stripping paint

[tsarpepe]

Does anyone here have experience with stripping paint off a titanium frame? Could I do this on my own, or would you recommend that I take it to a shop for them to blast it? The frame is high end, so I would like to stay clear of all potentially dangerous operations. But if you know of a foolproof way of doing this at home, please, share.

(Excuses in advance if this topic has been covered on the forum already.)

[Tom Kellogg]

Any generic Methylene Chloride based stripper will take it off in sheets. We just use our dip tank and it is all gone in half an hour. Do NOT blast it. You will never get the soft brush or polish finish you want if you blast it. You can pick up a can of stripper gel at Sears or any hardware store. Keep in mind that the directions are not there to be ignored. Read them and heed them! The stuff is nasty.

[tsarpepe]

Ha! The answer comes from Tom Kellogg! I am deeply honored, but is more than that: the frame I want to strip is none other than one of your babies, a Merlin Extralight from the late 1990s! You can see now why I don't want to risk anything.

Maybe if I try your method and something goes south, you can send me a replacement? :D (Just joking.)

[dvs cycles]

Chemical stripper and patience is correct.
You aren't going to hurt the Ti with out some serious acids most of don't have. Just don't scratch it by trying to hurry.
I recently stripped a chrome Pinarello frame from the late 80'scompletely this way. :beer:

[eddief]

http://www.choppersurplus.com/global/articles/howtoremovepowdercoating.html

[Peter P.]

This may seem like a no-brainer but the one tip I would add to using stripper is, only apply it and work on one tube at a time. It will be less messy and the frame will be easier to handle.

[tsarpepe]

Thanks to all for the advice. I went to Home Depot today and bought 1) paint stripper; 2) latex gloves; and 3) breathing mask. I think I'm ready to give it a go tomorrow.

[Marcusaurelius]

Vert brave. I would do it somewhere that has lots of ventilation and possibly a fan.

[tsarpepe]

OK, the deed is done. It took me parts of two days--yesterday, and today's morning. It was a lot of fun! :banana: I did get a bit nauseous at one point, but I'll count it as a high ;) Since the result is an unmitigated success, I'd like to share the details of the job. If someone needs help on a similar project in the future, this thread will be a useful reference.

Let's begin with the "necessary ingredients"... A trip to the Home Depot yielded the following:

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9060/imgp0324.jpg (http://www.imagehosting.com/)

1. A container of KleanStrip Premium Aerosol paint stripper (turned out to be just enough for the job; if you are more liberal with your spraying, you may need two)
2. Latex gloves (not every pair of rubber gloves will protect you against the chemicals in the stripper; check the label for instructions).
3. A chemical vapor mask (again, a simple dust mask wont filter the vapors from the stripper).

Apart from these essentials, you will need:
1. Scotch Brite pads for scrubbing.
2. An old towel or T-shirt for wiping.
3. An old pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, to protect you from possible sprays.
4. If you are particularly concerned, you may don a pair of goggles as well.

Choose a place in the backyard or in a well-ventilated room, and cover it with old newspapers. I worked right on the street, in front of my apartment.

And this is what I worked on:


http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/7393/merlin11.jpg (http://www.imagehosting.com/)

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/2328/merlin12.jpg (http://www.imagehosting.com/)

The object of attention is a Merlin Extralight from the late 1990s, purchased 10 days ago from a fellow Serotta member (thanks, Matt!).

It's not so much that I hated the color it had been painted in; rather, I lusted after the raw titanium look that makes these frames distinct.

I worked on one tube at a time, as per Peter P's suggestion (thanks, Peter!). Of course, you try to cover the entire area on the first go. You won't! :no: There is always some spot that doesn't get proper coverage. Ergo, plan to go over the frame a second time. I reckoned accordingly, and left half of the stripper for the second round. The stuff works in 5 to 10 minutes. After these elapsed, I wiped the area with a towel and moved on to the next, without worrying too much about the leftover spots of paint.

At some point in my early goings, I got tired of the mask and plowed ahead without it. After I finished the first part of the job (around 1:30am), I felt slight dizziness, which soon evolved into nausea. The climax occurred in the toilet... After this, I took a walk in the park, inhaled a lot of fresh air, and went to bed. For the second part of the job, I used the mask faithfully.

For this morning I had left the small leftover spots, as well as the clear coating on the chainstays. This took me 4 hours. Probably the main point to be made about this work is that it requires patience. It's done in many attempts, interspersed with 10 minute breaks. Don't rush it, don't try to get rid of remaining paint with over-scrubbing. I used the Scotch Brite sparingly, only on really tiny dots, as well as on the clear coating. If the stripper is applied properly, there is really no need for scrubbing: the paint just slides off.

After it was all done, I gave the frame a nice shower in my bathroom. You, people with backyards, could do it with a hose. After it dried, the end result appeared as follows:

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/6756/imgp0326i.jpg (http://www.imagehosting.com/)

And so, after 8 hours of work, we return to the virginal titanium underneath (barely a scratch on it). Merlin Extralight, in its original perfection, the way God and Tom (may be the same person) wanted it to be. (Thanks, Tom!)

[Peter P.]

Wow; I'm impressed at your patience and persistence! Thanks for the instructional-don't forget to post photos of the assembled bike.

[rdparadise]

Great job and now it looks like a new bike. Good for you! No, get it assembled and post the pics in the photo gallery.

Bob

[Louis]

Nice work. Now it looks just like my TST frame...

What are you going to do for decals?

Louis

[Jeff N.]

I just stripped a SEVEN Axiom Ti frame, an E-Bay item I scored, of the most hideous paint job I'd ever seen. It took hours and hours of (stripper) spray, wipe, scotchbrite, spray, wipe, scotchbrite, ad nauseam infinitum. But it FINALLY all came off. It was the primer underneath that was the beoch! But it looks great now, with all new blue decals, dressed in Campy Record. It's a project I will not soon forget. BTW, I have a NEW set of MERLIN EXTRALIGHT DECALS to sell if you need them. White/ Black outline. $25 shipped. Jeff N.

[tsarpepe]

Thanks, Jeff,

but a full set of decals came with the bike, so I'm set. However, if you have some tips on how to apply those, please pass them along. It's my next do-it-yourself project.

[Jeff N.]

I'm lucky in that I live close to Joe Bell's shop, so I don't take any chances. Whenever I need decals applied to a frame I always take the job to him. I'm just too afraid I'd screw it up and, since he applies decals on a daily basis, I've as yet to see him screw up. But I have. Jeff N.

[tsarpepe]

What do shops charge for that kind of job?

[Volant]

Wow, nice work!

[Jeff N.]

What do shops charge for that kind of job?I'll usually give JB $20. Knowing it'll be done perfectly, I think it's worth every penny. It only takes him about 15 minutes. If he has to remove the old decals, then it's a little longer. Jeff N.

[zott28]

Looks great,
Just as an fyi I took my bike to a blaster that has plastic media, $50, he can do any sensitive material with no abrasion. He showed me some carbon fiber frames that he did that looked great. My frame looked just how it did before Litespeed decided to put a dumb strip down it. So if you can find a plastic blaster in your area don't be afraid to use it.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2615/3805339126_092cf48694_b.jpg

[tsarpepe]

I'm lucky in that I live close to Joe Bell's shop, so I don't take any chances. Whenever I need decals applied to a frame I always take the job to him. I'm just too afraid I'd screw it up and, since he applies decals on a daily basis, I've as yet to see him screw up. But I have. Jeff N.

I guess I could give it to a shop for this, but I'm running a do-it-yourself fever.
Wasn't there some trick with spraying water before applying the decals (so that you can slide them into position)? I've read it somewhere, but I am not sure it works with every kind of decals. :confused:

[msl819]

I remember the look of that titanium. Glad that it stripped off without a hitch. i hope that you ride it many hours and give it the attention that i did not. It was the first "great" road bike i bought, but alas a Serotta Colorado caused me to put this one aside. I will soon be refinishing the Colorado if all goes as planned. Let us know how you build it up.

[tsarpepe]

Thanks, Matt,

pleasure doing business with you! I will certainly upload pictures when the build is done. Now is money-collection time. The idea is to put DA 7800 on this thing. To me, it just feels like Shimano. 7900 is out of my reach + the price difference does not match the difference in quality (negligible).

[tsarpepe]

OK, the build is not quite finished, but it's close enough for display and feedback. I decided on a simple design: nothing but exposed metal + black.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j79/tsarpepe/Bikes/Extralight/IMGP0363.jpg

DA 7800 all around, including the 7801 tubulars; Thomson; Aliante; Ritchey Pro (bars and stem); Chris King; Reynolds Ouzo Pro.

The question now becomes: to decal or not to decal?

Responses welcome!

[Jeff N.]

Yes. Decals for sure. Jeff N.

[that guy]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but what happens to the waste after it's stripped off? I don't really like the idea of sending the toxic chemicals and paint into the ground, since our water table here goes straight into the bay. Can you collect it and trash it? Isn't that pretty toxic too?