl not attached to the metal. Note also that 3 previous paint jobs will probably equate to 3 goes with the stripper. I ended up getting impatient and took the guards, bonnect and engine lid to the local sandblaster for $140. Make sure you rub the bare metal down with prepsol or GP thinners before etch priming to remove any stripper residue. Fo me it'l all be worth it once I fire up the 2110 for the first time.

68AutoBug · 23 Aug 2003, 1:10 pm

Your Kombi looks great Fish..
Congratulations on a job well done...
excellent... was worth the effort...
Lee