Can paint be stripped off Gel coat??

[Perfect Mixer]

I've got a 77 Mirage that has been painted prior to my purchase last year. I was wondering if the anyone has had any luck stripping paint off of an old gelcoat without damage to the original colors. I'd like to bring it back to original colors if possible. I just don't like painted boats. Any suggestions?
Sam

[blown428fe]

Im getting ready to strip my boat within the next couple of weeks, it has six coats of paint over the original jel. A friend of mine told me the other day to use corvette stripper because it wont hurt the jel, regular paint stripper does lift the jel. Try a little spot somewhere first. Im bringing my boat to a media blaster in 2-weeks to see if they can do it with out etching up the original jel, they said they can but want to see it first ($70.00 an hr. at 5 to 6 hrs they said, witch seems cheap to me) . Six coats is way to much to DA off.

[BlownNitro540]

I have used acetone in the past to strip paint from a gel coat, it was a long process of hard work.

[BrendellaJet]

try a razor blade. I removed lots of paint off my boat that way very easily. If you want to preserve the gel, go slow, and stay away from the contours. the razor blade can nick the gel especially if you bury the corner of the blade=gouge...not bad, but bad enough if you want to try to keep the gel. Perhaps smoothing the corners of the blade would prevent this....

[Nucking futs]

i used paint stripper to get the 3 coats of automotive clear off of mine and it will not hurt the gellcoat.It will however eat the fiberglass that ois bare sp be carfull and do it quick. It took me 2 times with the stripper for it to eat all the way through.

[Perfect Mixer]

Thanks, I'll give the chemical stripper a try. Hopefully it turns out.

[flat broke]

I copied some stuff from the "how to" section pertaining to your question....
Originally Posted by BILLY.B
If anyone out there has any paint questions on how too's i'd be happy to give info if needed.
Billy;
What's the best way to strip flaking paint off gel coat.
I'm planning on repainting the Rayson over the winter, and what's on it now has to come off.
A couple of local shops suggested media blasting, what do you think???
What about chemical stripping??
Thanks;
Bob
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Media blasting is scary. It can be done but the guy behind the gun had better know what he's doing or he'll put waves in the hull. I'm not saying it can't be done they just have to be extremly carefull. You can do it with chemical. The product that I use is called JASCO and can be found at Lowes or Home Depot. You do small sections at a time (12"x12") until you feel comfortable with what your doing. Depending on the paint that was used could determine the lenght of time it will take to get off. It sounds like laquer so it might go quick. Pour some into a container, grab a cheap brush and go for it. I spread on a thick amount and just wait. Sounds like Rice Crispies when you pour milk on them and when it stops lifting the paint use a bondo spreader and scrap it into a container (not plastic). Spray the area you've striped with water to neutralize it , dry and continue to the next spot. A couple of tips.... (1) Don't try to get all of the paint off each area all at once as this can cause the striper to saturate into the gel coat and attack the glass. Move on to the next spot and so on. You can come back later or the next day. If it does attack the gel and get into the glass don't freak out it can be fixed easily.(2) Always flush and dry the area you've striped before you move on. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. Sounds complicated but it just takes time and will usually come out nicer if done right.
Posted by Billy B
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Billy;
Thanks!!
I've seen a couple of nice cars ruined with sand blasting....
The guy doing the work used a too agressive sand. I've had better luck using other types of media, like glass beads or ground walnut shells.
I think I'll give the chemical stripper a try and stay away from media blasting.
Sounds like I need to make sure to work slow and nuetralize each section right away.
What do you use to nuetralize the stuff if it sinks into the gel, still water???
Thanks for the help!!!
I apprecriate it!!!!!
Bob (Norseman)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 72 Hondo
California Ideas only shot paint over the scalopes the original colors were comp. orange w/ gold outline and the white gel was never touched. I just need to get the car paint off the scalopes and bring back the original gel.
THANKS,
There's a couple of different ways but i'd probably mask off the gel-coat and use a striper for fiberglass and do it that way. Once it was striped off you'd have to sand the area ( 500, to 800 to 1200-to 2000) to get out the sand scratches that California Ideas put in that area to get the paint to stick, then rub the area out. Hopefully there's enough gel-coat to do this. The reason i'd strip it off instead of sanding it off is so that I left enough material to do the above that I stated. Good luck.
posted by Billy B
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 72 Hondo
Paint stripper for Corvette bodies maybe?
Exactly. Or you can use a striper from a company called JASCO. You can find it at Lowes or Home Depot. It will start crackling like rice crispies when you pour milk on them. Once that stops you use a bondo spreader to scrap off the lifted paint and you can put it in a box. Then take a very wet rag to the area you just striped so as to get rid of any residue left by the striper as it will continue to eat at the gel-coat. When your done striping you can scrub the area with Comet and lots of water, dry it off and you should be ready to go. If you have to do any re-painting wait a couple of weeks to make sure you don't have any repercussions from the striper.
posted by Billy B
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You can find the orriginal thread at the end of pg 1 and starting on pg2 of the thread HERE (http://www.***boat.com/FORUMS/showth...2&page=1&pp=50)
Remember to use the search function to find stuff of interest.
Good luck with your project,
Chris

[Old Guy]

I copied this from a post long ago just in case I needed it someday.
i have seen a product that is supposed to remove paint but not affect factory gell coat on corvettes. it is called spra strip paint remover and is available from ecklers. www.ecklers.com/
Roger

[Perfect Mixer]

I did see that post as well as a few others. I was more concerned about keeping the original gelcoat vs. repaint. I wasn't sure how the stripper would effect the gel. Thanks for the responses.

[Tresguey]

i have stripped paint off of gel coat with a good razor blade and a powerful pressure washer. i started it with the blade cranked up the pressure washer and went to town. worked pretty good. my brother does custom paint and auto body and he was the one that told me how to do it. just a thought for ya.