Removing paint from a fibre glass helmet ?

[DaddyfromNaboo]

Hi folks,

how do I remove a bad paint job from a fibre glass cast with the least possible damage and effort ?

I know that sanding the cast is one way to go, but I don´t want to risk taking away too much of the fibre glass. And if I´d sand the cast, what about smaller details and crevices et al ?

Next in line would be a solvent, buuut wouldn´t that solve the cast resin as well ?

Any info appreciated

Thanks,
Michael

 

[Too Much Garlic]

What brand of paint was it painted with, was it clear coated, what kind of primer? All this could be important to find the right way.

Some say Oven Cleaner works charms - I tried it on one of my helmets, didn't work squat.

Others say Acetone - tried it... maybe I was too impatient... didn't work squat.

I say brake fluid - DO NOT MISTAKE FOR BRAKE CLEANER!!!!!!! - brush on, let it sit for an hour, wipe off, repeat process. Don't rub, don't scratch - just let it work. It's slow, but it won't damage the fiberglass or resin as other products will. Don't leave it on for more than an hour, once done wash over with household alcohol.

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

What brand of paint was it painted with, was it clear coated, what kind of primer? All this could be important to find the right way.

That´s not entirely clear, it seems that automotive paints were used, but I can´t say for sure what brand it was or what kind of paint.

...
Others say Acetone - tried it... maybe I was too impatient... didn't work squat.

I had thought about using acetone, but was afraid that it might be quite risky in combination with the resin/fibreglass.

I say brake fluid - DO NOT MISTAKE FOR BRAKE CLEANER!!!!!!! - brush on, let it sit for an hour, wipe off, repeat process. Don't rub, don't scratch - just let it work. It's slow, but it won't damage the fiberglass or resin as other products will. Don't leave it on for more than an hour, once done wash over with household alcohol.

Hm, that sounds like an okay process to me. I think I might give it a try. Thanks !

Anybody else got an idea ? Working slowly is not that bad, it might help get ting rid of different coats of paint.

Michael

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Well, I don't know if acetone affects the resin or the fiberglass. Though, I'm thinking that if left on too long it could soften them.

It's the same with the brake fluid - if left on too long it can soften the material: only in direct contact.

What is the helmet and what shapes does it have... may help guide you with how to brush on the brake fluid. It would be best if there were flat areas so that a thicker layer could work on the paint and not run down the mask. I had a heck of a time with my Vader helmet... very difficult to get thick layers to stay put for an hour and I didn't dare just dump it in a bath of the stuff to soak.

Some paints it peels off pretty quickly, basically just removing the adhesiveness of the paint on the surface of the object and you can basically just peel it off like a layer of skin. Though, it couldn't remove all the paint - basically the primer being a pain - so I had to switch to something stronger, which I do not recommend, but I had no choice.

Just see how well this works - may wanna put it in a black trash bag so the "fumes" that helps loosen the paint don't just "fly away"! This is NOT something you should work with indoors and always wear a coal filter mask and rubber gloves - if you get it on your fingers and rub them on your clothes... you'll get fingerprints on your clothes because it removes the color... learned that from experience! It is not as toxic as most stuff, but it IS toxic.

 

[dcarty]

I've had similar tribulations recently trying to strip the paint from two of my Vader helmets. One is painted with some really nice German aftermarket automotive colors and a clearcoat which I have yet to be able to make a dent in with anything other than Auto-stripper. I had to leave that on about twice as long as the directions said to have any kind of effect so I'm still searching out alternatives for that helmet. I've tried everything that NHM has listed with no results.

My other helmet, a DP Deluxe Vader, had been overpainted so I had about 6-7 layers of thick paint and primer to eat through. I used Goof-Off Graffitti Remover and it worked great. It took about 3-4 hours with a toothbrush and a lot of elbow grease to get down to the raw casting. It says on the can that it's safe for fiberglass. Spray it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and start scrubbing. Try and work outside because it's very messy and stinky--but it works!

Dave

 

[Lord_Gita]

Brake fluid is my chosen paint remover for everything even from ABS. Do make sure you wash it very well, soap and alcohol, after you're done or the new paint won't stick.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

I've had similar tribulations recently trying to strip the paint from two of my Vader helmets. One is painted with some really nice German aftermarket automotive colors and a clearcoat which I have yet to be able to make a dent in with anything other than Auto-stripper. I had to leave that on about twice as long as the directions said to have any kind of effect so I'm still searching out alternatives for that helmet. I've tried everything that NHM has listed with no results.

For the remaining parts of the paint and primer the brake fluid couldn't take... I also used very strong paint stripper. It was so strong that if I left it touching any parts of the raw cast it ate through the resin, so I made damn sure just to brush it on the painted areas and let it work there and then wiping it off and rinsing the area in water immediately to kill the effect of the stripper. At the end, when only small blotches of paint and primer remained I resorted to sanding the rest.

That was something I would never like to try again.

 

[CustomCreations]

just an idea, but I have a flammables cupboard into which over time was leaking some liquid plastic glue. The vapour of the glue evapourating actualy softened the paint off the inner surfaces of the copboard !. Maybe putting the helmet in a closed box with an open tin of acetone or something may soften the paint up without damaging the surface?

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

Thanks guys,

I´ll definitely give the various methods a try ! It´s an old DP Deluxe that i got my hands on and that has a terrible paint job in dire need of replacement A great project to try this technique on.

Thanks again,
Michael