John N. Packard Posted January 8, 2000 Share Posted January 8, 2000 I'm refinishing a used replacement fender for my '54 Packard. This fender is undercoated and I have tried in vain to remove the stuff. Sandblasting didn't work and scraping with a putty knife and single edged razor blade didn't work. Anyone have experience removing undercoat quickly, easily and completely?<P>John P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Hoover Posted January 8, 2000 Share Posted January 8, 2000 John,<P>Try a good heat gun if you have one, and a scraper. This works fast. Then just clean up with some lacquer thinner or a strong solvent. Another is a hand held propane torch. Wave it lightly just enough for the scraper to work. Sand blasting is always the last option. Good Luck, Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest my3buicks Posted January 8, 2000 Share Posted January 8, 2000 John, I have used the heat gun and propane torch option also and it works great. Just thought I would colaborate the prior suggestion.<P>------------------<BR>Keith Bleakney BCA# 11475<BR><BR>1967 Technical Advisor<BR><BR>2 - 1967 (3517's) & 1 - 1953 (56R) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 8, 2000 Share Posted January 8, 2000 I haven't tried this but I have heard through my club that applying dry ice to the undercoating makes it brittle and possible to easily chip it off.<P>Cheers, 3MP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronbarn Posted January 8, 2000 Share Posted January 8, 2000 OK you guys - here's my .02 - forget the dry ice - get a propane torch and very carefully use it on the opposite side of the undercoating - not directly on the undercoating. You want to "melt" the bond, not the coating itself. You may blister the paint, but you are going to repaint anyway, right? You also do not want to distort the sheetmetal. I absolutely agree that sandblasting should be the last resort. The undercoating is soft and the sandblast will just bounce off and you run the risk of distorting the sheet metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Hoover Posted January 8, 2000 Share Posted January 8, 2000 Heck Ron, <BR>I'll bet John got that undercoating off before midnight last night. He's probably painting that fender now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John N. Packard Posted January 9, 2000 Author Share Posted January 9, 2000 Thanks guys! Rick, you lose. I've never done anything that quickly! The dry ice suggestion is unique. I have access to liquid nitrogen, that should really do a job! My concern about the propane torch is igniting the stuff. Heat gun might be safer. I'll let you know how it works out.<P>John P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronbarn Posted January 9, 2000 Share Posted January 9, 2000 John, Heat gun would probably be better, but I have used the propane torch. Regardless of what you do always have a fire extinguisher near by. That's just good shop practive regardless of what you do. If you try the dry ice, please let us know. I'm skeptical, but even at my advanced age am willing to learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John N. Packard Posted January 10, 2000 Author Share Posted January 10, 2000 I used the propane torch to heat the back side of the panel and the undercoat scraped right off like soft putty. It takes a little training to keep the torch in one hand moving over the area where you are scraping with the other. I got 90% of it removed in one afternoon of work. Thanks for your help!<P>John P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Hoover Posted January 10, 2000 Share Posted January 10, 2000 Good deal!<P>NOW you should be painting by tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Old55ford Posted January 11, 2000 Share Posted January 11, 2000 Try some diesel fuel to clean up the rest of the undercoating. It is not as hazardous as some other product for cleaning. It can be put on the area you want with a rag or soak the area for some time. Use in a well ventilated space.<BR> Buddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John N. Packard Posted January 18, 2000 Author Share Posted January 18, 2000 ...the rest of the story! Undercoat removed, fender in primer, everything looks great! Even did a door while shooting the primer. Thanks to all for your advice.<P>John P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now