Alcoa Clearcoat? VS ZipStrip & Aircraft Strippers

[Woodbilly]

I’m in the process of stripping my 1998 19’ Bambi and both lower and center rear corner panels weren’t affected in the least by some old Removal 220 or Citristrip. The only thing that did was 3-4 coats of ZipStrip or Aircraft Stripper and scraping with a plastic putty knife. The clearcoat didn’t crinkle up like the other clearcoat it just got soft. A Qtip with polish turned black at both test spots so the clearcoat is definitely gone. Strange how the new style Aircraft stripper turned the clearcoat yellow. I suspect the previous owner had these panels replaced or they may have been early Alcoa clear coated panels.

[Woodbilly]

This is the 4th application of the ZipStrip in the side of the trailer that gets daily sun. The clearcoat on the center panel bubbled up more than this. A plastic razor blade scraper was able to lift the clearcoat that didn’t come loose with the stripper alone. These 4 panels are slow going but the nice smooth aluminum your left with make sanding unthinkable.