Water based paint

[ghostlymoron]

Sorry to pose a non boatie question but is there anything that will dissolve water based paint?

 

[ashtead]

Whats it attached to? Surely many things might do so but will damage the underlying surface?

 

[ghostlymoron]

It's on a wooden window frame.

 

[ashtead]

So once stripped do you intend to repaint to protect the wood ? If you do why is normal stripper or a heatgun with a heat shield (assuming there is glass in frame) not suitable or use a small flap wheel on a drill or Dremel or similar type device ? Personally Have found sanding or heat gun more efficient than chemicals though

 

[ghostlymoron]

Full story is I'm putting a double glazed panel in a wooden single glazed frame. The frame is coming out to deepen the rebate for new glazing. It's 100+ years old with multiple layers of paint the latest two are water based and don't respond to nitromores. I want to strip it completely and do a proper paint job on it whilst it's out. Maybe a blowlamp is best idea but, when I've done that in the past, I've charred the wood so would like to try chemicals. I've got some Artex remover in the shed, perhaps that'll shift it. The under layers are oil based I assume.

 

[Tammany]

The screwfix own brand stripper is good but unsure whether it will work on that paint

 

[Thistle]

What about coarse sandpaper to score the top layers and allow the Nitromors (or whatever) to get to the oil-based layers below? Or an electric heat gun rather that a gas blowlamp: charring is still possible but much less likely.

 

[macd]

Electric strpper guns are less aggressive than a blowtorch. If they have variable output, bloody good for heatshrink, too.
Not sure if up to a Desperate Dan shave, though.

 

[jwilson]

What about coarse sandpaper to score the top layers and allow the Nitromors (or whatever) to get to the oil-based layers below? Or an electric heat gun rather that a gas blowlamp: charring is still possible but much less likely.

In my experience if there are old layers of oil based paint below newer coats of waterbased a heat gun and pull scraper gets the lot off relatively easily in one go down to clean wood, as the oil underlayer softens/bubbles. If however it has previously been back to bare wood and all paint is now waterbased it all gets more difficult. Heat still helps, but ultimately it's sandpaper and hard work.

If I could still get good oil-based paint I'd still use it, but it's been getting rubbish recently and I've very reluctantly gone over to water-based. I've found that if old oil-based is still sound though discoloured a light sand and a primer coat of Zinsser 123 makes fresh waterbased stick on very well with only minimal sanding.

 

[ashtead]

Could you take the frame and have it dipped like a Door? if thought too aggressive to joints then a heat gun (blow torch sounds too harsh) followed by a small sander or using a scrapper eg ones with orange handles might work followed by hand sand

 

[Mad Pad]

Not that I'm PC but bear in mind most paint you would be burning off over 30 years old would be lead based,not good to breathe the fumes.

Hard to find now but I did manage to pick up 10 gallons of read lead in Greece about 15 years ago.

 

[ghostlymoron]

I've concluded that mechanical methods coupled with hot air gun is my best option.