Planer restoration - Zapins

Discussion in 'General foundry chat' started by Zapins, Jun 29, 2022.

  1. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    I need some advice. I think this planer probably has lead paint in it. I tried using this crappy paint stripper. But it hasn't done anything. Any better brand of very aggressive stripper I should buy instead? I'm sick of this product it hasn't ever stripped any paint.

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  2. Your pieces would be small enough to have a tub of caustic soda in water for stripping the paint and rust like they do with engine blocks. There may even be a diesel engine rebuilder nearby with one you could take the castings too. If you DIY a caustic tank then those blue plastic 55 gallon drums would be suitable. Warming the caustic water will increase the stripping reaction exponentially: Arrhenius' equation states that for every ten degrees C increase the chemical reaction rate doubles, so warming and agitation (air bubbler) will be the difference between success and failure, although too hot and hot caustic soda will even etch glass.

    I went down that route with stripper and gave up and used a cup wire wheel in an angle grinder which was a fair bit faster. Just be aware of speed ratings of the various wheels vs the angle grinder speeds. The wheels will shed wires that will penetrate skin so a face mask over safety glasses is very desirable and a leather apron over jeans will also be handy. No chemicals to neutralize with acid and dispose of, just sweep the paint dust off the driveway. I mentioned earlier that while stripping my lathe castings, I copped a wire to the nutsack that I didn't discover until I saw blood in the shower that night (missed the nuts fortunately) and another guy I know had a shed wire get into his leg vein and travel to the groin before swelling and needing surgery.
     
  3. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Yep those cup wheels have got me a few times now. They are no joke.

    Caustic soda. So basically draino/lye will strip the paint? Does it need to be diluted? Or neat application?
     
  4. I have no idea of strength or composition, I see online some people use trisodium phosphate as well as caustic soda. I saw one youtube video where they used a galvanized garbage can with a gas burner to warm it up, zinc and caustic soda are not compatible so a steel 55 gallon drum would be a better option for caustic soda solution. I don't think the caustic solution is super strong maybe 10%-20%, it does have to get soaked for days, especially the room temperature version for stripping antique wood furniture (ends up kind of furry afterwards and needs sanding).

    edit: It would likely attack white metal bearings and dissimilar metal combinations so unless you have a method for sealing off that area like a rubber stopper or high temperature wax the solution is going to attack aluminium etc.
     
  5. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Best paint stripper I have ever used is Aircraft remover. Once any paint stripper is open, ya need to use it fairly soon. Apply the stuff super thick and give it 20mins, scrape, rinse, dry, repeat.
     
    _Jason likes this.
  6. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Hmm. So 7 year old opened stripper isn't going to work huh?

    Acetone seems to take off the paint fairly well. Its a bit slow but I'm thinking 15 mins per piece should get most of it off that way. Then I can blast the remaining off and get to the paint job.

    Still got to figure out what to do for a stand. I want a nice metal one but I am pretty sure I don't have the metal supplies to make one. Will need to scrounge around and see whats left. I'm down the the dregs of my savings $$. Still haven't got a decent salary yet for a couple more months so my cheddar supply is limited... sigh
     
  7. Sodium hydroxide (lye) will get rid of almost anything, it's basically hydrochloric acid but on the alkaline side of the scale - but it also likes to eat metals so I'd not recommend it.

    If you're not terrified of hydrocarbons, there's this stuff called "Mouse milk" which I've yet to find anything it doesn't eat up in the oil family. I'm assuming whatever was put on this was an enamel if it's metal so.. maybe not. It's basically Xylene's great grandpa and it is a nightmare liquid I use for special projects in my workshop.

    Pretty sure you can't find that in stores though, I always have to order online. Pretty sure the EPA shut down production but there's still a lot of it left to snatch up.
     
  8. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Zap you could always get a blast from a bucket kit and go out in the yard. Wear a hood and you'll still be diggin play sound out of your ears a week later. I've had to do this a few times with stuff that was too big for the cabinet.
     
  9. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Yeah maybe the lye is a bit much. I used sulfuric acid on a metal part a while back and it ate the metal up. I imagine lye would too.

    Not sure its worth it to use mouse milk lol. Sounds scary

    The sand blasting is an option but I don't have a proper outside sand blasting bottle. I have a small hopper I could use but it would use up precious blasting media quickly. I can't belive they sell the 80 grit aluminum oxide at harbor freight for $50. I still haven't found a great alternative.

    I'll try the acetone for now then once the paint is off I'll blast whats left in the cabinet. And see how that works.
     
  10. rocco

    rocco Silver

    At Princess Auto, it's sort of the Canadian version of Harbor Freight, they sell a copper slag blasting media they call Ebonygrit, I've never used it so I can't comment on its efficacy but it's only $15/ 50lb, the product description says, " This high-density blasting slag cleans surfaces fast. It’s recyclable and highly resistant to fracturing, with very low dust formation during blasting."

    Addendum: I did a little more research and found this regarding copper slag media, "for removal of tough corrosion and coatings. Used extensively on Bridges (George Washington Bridge and Walt Whitman Bridge to name a few), shipyards, refinery, and tank farm sites."
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2022
  11. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Plays and, screen out the cat turds and let it fly! No recovering when you do it out side.
     

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