Removing paint from historic airframes

Just to confirm the above, Dave Morris is the man to talk to, the book is due for publication at the end of April

A good guy to talk to would be Dave Morris, chief engineer at the Fleet Air Arm Museum. Dave just did an award winning restoration of the FAA’s Corsair, and for the most part, they took off many layers of paint and grime to get to the original stuff, as you suggest you want to do. Lots of rubbing and elbow grease, but a fabulous result. I think they’ve just done a book about the restoration. All the best.

Seconded! A groundbreaking approach executed to the highest standard and with limited resources.

Removing Paint

A good guy to talk to would be Dave Morris, chief engineer at the Fleet Air Arm Museum. Dave just did an award winning restoration of the FAA’s Corsair, and for the most part, they took off many layers of paint and grime to get to the original stuff, as you suggest you want to do. Lots of rubbing and elbow grease, but a fabulous result. I think they’ve just done a book about the restoration. All the best.

suggestion was an alternative – if the stencil cant be preserved

” Alternatively, dasic the lot (horrible but effective nitromors caustic gunk) get to bare metal, wipe it clean with thinners then reapply the stencil!”

TT

dont use dasic!, too powerful, it will remove several layers at a time.

MJR

Paint removal

Many thanks to all those who replied for the tips above! Hopefully I’ll now be able to remove the outer layers without wiping out the stencil.

The stencil mentioned is a 2 digit code letter applied to the nose of a C-47 during it’s time with the Spanish Air Force. I’ve no idea what the digits will be (the outer paint is too thick to reveal the outline of the letters), but I’m anxious to discover what they are as they’ll enable me to identify the cockpit section to which they are applied.

Rich

I love the smell of burning flesh in the morning!

TT

dasic is great stuff lovely shade of green and it smells not too bad…

always a problem this one – and its one thing I DO know about!

The thinners idea is a good one, but the problem is that the stencil is bound to be cellulose so you need to be VERY careful in the use of the thinners as it can simply remove it in a blink of an eye – wartime paint is certainly of cheaper quality and consistency (as you might expect) but on odd occasions will leave an ‘etched’ outline mark in the base metal – that said it seems that proper etch was rarely used.

I would mask the stencilled area (depending on the state of the paint – ie is it flaking?) or put a coat of wax over it then paint strip round it, the stencilled area can then be reduced back with pure scotchy – dont use glasspaper or w&d scotchbrite is better and you have more control. We use old floor polishing disks – a) cos they’re free and b) because being part worn they are more benign and of a larger ‘weave’.

Another technique is to soften with thinners, wipe dry then use gaffer tape to ‘rip’ the layer off, but its not an exact science.

For my money – get the worst off it – then use wet w&d on the gloss but once youve eliminated that then straight onto dry scotchy. Alternatively, dasic the lot (horrible but effective nitromors caustic gunk) get to bare metal, wipe it clean with thinners then reapply the stencil!

(the fact that we use dasic still amuses Duxford chums as being soooo 20th century – think the current vogue is plastic bead or walnut shell blasting…doesnt pit so much as sand…..ahhhh for their budget!)

depends a) on the state of the paint b) on the size of the panel c) how much time you’ve got and d) whether its for a flyer (paint can hide corrosion)

TT

Mr Denney is watching this – he’s yer man (and i bet has a walnut shell blaster – the rotter! 😀 )

Mind if I ask what the aircraft is.