Back to the Zip Strip

Roym wrote: I assume methylene choride is the main chemical in the Zip Strip, and not just a chemical by itself.

Yes, the methylene is the base of the "ZIP Strip" type removers. Methylene has a extreamly good solvency rating plus because it's chorinated, it's not flamable. The bad thing about it is it also has a very high evaporation rate. To overcome this, waxes are added to the methylene which floats to the surface trapping the solvent next to the paint/varnish allowing it to work on the finish. The wax also thickens it up so the remover will cling to vertical and overhead surfaces.

Roym wrote: I had the same problem with my Hydra-Sport bottom paint. I tryed all the different strippers too with no real success. We just ended up on our backs sanding it all off.

Roy,
I'm happy with the end result of using the methylene chloride. It just took a little more patience from me and 2 to 3 coats. Something I wasn't used to!! I used about a gal. ($40)for a 17' boat. Better than the cost of blasting!

soda blasting will do it, but it's not cheap. it costs me 1.00 a pound + shipping. the last thing i did was a austin mini panel for pichard petty and it was $700.00 about 4 years ago,(he don't mind spending the money). you might try to find someone close that can do walnut shell blasting or a soft plastic bead. those will be less expensive.

Rodger,
Yes we have the service over here as well as the dry ice blasting. I've had both demonstrated at the plant on one of our presses we wanted to paint. In both cases, the demonstrator gave up packed up his equipment and walked!!! Not very impressive!. My understanding is both work only on a few types of paints and on a few surfaces. The bottom paint in the vid may not be a ablative - don't know!! Besides, then I'd have to haul the boat someplace plus working on 4 days pay now, I'm on a budget!!

Today, I've almost got it stripped with the methylene chloride. All that's left to do are the hull steps at the aft end. Thanks for the info anyway.

After spending the day on my back yesterday with both the 9" with a 36 grit disk and the random with 60 paper on it my arms this morning are feeling it!!

This morning, I took a look at the progress of the one day and told myself this is absurd!! This is what I'm dealing with:

The problem is failing ablative bottom paint on top of west epoxy (last coat has the gray pigment). This is 2 coats of ablative approximately 20 years old and the 3rd coat about 10 years old. You'll notice the "alligatoring" and checking which is throughout the bottom. The chipping is at high water turbulence areas and where the bottom comes in contact with both the lift and trailer bunks.











I started off stripping it with my normal stripper - Zip Strip or equal which is the methylene chloride type. It didn't attack the ablative like it normally does on paints or varnish (this is a first for me stripping ablative) so I decided to try other strippers.

First I tried a West product. This is a $60 per gal white paste. No real solvent odor and they couldn't tell me what it was but I suspect it's a caustic like lye. It barely touched the ablative and was pretty much a gooey mess. The other problem is this stuff doesn't dry so disposal in the garbage isn't a option. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with what I did use!

Next I tried a product advertised in the ASBS Rudder magazine called Star 10. This is a gelled mixture of different solvents and is the equivalent type stripper that Michelle (sanity) used on her Mustang. (can't remember the name - "Captain" something??) This too turned into a gooey mess but at least the used stripper dried so I could put it in the garbage.

Finally I went to Ace and got a "citrus" stripper thinking that since a ablative paint washes off slowly like a bar of soap in water, that a water base stripper may work better. Wrong!! It did nothing!!

So, it was back to the Zip Strip! This is after 3 removals with the stripper, a solvent scrub with a Scotch Brite pad and then a first wipe with solvent on a rag. Getting there!!



You'll notice one area that I sanded through the gray pigmented epoxy to the clear epoxy under it. This besides the ablative not wanting to sand off easily was one of the reasons I stopped sanding and went back to the stripper. I sure don't need to add to this project by having to epoxy again because I inadvertently sanded through a area!

One more light spot removal with the Zip Strip and then I'll go back to the Random orbit with 120 and it should do it.

BTW, I did contact Interlux regarding the removal. First he asked why I wanted to remove it because it can be painted over with the hard racing bronze (I want to replicate the original bronze). I told him the failure issue and he said it as due to a amine blush from the West. BS!!! - I'm familiar with the amine issue and did wet sand/wash before the ablative paint. He went on to say that the ablatives are the most difficult paints besides epoxies to remove.

Never again with the ablative!!