Does Removeall work for metallic spray paint?

[Polly Esther]

Hi! Yesterday we became the proud new owners of a '73 Overlander, and couldn't wait to get her home and start polishing her up. We quickly discovered, however, that the so-called "oxidation" on the aluminum is oxidized silver paint. We hope to bring it to a mirror finish one day in the not-so-distant-future, so any advice on how to treat this as gingerly as possible would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance---

[overlander64]

Greetings Polly Esther!

Welcome to the Forums and the world of Vintage Airstream ownership!

Originally Posted by Polly Esther

Hi! Yesterday we became the proud new owners of a '73 Overlander, and couldn't wait to get her home and start polishing her up. We quickly discovered, however, that the so-called "oxidation" on the aluminum is oxidized silver paint. We hope to bring it to a mirror finish one day in the not-so-distant-future, so any advice on how to treat this as gingerly as possible would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance---

The same removers that work with the usual PlastiCoat should work with most automotive metallic paints. The question in this situation is one of why the coach was painted. Airstreams may be painted for a number of reasons, some of which include:

• Easier care an mainenance than a polished and/or PlastiCoated coach.
• Effort to reduce repair costs through use of "typical" auto body repair methods to repair creases, dents, hail damage, etc.
• Hide damage done by poor quality polish job.

Whether or not a mirror polish job is possible on such a coach hinges on the amount of surface scuffing/sanding that was done prior to applying the primer and paint as well as whether the paint is hiding repaired body damage.

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin

[dznf0g]

I recently found out (thanks to a leaking container, and my stupidity of putting it on a shelf that overhangs my van hood) that acetone removes auto paint pretty well!

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by overlander64

Whether or not a mirror polish job is possible on such a coach hinges on the amount of surface scuffing/sanding that was done prior to applying the primer and paint as well as whether the paint is hiding repaired body damage.

Kevin

It is also common to use an acid etching primer prior to painting.

[Chatthayer]

removall 220 will work great as it does on clearcoat. 1 and 1/2 gal for 2 coats on my 25' tradewind

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

I recently found out (thanks to a leaking container, and my stupidity of putting it on a shelf that overhangs my van hood) that acetone removes auto paint pretty well!

Last year I backed over a can of spray paint on a very windy day.
My Suburban was instantly covered with forest green spray paint, dust, and tumbleweeds.
The acetone worked great when the paint was still freshly dried.
Unfortunately, I was lazy and none too thorough.
Now that the residual spray paint has cured, the acetone is no longer doing the job.
For your project, I would use paint remover, one panel at a time.
But heed what overlander64 has said.
You may discover dents that have been filled with automotive body filler.
This is a popular short cut to avoid the more expensive replacement of aluminum panels.
Fill it, sand it, paint it, sell it is the sad approach some have used.

[Polly Esther]

Well, I will keep y'all posted on what lies beneath el bondo. Thank you for the great advice and anecdotal humor ("none too thorough"). I am sure that I have a treasure trove of anecdotal humor and aluminum wonders for you here in the near future.