TheSamba.com :: View topic - Removing aftermarket paint to get OG paint

Thu Jul 01, 2004 5:15 pm

Mr. Electric Wizard wrote: Well here's my pics of the "Graffiti Remover" on my bus...
I had a really bad layer of primer below that belt line that I couldn't stand. I about busted a nut when I found what lies beneath...

The stuff definately works!!! Thanks for the suggestion!!!

I guess I better go to Home Depot and get some cryptonite.

Thu Jul 01, 2004 7:49 pm

It works good Skim, just don't leave it on too long or it will eat through all the paint...

Thu Jul 01, 2004 8:54 pm

is it the can that shows a lot of graffiti on the label? some are stronger than others.

Thu Jul 01, 2004 11:17 pm

Graffiti Remover by klean strip

Thu Jul 01, 2004 11:34 pm

Jawohl wrote: Graffiti Remover by klean strip

Dats the shiznit right there, uh huh!

Fri Jul 02, 2004 6:09 am

Yup, thats what I used...

Fri Jul 02, 2004 2:39 pm

Thats what Im gonna get after work. Electric, you gotta keep us posted on your progress.

Fri Jul 02, 2004 11:19 pm

All of you guys freakin rock. I'm glad more bus owners are trying to salvage the big F ups of the past and getting their buses looking good.

Sat Jul 03, 2004 1:53 am

My Barndoor kombi was used at a fire station in holand, it came from the factory dove blue, and was re-paintet straight away fire truck red, over the last 50 years rain i guess has stripped most of the red off, I will be stripping the rest of once I get it on the road.

If any of you guys are trying to do touch ups see if you can buy celulose paint like the OG, you will never get a good touch up with modern 2 pack paint its to plastic and shiny.

My 54 next to my old 55. :D

Sun Jul 04, 2004 5:08 am

OMG, i bought all the crap yesterday and tried it. i got graffiti remover, sprayed it on a small spot on the rear corner and where it gets round it went down to bare metal in a spot the size of a dime in like milli-seconds! but it worked in other areas a bit but damn!!! you guys are f-ing hardcore for doing the whole damn bus!!! just that little spot was tough. here are the other items i bought: 3 types of "fine" wet/dry sandpaper, sanding block, a plastic scraper, a putty knife(i already had one), 4 cans of graffiti remover. what do i use to neutralize it? water or baking soda? also should i use a razor blade and doesn't that take even longer? oh yeah, i tried abit above the beltline and the white is there too! \:D/

Sun Jul 04, 2004 6:31 am

SuperSkim wrote: Thats what Im gonna get after work. Electric, you gotta keep us posted on your progress.

will do... 8)

Sun Jul 04, 2004 8:49 am

obus wrote: OMG, i bought all the crap yesterday and tried it. i got graffiti remover, sprayed it on a small spot on the rear corner and where it gets round it went down to bare metal in a spot the size of a dime in like milli-seconds! but it worked in other areas a bit but damn!!! you guys are f-ing hardcore for doing the whole damn bus!!! just that little spot was tough. here are the other items i bought: 3 types of "fine" wet/dry sandpaper, sanding block, a plastic scraper, a putty knife(i already had one), 4 cans of graffiti remover. what do i use to neutralize it? water or baking soda? also should i use a razor blade and doesn't that take even longer? oh yeah, i tried abit above the beltline and the white is there too! \:D/

It's certainly not a spray on/wipe off process. It took me over 100 hours to do my '53. It has tons of fucked up spots too but it's just a matter of what you enjoy. Start slowly and pick up a little speed if you find a good system. Remember to always be careful too! I don't know what neutralizes the Graffiti Remover but water neutralizes the Jasco paint stripper that I used. It worked well but took several passes, loads of time, and even more patience.

Sun Jul 04, 2004 10:44 am

krusher wrote: My Barndoor kombi was used at a fire station in holand, it came from the factory dove blue, and was re-paintet straight away fire truck red, over the last 50 years rain i guess has stripped most of the red off, I will be stripping the rest of once I get it on the road.

My 54 next to my old 55. :D

Man That red looks like it would wash right off with a little warm water! :lol:

Sun Jul 04, 2004 10:58 am

obus wrote: what do i use to neutralize it? water or baking soda? also should i use a razor blade and doesn't that take even longer?
obus, I see no reason to use a razor blade. From my experience, as long as the graffiti remover is completely wiped off, that neutralizes it. Don't use a towel for too long, otherwise you will be reapplying the graffiti remover as you're trying to wipe it off. Spray the remover in a small area directly onto the paint that you want to remove. Wait a couple of seconds and then get rubbing. Expect to go through a lot of towels. The terry towels work really good, I think their texture helps with the rubbing. <insert joke here> :lol:

Sun Jul 04, 2004 12:40 pm

thanks for the tips guys! i am going to do a little bit each night after i get home from work. i think water neutralizes it and i used a water soaked cheesecloth after i did a bit of scraping w/ the putty knife. i did a spot slightly bigger than my hand w/ the graffiti remover. this will be a true test of my patience which normally = NONE on mine it seems like it was almost a spray on/wipe off process because on the corners i put a little bit and walked away and that was the small spot that it burned through to metal!!! i waited the next time about 2 minutes after spraying the next time and once i started to scrape it started to come off. later i was able to get it to come off by using my fingernail!!! now do i need to wet sand it at all or is that when i get the sucka down to the green?

Sun Jul 04, 2004 12:51 pm

I would say the wet sand question depends on how your bus was prepped prior to the billy's getting their hands on it. If paint was just shot over OG paint, then my guess would be that you wouldn't need to wet sand, but if your bus were scuffed prior to the "new" paint, you might need to. Graffiti remover doesn't seem to bother the finish of the OG paint if done correctly, with patience and love.

Sun Jul 04, 2004 12:59 pm

i wanted to take my 65 down and i was doing that but there were o many hole burns (from someone sanding) and many spots that were stained cause the other paint

but that bus is gone

I would do my 67 knowing the origional is under the blue.......but i can tell there is body damage and bondo behind the cargo door.... it was strightened good but still had to use bondo ill have to fix that some day but not now cause that blue shines real well!

Sun Jul 04, 2004 1:55 pm

The solvent based graffitti removers cannot be "neutralized", they can only be wiped off or diluted. I would suggest a towel soaked in mineral spirits to dilute out the solvent from the remover. You are basically diluting a concentrated paint dissolving solvent with a much less aggressive solvent, thereby stopping the stripping action. Again, you will need to try it and find a combination which works for your paint.

Sun Jul 04, 2004 3:21 pm

so after letting it sit with just getting wiped down w/ water on Saturday, will i go home on mon night to find the rear corner disintigrated? :) i will have to check to see if the og velvet green was scuffed, thanks Jawohl! hard to tell w/such a small spot that i did so far. i will have to get some "mineral spirits" tomorrow after work-thanks for the tip j.pickens!!! i wonder if i can use some low grade vodka on it? j/k

Mon Jul 05, 2004 7:45 am

We just used the water hose to take off the graffiti remover after wiping down and then letting it sit about a minute...