My valve cover was powdercoated a few years back...ITR red...well over the winter I added -12an bungs for a pcv setup on the front...needless to say I had to scrape the powder off to weld it...

I am trying to get the rest off which has proven alot more difficult than I first imagined. I have used paint stripper which works ok, but doesn't get down in the little crevices and such..also a sandblaster, which just makes a huge mess and really didn't do much.

Any suggestions?

It will be hot tanked b/c I need to make sure and get all the metal shavings out of it before it goes back on, but after talking to Marietta Ignition it won't remove the powder coating..

Pic for reference. It's a little rough looking now, I used a scraper to get the flat parts done, but I can't get into the rounded edges very easy or the smaller areas.




Best scenerio would be to have something I could dip it in, let it soak overnight and rinse off...voila..shiny aluminum..lol.

Thanks in advance..

:cool:

 

tried aircraft stripper?

if not i guess wire wheel, but then you may want to wet sand and buff it after to get the scratches out, and it will be polished as a result

 

Going to try tonight using Aircraft stripper.

 

I'd love to know a more effective method as well. I've been stripping a Kink BMX frame this kid mangled, and aircraft stripper turns powdercoat into a rubbery substance. My sand blaster won't even get it off. I've turned to an air grinder and a scotchbrite disc. Getting into small areas is the issue though.

All I can say, is aircraft stripper does work...but only to an extent.

 

Take it to a powdercoater. They have an acid bath they put preiviously powdercoated items in to strip them down. They only bead blast paint off. It shouldn't be much as a powdercoated road bike frame that needs stripping only cost $15 more to powdercoat than a raw frame.

 

i used aircraft stripper on a set of wheels and it worked extremely well.

it doesnt like cold weather though. it wont work worth a crap if it's not warm out.

also, it may seem obvious, but thicker you lay that stuff on the better it works.

i am skeptical that it will work on a valve cover though.

 

I just had a suggestion..

Brake Fluid..

I could get some cheap stuff, and soak it in that overnight..I know in the past, I've gotten it on my buddies Evo which has powdered calipers and it stripped off a few places..lol.

 

ive tried brake fluid with bad results--it takes too long to do anything...aircraft stripper worked pretty good after 3 or 4 applications, but its hard to get out of the crevices....i had a friend at a machine shop bead blast it once, and it worked beautifully.

 

I've used Autostrip, which you can get at Autozone and other auto parts stores. It works pretty well. It also sprays on, and is easier to apply than brush on strippers.

 

the powdercoating shops have a bake cycle they can put it in and it will bake everything off of it. we do it with the grates to our paintbooth and they come back looking new.

 

i've had really good luck with a pressure washer after the aircraft remover

but those scratches will show through, you're going to need to sand them out

 

Well it's soaking in brake fluid tonight..if that doesn't work..then I am getting some aircraft stripper..if that doesn't work...then Saturday I am taking it to my friends with a bead blaster..

One way or another..I'll figure it out..

 

Found the solution!!!

Aircraft/Paint Stripper + Pressure washer.

Worked perfectly...it took 3-4 times to get it all completely off, but I liked it b/c it requires little to no work..lol.

Spray it on, let it set for a few minutes, paint will bubble, spray it off.

Dropping it off this afternoon to get hot tanked.




:cool:

 

glad you found a good solution...looking back, the pressure washer would have made it much easier when i used the aircraft stripper.

 

I use a media blaster. plastic particles. works very good. same thing as sandblasting but it's not as hard on the metall and it removes the paint faster.

 

I powder coat those on a regular basis for my friends. I use the brush on type aircraft stripper then hit it with a power washer after a couple of hours. Sometimes it takes 2-3 applications to get all of the old coating out of every nook and cranny. Then I use a sand blaster to clean up any tiny remnants and to prep the surface for re-coating. I find that an 80 grit media leaves a good tooth for the new powder coat.

Pre-heat it before you coat it to out-gas the aluminum.

 

if anyone needs powdercoat removed and then the valvecover recoated pm b1reed and he could do it cheap and quick (also a good job)

 

I go to a gravestone maker as they do a lot of sandblasting for writing on the stones. I took my rear crossmember there and they took off all the undercoating like butter on your breakfast toast. Only cost me $15 im def taking everything there from rims, to trans casing, to calipers, valve covers...

The finish is perfect for paint.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Top Ramen &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I powder coat those on a regular basis for my friends. I use the brush on type aircraft stripper then hit it with a power washer after a couple of hours. Sometimes it takes 2-3 applications to get all of the old coating out of every nook and cranny. Then I use a sand blaster to clean up any tiny remnants and to prep the surface for re-coating. I find that an 80 grit media leaves a good tooth for the new powder coat.

Pre-heat it before you coat it to out-gas the aluminum.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I had some stuff in a spray can, that was just called paint stripper..I could spray it on..and in 2-3 mins pressure wash sit off..took literally 20 mins to do the whole thing..

 

a torch with a rose bud tip works really well for pulling off paint or powdercoating, lol

When I used to weld on our drilling rig offshore we always just used a torch to strip the epoxy paint before welding on it again and if there rust or crap laying under the paint I just used a grinder with a brush wheel on it to clean it up.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ExVtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I had some stuff in a spray can, that was just called paint stripper..I could spray it on..and in 2-3 mins pressure wash sit off..took literally 20 mins to do the whole thing..

</TD></TR></TABLE>
jusy fyi the spray can stuff isn't as strong as the stuff in the can that requires you to use a brush

 

for future refference, use JASCO available at Home depot under paints, best stuff I've used on valve cover. It like a gel and starts to bubble and peal in 5 min. And it is water soluble http://hdsupplysolutions.com/w...talog

 

Good to know

 

do NOT bead blast / media blast a valve cover unless you plan on removing all of the spot welds and completely removing the baffles to clean out whats underneath. you can try to clean it all you want....and if you remove the baffles you will find all sorts of crap left over there. doesnt take long to kill a motor that way. ive seen it happen to numerous people.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Turbo-charged &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do NOT bead blast / media blast a valve cover unless you plan on removing all of the spot welds and completely removing the baffles to clean out whats underneath. you can try to clean it all you want....and if you remove the baffles you will find all sorts of crap left over there. doesnt take long to kill a motor that way. ive seen it happen to numerous people.</TD></TR></TABLE>