2012/11/12 09:49:46
coupe
Definately a respirator and safety goggles!
2012/11/12 19:49:59
Flighter
This is great stuff, so thank you to all who have chipped in with your experiences so far - keep them coming!  
 
A spray painter I met recently said that if I strip at home hitting the bare panels with a dash of etch primer would be sufficient to keep the rust at bay in the short term.  Seeing the blaster would go lightly over the these sections for good measure, this approach sounds reasonable to me, but just from your posts I'm learning what to watch out for (e.g. boot and bonnet frame markings!).  I'm aiming to talk to the blaster about exactly what material he'd use where etc. before I commit to this though.
 
As far as stripping, I was thinking I'd use chemicals and follow it with sanding if need be.  Is an electric dual action sander sufficient, and is rotational speed a consideration?  Are all paint stripper created equal?  The material safety data sheets seem to suggest so.
 
Definitely using quality safety gear for everything I do.
 
Thanks again.
 
 
2012/11/12 20:09:13
coupe
I'm no expert by any means, I've just worked out my technique by trial and error so choose what you want from my posts. If it were me and I had a big enough compressor I would use an orbital sander, I hate using them for anything other then paint removal, if theres a lot of paint on the car i would use 80 grit. Dont go to fine or you will 'Polish' the metal. To keep the steel clean from rust I use a phosphric acid solution. Bunnings has rustbuster with 17% phosphoric acid. Get a spray bottle and spray on panel, I try to keep it out of any areas that it can get caught like seems etc. The next bit is the most important, I get a damp cloth and wipe the whole area over, this slowly mixes the damp cloth with the acid solution and by the end of wiping you have a near perfect looking panel. You may notice a slight white looking streak accross the panel. You can wipe any excess of with a dry cloth if you want. Honestly this works brilliant. I have a door on my ej panelvan that was done about 8 months ago and is only now starting to get a slight bronzing colour to it (surface rust starting) and it lives in a carport! It can be a bit tricky to work out at first but the result is as good as its ever gonna get. 1 bottle will do a whole car and is like less then $20. I know it sounds crazy wiping a damp cloth over raw steel but try it on an old panel and you will see how well it works. Its just how I do it and I worked it out by trial and error. All the area will need before paint prep by the blaster is a real quick scuff with a red scotch bright pad, Does anyone else use this technique?
2012/11/12 21:03:34
MK1_Oz
For areas not being blasted I would only ever recommend these disks;
 
http://solutions.3m.com.a...0_univid=1258562044470
 
Be careful not to build up heat as it distorts the panel just as bad as blasting.
 
I tried paint stripper and wire wool on some flat panel areas and in some of the hard to access creases and joins.  Works very well but makes one hell of a mess!  Chemical stripper -> wipe of muck -> flush with copious amounts of water -> thoroughly dry with heat gun -> immediate etch
2012/11/17 14:21:32
razzle308
Hey Flighter.
My 5cents.
Mine is a treet car so i saw no point in going nuts bare metalling the underneath and inside (it does look nice though)
If i had the cheque book i would do it.
I too knew the history of mine and it was in very good condition. This being said I don't like easy way outs and dodgy short cuts. If i'm gonna spend 2 years and $1500 on paint - i want it proper as i can do.
So - i got a car polisher (like a 200mm grinder but slow)  and went to tool place in welshpool an got 200mm pads like these www.eastwood.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/49827f4e4ab68e0bf91ffd22f523ef02/p1626.jpg You can also get little 100mm ones for the baby grinder for tighter spots.
They get down to the metal real quick without cutting into the metal. You'll go through a few. 
I do not like paint stripper and putting water near my bare metal. Just don't liiike it.
I got the engine bay sand blasted - well worth it.
Then i bought a little sand blaster nozzle from supercrap and some garnet powder and blasted every thing i could get my hands on. Was great for around doors and anywhere i couldn't get the grinder to.
Window surounds ets.
The inside i left alone - as you said - carpet and trim and you'll see none of it. As long as there is not rust.
The underneat had been deadened from factory so no issues for me but i pulled everything out up on stands, donned the mask and coated it in fresh deadener. So all sealed and street pretty.
 
Time consuming but didn't cost a bomb.

 
2012/11/17 15:38:58
MK1_Oz
I used one of those Supercrapauto sand blasters.  Was great for small areas but was extremely suseptable to blocking due to small amounts of water in the compressed air.  Also used heaps of SCA sand and made a huge mess.
2012/11/17 16:04:12
razzle308
yeah - all true. i had to modify the pick-up to stop the clogging.
I used tarps to retrieve the sand. I clamped a big frame together for the tarp to collect the sand back.
Then i got a plastic 44gallon drum and converted it to a sand blasting cabinet for the smaller jobs.
 
"Danger will robinson... danger."
 
The water is a bit of an issue but i found it an invaluable tool.
 

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