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photocodo · 09-11-2009, 12:22 PM

I recently took off the aluminum from the inside of my 1964 tradewind to replace the insulation and fix some electrical problems. I am going to paint the bottom portion of the inside walls but I want to have the ceiling be polished aluminum. The aluminum that I removed is in very good shape but there is paint and what appears to be wallpaper glue on the aluminum. My question is: Can I strip the paint off of the old aluminum and still polish it to a mirror shine? If so, what is the best way to do that? are there certain products or can I just sand it off? Thank you for your time and resources.
Photocodo

safari62 · 09-11-2009, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photocodo

I recently took off the aluminum from the inside of my 1964 tradewind to replace the insulation and fix some electrical problems. I am going to paint the bottom portion of the inside walls but I want to have the ceiling be polished aluminum. The aluminum that I removed is in very good shape but there is paint and what appears to be wallpaper glue on the aluminum. My question is: Can I strip the paint off of the old aluminum and still polish it to a mirror shine? If so, what is the best way to do that? are there certain products or can I just sand it off? Thank you for your time and resources.
Photocodo

I used Zip-Strip and non metal tools like plastic and wood to take off the layers of paint including Zolatone. I only did this on the door and window frames. I think finding large interior panels that do not have damaged surfaces would be rare.
The last part of the stripping requires Zip-Strip and steel wool to get the last of the paint off. Then the virgin aluminium polishes up well.
DO NOT USE SANDPAPER.

photocodo · 09-13-2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by safari62

I used Zip-Strip and non metal tools like plastic and wood to take off the layers of paint including Zolatone. I only did this on the door and window frames. I think finding large interior panels that do not have damaged surfaces would be rare.
The last part of the stripping requires Zip-Strip and steel wool to get the last of the paint off. Then the virgin aluminium polishes up well.
DO NOT USE SANDPAPER.

Thank you that seems very helpful. Also do you think it would be quicker, easier or cheaper to just try and find replacement aluminum? The two pieces are about 13ft long and 5ft wide and I am worried that finding a piece that long will be difficult.
Thank you