Striping paint off and seal bare metal?

[njbshark]

I am starting my second build. I have an old frame that I want to strip all the old multi-layers of paint off of and seal the bare metal. I am going for and industrial raw look.
What is the best was to strip the paint and what product should I use to seal it. I was going to go with paint stripper and a spray poly sealer. Am I on the right track?

 

[2door]

njb,
If you don't want to take the frame to a professional stripper, (sand blast) place then a good commercial paint stripper is the best bet. You can always just sand it but that is a time consuming project. Bead blasting is the best way. The pros use blast media that will leave the frame smooth and ready for whatever coating you choose. As for protecting bare steel any good polyurethane should give you a good finish. They have gloss, semi-gloss and flat, for that rat rod look. Hope this helps. You can always check out the Eastwood Company for their many products for the purpose.
Tom

 

[eomonkeyboi24]

I used aircraft grade paint stripper. Don't breath it in and also wear gloves. You can find it at carquest or many hardware stores. The lacquer finish should be fine just used a few coats to make sure you got it all. Its fun to watch the paint being lifted off the bike. Steel wool is great for getting the lifted paint off the frame. I'd have to thank leftywoody AND terronthesnake for all this info.

Here's a pic of my paint stripping in action.

 

[njbshark]

How about sandblasting chrome off? I want to take all the metal parts to the base to complete that look.

 

[TerrontheSnake]

I used aircraft grade paint stripper. Don't breath it in and also wear gloves. You can find it at carquest or many hardware stores. The lacquer finish should be fine just used a few coats to make sure you got it all. Its fun to watch the paint being lifted off the bike. Steel wool is great for getting the lifted paint off the frame. I'd have to thank leftywoody for all this info.

Here's a pic of my paint stripping in action.

Hey I helped

 

[2door]

Sand, or bead blasting chrome complerely off is a tall order but it can be done. A good chrome plating job is actaully three layers of material; copper, nickel and chrome. To get down to base metal will take some aggresive blasting. I would seek the advice from a bead blasting shop on that. They might offer some options. Check your yellow pages for a local sand blast company.
Tom

 

[TerrontheSnake]

Or do this to remove the chrome. Put three gallons of water in a plastic bucket. Add one cup of Muriatic acid (water before acid Visa Versa it will explode) use three large copper wires and hang them into the solution connect them to the negative terminal of a car battery charger for a ground. Then connect the item to be stripped to the positive (using a coat hanger for the dipper is a good idea) then dip the object into the solution and wait a few minutes. Be careful when removing because this is a viscious acid, you dont want to touch it at all. Your chrome should be gone by reverse electrolysis. Dispose of the chemicals in an acceptable manor...O and you don't want to do this indoors, unless there is some serios ventilation going on.

 

[TerrontheSnake]

When done use a good detergent to remove all acid before touching by hand, also the cleaning needs to happen right after the removal otherwise the metal will oxidize badly.

 

[TerrontheSnake]

O yeah and dont let the item touch the ground wires at all while dipping

 

[eomonkeyboi24]

Hey I helped

Sorry you totally spaced my mind. I changed it.

 

[TerrontheSnake]

lol, i was just messing with you anyway guy, I'm not really that petty....lol

 

[eomonkeyboi24]

lol, i was just messing with you anyway guy, I'm not really that petty....lol

I know u were, but people should be acknowledged for there help.

 

[sojudave]

I've always used Auto Strip or Aircraft Remover, they are in aerosol cans in the body repair sections of parts stores and Wally world. I usually spray the part down with the stuff and let it blister and dry, then I hit it up with either a wire wheel or and sanding wheel. Usually this works pretty good for me but on one of the frames I used on my Molotov project, it barely removed the clear coat.

 

[vooodooou]

Hi if you want to strip chrome, look in the yellow pages and see if there is a rechromer close, they can strip it for you. it takes a acid dip to do it. and still have pristine metal with out a lot of finish work

 

[vballspen]

stripping and repainting a bike is a lot more than it looks like. i started with an old nasty bike with 5 or 6 coats of spray paint on it three weeks ago. i started sandblasting then moved to sanding then finally bought some stripper and finished the job. i would suggest a stripper and steal wool. stick with it its worth it in the end

 

[sojudave]

I used aircraft grade paint stripper. Don't breath it in and also wear gloves. You can find it at carquest or many hardware stores. The lacquer finish should be fine just used a few coats to make sure you got it all. Its fun to watch the paint being lifted off the bike. Steel wool is great for getting the lifted paint off the frame. I'd have to thank leftywoody AND terronthesnake for all this info.

Here's a pic of my paint stripping in action.

You're right on with the Aircraft remover. Auto stripper does the same. You gotta let it set for a while and dry a bit. Then, instead of steel wool, I use a wire wheel attached to a drill. Then I spray again and repeat. A word of warning though, the ease of this process largely depends on what type of paint you're removing. The kit gas tank has some real tough paint on it. I had a huffy frame that basically shrugged the stripper off. By stripper, I mean paint remover.

 

[roblofifty]

Aircraft paint remover is the bomb. It works and then some, so wear gloves and be real careful not to get it in your eyes. My 41 Schwinn had 4 layers of paint. I used aircraft remover and steel wool to get most of it off, then I used a drill fitted with a paint stripper disc for the hard to reach areas. After all the paint was removed, I used sand paper to give the bare metal a bit of texture. After pinstriping, I brushed on a water based clear coat.

 

[bairdco]

another tip to seal it is good old WD40. give the frame a good spray, let it sink in, then rub it dry. do it again every couple of months. i've done this to old bikes, and i live by the beach. works pretty good, and you won't get that yellow-y tint that some clear lacquers will give it.

just make sure you do it again after riding in the rain, or on salted roads, etc...