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Samba link paint removal spray

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No luck finding the cleaner locally. However, I stopped in Ace Hardware and they will order it for you. The catch is you have to buy a case. Still, at $30/case, it may prove valuable as a degreaser and cleaner even if it turns out to not strip paint as well as a traditional paint stripper.
 
I found that my (somewhat) local WalMart had the cleaner on the shelf. I have coated the passenger floor of the Spitfire with the stuff and covered that with a plastic garbage bag.

After an hour or two I tried a fingernail test and found the paint on the floor was very, very soft and could easily be scraped off. Even if the paint doesn't come off in sheets, I can see where this product may make it significantly easier to remove paint. And as was mentioned in the Samba link, the stuff does not smell bad or fume.
 
I have tried the Dawn Power Dissolver and have an update. It works after a fashion and I'll continue to use it, but it is not a miracle stripper that lifts the paint off in sheets. After two applications and leaving the wetted surfaces covered with a plastic bag, the paint on the floor of the Spitfire was softened quite a bit. I was not able to wipe it off by hand but a cup brush fitted to my electric drill made quick work of the floor. See:
https://home.mindspring.com/~purlawson/pictures/72Spit/StrippedFloor01.jpg

Stripping the floor took about 15 minutes and not much elbow grease after giving the Dawn a couple of days to do its thing. If you're not in a hurry, this is a clean and relatively pleasant smelling way to soften paint so it's easy to remove.
 
I will be applying POR-15 to the floor using the "usual" POR prep products. The first step is Marine Clean, their caustic cleaner. That is followed by Metal Ready which is their phosphoric acid etch/prep chemical. By the time the surface has been washed and etched there shouldn't be any of the Dawn product left.
 
Gentlemen,

After deciding to re-strip my engine compartment before painting with the correct PPG primer I have taken the opportunity to buy the Dawn Power Desolver and use it on the engine compartment...

I am very surprized.

I sprayed it on left it overnight and started rubing it with a Scotch pad refreshing areas that are a bit stubborn..

This had cut through four layers of paint and primer to the bare metal.. I have quite a bit yet to finish but find this stuff to be amazing...

No fumes, no anding, and, once finished, I will simply wash the area with soap and water to remove any residue and be ready to paint the compartment on bare metal.....

I will send pictures when I have a chance....
 
I applied the POR over my stripped Spitfire floor on Sunday. It looks really good.

I will be applying the Dawn treatment to the passenger front footwell when time and the weather allow. That area has more rust and less paint to deal with. I anticipate the same results I had with the rear floor section. As I mentioned above, I had to use a cup brush on a drill to remove the stubborn paint. However, "stubborn" takes on a very different meaning after the Dawn has been allowed to work. I'm not at all bothered by 15 minutes of clean smelling elbow grease compared to hours exposed to nasty smelling chemicals.

I've decided to pick up a few more bottles of the Dawn PD on my next trip to WallyWorld.
 
Every time I glance at the title of this thread I think of Linux SMB...

If that Dawn stuff is as good as that, it may be a great answer to the biggest reason I've not been driving an Elan for a few years! The paint removal task immediately took on nightmare qualities: as soon as I began to try removing it mechanically it simply goo'd up the #80 file board paper. I'd need HUNDREDS of sheets of th' stuff. Laquer (or Chapman's equivalent, Glasso mebbe?) under my last respray... took me a week to get ONE part of the left rear wing cleaned of the stuff. Can't use stripper, glass is too thin. I'd have a "Jelly car".

Gonna get re-enthused about it REALLY fast if the Dawn works well.
 
Doc,

Get re-enthused...

I have found that this stuff really works... I am waiting for the tree huggers to ban it....

Most of the paint comes off with a scotch pad without much effort after it has soaked for a while, and with a drill and wire brush, the rest comes off just as easily....

Heck, for $2.00 a bottle it is well worth a try...

Let us know... But don't tell the company that makes it... they may raise the price...
 
which paper?

do they have online addition so we can print it out ?
 
Karl, I can't thank you enough. I've forwarded your YouTube link and the Samba link to several friends restoring cars. A few have already tried small parts with the Dawn PD and have been impressed. Those who haven't tried it yet have seen my pictures and are going to try it soon. Thanks again.
 
Don't forget the guys wife on the Samba Link !!! That is exactly what this web site is about !! Kick ass and have a great holiday weekend >> I am going to the hunting camp to get the Hogs stirred up and enjoy life w/o computers and cell phones . But I do have the tivo running for the ALMS and Rolex race on speed this weekend !!!Go Tafel Ferrari ALMS / Rolex farnbacher Loles and TRG >>> INSERT BEER SHADE TREE BEACH SUNSET LOGO <<< And Thanks for the kind words !!
 
Karl,

I shared my success with with the MG Club last night with the ol' TV commercial format..

"Dawn Power Desolver removes all that baked on grease from your pots and pans....

But wait, there's more...

If you act NOW!!!

Along with a free set of Ginsue steak knives, Dawn power Desolver, <span style="font-weight: bold">at no extra charge</span>....takes the paint off you car right down to the metal!!!"

Great laughs and great interest....

Thanks for sharing this with us...
 
Ok, I have a related question. What about stripping woodwork and old house paint?? I have an older home with lots of red oak trim that has been painted over over the years. Sounds like this may be a better alternative to the usual solutions. I have an old door I can try it on.
 
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