Stripping powdercoat

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Stinkwater
I'm tired of gumming up wirewheels. I'm trying muriatic acid right now, because it's what else I had. Anyone had any luck with anything else off the hardware store shelf?
 

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Powder coating is bonded by essentially melting the coating onto the part... and the parts are usually sand blasted to prepare for the coating, so it has a good bite. So removing it is very difficult, it adheres very well... which is why it's so popular.
 

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Stinkwater
Apparently gasket stripper peels it right off too, but you can't get it in the US anymore? Klean Strip Premium Stripper is supposed to work, but it's $50 a gallon.

Muriatic acid is not working quickly. I'm leaving it in a bath overnight and if it ruins the piece then I didn't want to finish this project anyway.
 

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Stinkwater
I get better results with paint stripper if I score the paint first.
Yah, the muriatic acid didn't even start to work until I scratched up the paint and even then was taking forever.

The Klean Strip worked much faster. The video I saw said you have to leave it in a bath, but I bought an aerosol can, sprayed the parts down, and left them in a plastic tub with the lid on to minimize evaporation. Worked pretty good and not too messy, but I wish I had money and space for a little blasting cabinet.

20230605_103026.jpg
 

Kevin B.

Not often wrong. Never quite right.
Moderator
Location
Stinkwater
Curious; are you just painting the item after the powdercoat removal?

If so, powdercoat hit with some scuffing-of-the-surface makes a very excellent base layer for paint application anyways. It’s like the ultimate pre-primer. Provided that any area they flaking off is obviously removed.
I had to take a bunch off to reweld a spot anyway and the rest of it was chipped and rusty and would have probably kept flaking away under whatever paint I put over the top. Stripping it down seemed like the thing to do.
 
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