Powder coat removal

[ROTARY]

thats strange ive never had a problem with aircraft remover and i powder coat all the time, cast aluminum likes to outgas sometimes even after a pre-heat before coating. do you only have this problem with alum? also how do you clean your parts after using aircraft remover?

Old Sporty - if you are unsure of using the aircraft remover do a test run on a scrap of the same metal as your work piece.

[dabar39]

ROTARY, I know cast aluminum will outgas if you don't pre heat, but I have had some (not many) problems with various types of extruded aluminum after using stripper. I clean the item with soap and water, let dry and then use acetone or laquer thinners for the final cleaning. Hmmmm... just thought of something, maybe my stuff wasn't as dry as I thought it was using the soap and water to neutralize the stripper? could that be my problem, I wonder if water is staying in the pores even though I think it's dry? Anyways, I've not had a problem with mild, cast steel or stainless coatings, seems it's only the aluminum that gives me problems. Dave

P.S. I'm still fairly new to the powder coating so go easy on me, I'm still learning.

[Jim-TX]

The guy that does my powder coating uses a rosebud torch on old powder coated stuff like car frames. Once he burns the coating he sand blasts. He does this stuff for a living so I figure he's tried different ways and thinks this is the best.

[welder_one]

What's the best way to remove powder coat paint so an item can be welded?

I've tried all sorts of abrasives with varying degrees of success with most just softening the paint and smudging it around. Loading of the abrasives is also a serious problem.

Thanks for your input.

when you talk about flap wheels loading, have you tried a ceramic wheel? i grind alot of aluminum to the point of ruining alot of grinders. we switched to norzon blaze ceramic discs and they last a buuuunch longer with alot less loading. norton is not the only ones making a ceramic wheel, just thats what our lws carries