Media Blast vs Stripping

[Lawrence S.]

I am pricing out having my 67 conv. painted and most of the shops don't have one conclusive method upon which to remove the paint. A friend of mine had his car media blasted and was not happy with the undulations in the body after the blasting. Others say that the chemicals in the stripper may penetrate the glass and resurface later. Your shared experiences are appreciated.

[Rich G.]

Re: Media Blast vs Stripping

I have some experience with aircraft painting and most use chemical stripping. There are fiberglass parts on airplanes (cowls, wingtips, wheelpants). Don't know if it's the same as a corvette body. If the clean-up is not done right, then there are problems, even on metal. But done right, I have seen no ill effects. The problems we have had with media blasting is that it gets EVERYWHERE. If the media is worn out, then the results can be un-even.

One airplane had so much media inside the door, the mechanism jammed up and the guy couldn't get out. That airplane also had it's wheel bearings ruined because the media got in there. This was because the stippers media was worn out and he blasted about 10X as much at the airplane as he should have.

All in all, for aircraft, I would choose chemical stripping. I am curious to see what others think about the results on corvette fiberglass.

Rich Giannotti

[Dick W.]

Re: Media Blast vs Stripping

I have had numerous cars media stripped with no problems. I guess that maybe I was lucky. They would either leave the gelcoat on or strip to bare glass. I prefer to leave gelcoat on.

First thing I did when I got them back was to blow everything out and then pressure wash. After drying I blew all the cracks and creavices out again.

[Mike M.]

Re: Media Blast vs Stripping

I had mine soda blasted and it came out great. A few friends liked mine and had the same thing done with the same results. I used a place that had been doing fiber-glass boats for years. I would make sure they have experence, check a few references first. If you go the media blast route. Mike

[Bill W.]

Re: Media Blast vs Stripping

The media blast jobs I have seen removed way to much fiberglass. Maybe it was not fine enough?we get metal cars done all the time it works great,but on fiberglass I like stripper.Do small areas at a time.When done for the day wipe clean with lacquer thinner,dry & wash three or four times with the hottest strongest soapy water you can stand. When you think you are done wash 3 more times.Make sure all panels dry in the hot sun a few days before priming. This lets all the solvents evaporate before being traped .Use stripper made for fiberglass. Bill

[William V.]

Re: Media Blast vs Stripping

Lawrence

Both methods have good and bad sides. I have used chemical stripping with great success on several corvetts. However, I only stripped off the top layers of paint continually washed the area being stripped and blocked the last layer of paint and primer off. I would only work on one section at a time like half the hood or door section. Once complete I would then move on around the car and complete the other sections. My method took time but there was no damage the the gell coat.

Good Luck

[Jace H.]

Re: Media Blast vs Stripping

I had my 67 roadster media blasted with great results. My car had the motor and interior completely out so debris was not and issue. I did not blast the door jambs instead we used a paint stripper. All in all I was very pleased.

Jace Holt

[Lawrence S.]

Re: Media Blast vs Stripping

Thanks Rich!

[Lawrence S.]

Re: Media Blast vs Stripping

What is soda blasted?

[Lawrence S.]

Re: Media Blast vs Stripping

Thanks Bill!

[Mike M.]

Soda Blasting

It is done with baking soda. works great on fiber glass or most soft materials. Used for stripping fiber-glass boats ect Mike