Best way to remove old paint

[Leif in Calif]

I need to remove lots of old paint from my '51 Simca 8. It's aluminum...what do you think is the best way?

Thanks! 

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

I bought a cheep set of wood chisels from HF. They are a soft metal so sharping them is easy, but will dull easily also. I used a piece of 240 sandpaper to sharpen. Once you get the hang of it, it goes quite quick. It is also a lot cheaper than chemical strippers. On my truck it took all but the last little bit of primer. Just make sure you wear safety glasses. Mike

[Leif in Calif]

4 hours ago, Mike "Hubbie" Stearns said:

I bought a cheep set of wood chisels from HF. They are a soft metal so sharping them is easy, but will dull easily also. I used a piece of 240 sandpaper to sharpen. Once you get the hang of it, it goes quite quick. It is also a lot cheaper than chemical strippers. On my truck it took all but the last little bit of primer. Just make sure you wear safety glasses. Mike

I'll try it. I probably better knock the corners off the chisel... aluminum is soft and although it will no doubt need a lot of filler anyway, I don't need scratches too. Thanks

[Stude_Opel]

Soda blasting is good for aluminium.

[TAKerry]

Sounds crazy, but a straight single edge razor as a scraper does a good job. Surprisingly fast and east. I also a good ole electric random orbit 6" sander. I prefer the cheap Ryobi from HD. I would start that with about 60gr to knock the top few layers off.

[GuyR]

I painted cars professionally for 20 so I have stripped a lot of cars and my preference would be an 8" random orbital sander starting with 40 grit to remove the outer layers and then switch to 80 grit when you hit metal. These sanders work well on delicate surfaces because the pad turns relatively slow and oscillates so it reduces heat buildup and does not dig in like a sander or grinder will. You must hold the pad as flat to the work as possible just favoring pressure to one side but they are easy to control. Be sure to keep clean sharp sandpaper on at all times to reduce heat buildup. A variation on this would be to use paint stripper first to get the majority of the paint off first but this is a messy job and would be a best option on something with a lot of paint jobs stacked up. On a disassembled car ( meaning no trim or glass) you should be able to strip the whole car in a day or two.

[Buick35]

I put the smaller panels in the bathroom next to the toilet and let the fumes peel the paint.Just kidding.

[GuyR]

sorry meant to attach a picture of what I was referring to

[Smartin]

We call that a "mud hog" ...fast material removal.