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

Sat Apr 26, 2014 10:36 am

Mike Fisher wrote: Paint Stripper only takes off 1 layer of paint on each application. Wait for it to bubble the top layer and then remove it with scrappers & coarse Steel Wool etc. Re-apply where necessary.

Uh, no. If you leave the paint stripper on, it will bubble straight down to bare metal. So you need to be careful not to leave it on too long.

Sun Apr 27, 2014 12:50 pm

So far I've found that a hot air gun to warm the panel allows for the yellow brush paint to be removed, leaving the metallic blue over the red and cream original paint. Too hot and the razor grabs, too cold and the paint shatters and crackles the blue.

Wed May 07, 2014 4:37 pm

ok so i have used the cheap oven cleaners and they sorta suck.used easy off it rocks! I've tried to get % on ingredients on various easyoffs no avail , I'm trying to order from amazon and the EO oven and grill seems the cheapest but is that the exact same as the professional oven cleaner? does professional mean just a larger size for best value? can by can it gets kinda pricey and they have sixers of 24 ounce very cheap? just wanna make sure its the same as "heavy duty"

Sun May 18, 2014 6:36 pm

My first shot at removing the primer that the PO shot my '78 CEII with. As you can see the Agate is coming back! I used Motsenbocker's Graffiti remover, some elbow grease and paper towel. This took about an hour.

Thu May 22, 2014 2:06 am

Nice work Collie. I have a CE1 that some idiot covered in blue spray paint. All these pictures have me drooling thinking about getting down to that awesome brown and white paint. Probably won't have a chance until later in the summer, but I am at least going to do a 'tiny' spot just for kicks in the next couple of days. Keep posting pictures, this gets me super motivated.

Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:03 pm

IN2VWS wrote: Don't know if it has been mentioned previously, as I didn't read through the 40 pages.......I have had success with a hot water high pressure washer.
I used a professional Karcher machine with adjustable water temperature. I cranked the temp up as high as it would go, which is 150º Celsius. (300ºF)
The crappy paint on top just peels away, and the original paint does not get damaged in any way.
Usually you will get 90% of the paint off with this method, leaving only 10% to remove using other methods.

Hello, finally finished reading all 42 pages of this great thread. I have been using the steam method to soften weak paint and heat the metal body panel with decent results. Currently using the handheld "Shark hard surface steam cleaner" model number SC618CA. These work good for removing window tint film as well. Might have to look into renting one of these hot water pressure washers.

Mon Jun 23, 2014 12:51 pm

Well I read thru most of the posts on this thread and got jacked to try it! I have a 63 type 1 that was originally turks the interior paint is pretty good shape. The PO at some point resprayed it an off white color and did a fairly poor job. So I figured lets try it!

Got some supplies

Figured I'd start in the driver's door jab. Everything went pretty well, burned threw alittle but got a decent technique down.

With my new found confidence I moved to the driver's rear fender.

Hit bare metal almost immediately! I can tell by rock chips up alittle higher and the inside lip of the fender there is OG paint under the white. The only thing I could think is it's super thin? Or to aggressive of a thinner? I tried a few other spots on the car, hood fenders and same thing. The moment I cut the white it goes to primer then bare metal!? WTF! Anyone else having this problem?

I think I'm giving up on it and will rock the white tell I want to respray it. Advise?

Mon Jun 23, 2014 8:17 pm

Here we go

Fri Jul 04, 2014 10:56 pm

I used some graffiti remover and 800-2000 grit sandpaper and a ton of elbow grease.

Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:01 am

poptop wrote: ok so i have used the cheap oven cleaners and they sorta suck.used easy off it rocks! I've tried to get % on ingredients on various easyoffs no avail , I'm trying to order from amazon and the EO oven and grill seems the cheapest but is that the exact same as the professional oven cleaner? does professional mean just a larger size for best value? can by can it gets kinda pricey and they have sixers of 24 ounce very cheap? just wanna make sure its the same as "heavy duty"

Did you check its MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet)?

Wed Aug 20, 2014 10:38 pm

Took 12 hours. Used goof off graffiti remover (3 cans), 0000 steel wool, scour pads, a nylon brush, lots of wet shop cloth. Different methods worked better on different paint. I'm happy with the result. Elm green I believe.

Thu Aug 21, 2014 6:56 pm

Wow that green beetle looks awesome

Sat Aug 23, 2014 7:20 pm

Thought I'd add one to the pile.

I was just going to sand it down and repaint, but my brother convinced me to see what's underneath. Turns out it was the world's worst sanding job :) Previous owner didn't have much skill. Rattlecanned with flat black.

Before:

During (had a few "what have I done" moments)

After 4 bottles of Motsenbockers. Love, love, love this stuff.

Yes, that's a blue door with white HOUSE PAINT on top.

One more bottle to finish up the front should do it. Took two people about half a day. Not sure how long I'm going to leave it OG, but it's growing on me.

Sun Sep 07, 2014 3:20 pm

This topic gave me some courage. I wanted to see why the PO went crazy with the primer. Too bad the primer so far is covering some large bare metal spots...yet no filler in the dings?? My hope is to keep as much OG paint as possible and to blend what I can. The thought of a complete strip and repaint just doesn't make financial sense to me when the rest of the paint is in such great shape.

Thu Sep 18, 2014 1:07 pm

I think I got off easy with it being only primer but I can't believe how well it's coming out! only using the graffiti remover and very fine scotchbrite.

Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:40 am

Maddward wrote: I think I got off easy with it being only primer but I can't believe how well it's coming out! only using the graffiti remover and very fine scotchbrite.

Wow! Why would someone primer over that? Looks awesome man. 8)

Sun Sep 21, 2014 5:07 pm

Alright, this is a dumb question I admit, but I haven't been able to find anything about it in the previous posts/threads. Does anyone know what color primer VW originally used before putting on the OG paint? The PO had a semi professional paint job done to my car, however when I get past that job I run into two different colors. The first in the diamond blue, which I believe to be the OG paint, however if I keep scrubbing I come across an almost peach like /beige before hitting bare metal. I've tested numerous parts of the car and they all turn out the same. Am I safe to assume that the peach/beige under the diamond blue is OG factory primer?

Thu Oct 02, 2014 6:59 am

I've started wet sanding the brown back to Manly Tan on my bug. Came off easy in the area in the picture but think I might need to go a bit coarser for some other areas as using the same grade sanding block seems to have no effect.

I'm guessing the darker red was a primer used for the brown.

Mon Oct 13, 2014 1:43 pm

I'm just curious how some of you guys make the decision to strip the paint.

For instance the guys that have half-way primed vehicles and obviously less than desirable paint jobs, I can understand that..

I just bought a '60 Type 1 a couple weeks ago and at some point it was resprayed(close to the original color) and doesn't look bad..but I am a sucker for og paint..so I'm not sure if it's worth it to me(never having done it) to strip the decent paint off..

I would be happy to see what some of your suggestions are would be.

Here is a picture of it..

Mon Oct 13, 2014 1:46 pm

leave that car be. Stripping paint is for crappy resprays. The paint on your car looks nice