removing paint from glass fibre

[Freebee]

I have a cabin moulding that resembles crocodile skin ..many years ago the cabin was white painted but that coat has now got a myriad of interconnecting small cracks. it looks like the paint has shrunk and pulled in all directions leaving an ugly mess. Ive attacked it with a wire brush but the paint is stuck fast I was wondering if paint stripper would do it- but I know that H& S has removed the goodness from strippers -so is there anything that would attack the paint but not touch the gel coat??

 

[greeny]

You have excluded stripper so sanding machine used carefully to not go through the gel coat and into the laminate could be best option. There must have been something wrong with the old gelcoat to make them paint it so I'm assuming you're going to repaint or flowcoat the surface anyway. Having said that someone may come up with a concoction to strip the paint safely and if so I'm all ears.

 

[Freebee]

I've not excluded stripper I just wonder if modern formulations will do it

 

[VicS]

I have a cabin moulding that resembles crocodile skin ..many years ago the cabin was white painted but that coat has now got a myriad of interconnecting small cracks. it looks like the paint has shrunk and pulled in all directions leaving an ugly mess. Ive attacked it with a wire brush but the paint is stuck fast I was wondering if paint stripper would do it- but I know that H& S has removed the goodness from strippers -so is there anything that would attack the paint but not touch the gel coat??

A caustic soda based paint stripper will remove ordinary paint, but not polyurethane, without harming the gelcoat.
It was the old dichloromethane based paint strippers that could harm it. You cannot buy them anymore.

 

[rotrax]

Try graffiti remover. Worked on our wooden brightwork but did not affect the gelcoat when spilt on it.

 

[fredrussell]

… was wondering if paint stripper would do it- but I know that H& S has removed the goodness from strippers -so is there anything that would attack the paint but not touch the gel coat??

There are still ‘old school’ full strength paint strippers available - Paramose is one - but they will definitely attack gel coat. Please don’t ask me how I know this.

 

[bluerm166]

To reduce the mechanical effort consider Peelaway.I used it successfully to break the back of stripping the hull of multiple layers of old antifoul by softening .Works through many layers per poultice application.
The moulding texture will determine how easy it is to lift the softened layer but you can get a try-out sample to test the result.

 

[Restoration man]

I did my whole topsides on my grp boat with screwfix no nonsense paint stripper it’s cheap does really good job and importantly doesn’t hurt anodised aluminium unlike the caustic peel away types do , did great job on my boat and it’s cheap

 

[oldbloke]

It will make a lot of mess, but a pressure washer will shift anything not totally stuck down.