Removing paint

[stotto]

Just wondering if there is a easyer way to remove painted back grounds of tanks. I have done 1 side of the tank with a tinny razor blade ever so softly so i didnt scratch it, but it took me so long it wasnt funny. so is there a easyer way to get it off ? using a chemical or something?. any ideas would be great.

CHEERS STOTTO

[Eddie Salita]

You can get graffiti removers from hardware stores that are based on citrus. These would be less corrosive than traditional paint strippers. You will need to do a test area of course. If it doesnt work they are great for removing stains on clothes etc... so it wont be wasted. A chat to the guys in specialist paint shops might be worthwhile too HTH

Jason

[roo]

You could use a stiff plastic scraper, while it still requires elbow grease, you can go like crazy on it as it wont scratch the glass at all.

I did my 4 *2 back and it took me no more than 5 mins to get all the paint off.

[phatoscarlover]

Use a brand new sharp razor blade, i use it to clean algea off my tanks and it doesnt leave scratch`s, ive also seen it used to remove paint with no troubles. Just make sure its brand new,everytime you move a rock around inside you tank and just touch the glass it prob leaves a bigger scrath than the razor will. I paint alot of my tank backs and if i need to remove it in the future i intend to use a razor blade! Cheers Andy

[stotto]

Hey

Thanks everyone. I thought this might be the case. looks like i need to put effort into it lol . yeah i supose if its a brand new razor there shouldnt be any scratchest seeing it should be dead flat. looks like the razor or stiff plastic scraper is the only way out. Thank you all for your advice. very much appreciated.

CHEERS STOTTO

[Eddie Salita]

A cheap disposable plastic Gyprock trowel/knife has a nice sharp flat edge to it, and inexpensive. They are usually red.

Cheers,

Jason

[MicksGotFish]

On my 4ft I used a paint remover it just goes sloppy and you can basically get it of with a towel

[Scarfaze]

yeah i would go with a razor and some elbows grease, i wouldnt use any chemicals because even the "natural" based graff and paint removers are hazardous to humans so i dont think the fish will much like it even if its on the outside of the tank it cant still kill the fish, you could also try some "wet & dry" sand paper we used to use it on the plastic shells or our RC cars and bikes without it scratching you can buy it from most hardware stores and all you have to do is add water!

HTH

[BaZ]

you could also try some "wet & dry" sand paper we used to use it on the plastic shells or our RC cars and bikes without it scratching

Isn't sand paper used to rough up a surface before painting when making plastic models like you describe?

I'd only recommend sanding the glass of a tank if you were definitely going to paint it again. I believe it would scratch the surface. Even fine scratches are visible when looking into a clean tank

[roo]

Dont use Wet and Dry, as it will sand the glass. It will look terrible, plus it will remove any options you may have for the back of the tank to one and that will be a latex background.

Just scrape it off.

[Scarfaze]

Not with wet and dry sand paper it is the finest grade available, and when wet even more so it works more like its "rubbing" it off rather than scratching like normal sand paper does, i would recomend this or the razor blade( the sandpaper is probably easier" oh and you wont have to re-paint because if done correctly it wont leave a single scratch

HTH

[roo]

Technically that is correct, if you use the finest grade the scratch marks become so fine that you can't really see them. However they are still there. Particularly if you use high quality wet and dry ( as some brands use finely crushed industrial diamonds, which are harder than glass and therefore will cut it)

In saying this, after 12 years experience building yachts and other marine craft, I would have serious words to an apprentice that I saw even thinking about wet and drying glass that was going to be seen.

Just to clarify, yes it would work. But it only needs an odd piece of grit to dislodge off the paper to cause major carnage. The risk to reward scale is just not worth it.

IMHO.

PS Also nothing really bonds to glass, with some exceptions almost everything can be scraped off. Even silicone doesn't really bond, it justs holds on real tight.

If you were to wet and dry it, the surface then would be fully keyed up with very fine grooves, allowing paint to really grab a hold. Then you would really have to use elbow grease to remove.

[Scarfaze]

i dont see how yachts and fish tanks are the same but anywho, my cousin works in the glass industry and they make everything from Airoplane,car windows, to house fixtures, they use wet and dry sand paper without it scratching i have seen it done before the only difference is that they use and oil based liquid instead of water, OH btw they also us it in smash repairs when finishing of a paint job

i know for a fact it wont scratch

[Eddie Salita]

I hear ya roo . If you use a fine enough grade to avoid scratching, you will be there for a VERY long time. It would be like using gumption to rub the paint off. I also assume stotto has no power tools. fine w&d is used for polishing, not stripping or removing large amounts of material. A boat builder has a VERY good knowledge of polished surfaces. As does a glazier. Ask your cousin how he would remove it scarfaze. I'd be interested to know. Glass is used to carry very corrosive acids and bases, so I doubt paint stripper will affect it. But as mentioned, the fish might not. I always use flat black enamel mixed with penetrol on my glass. This sticks like @%$# to a blanket. do you use penetrol at all Roo? We used to use alot of it a Riviera.

Cheers,

Jason.

PS: go with the majority stotto, scrape the bugger!!! which wasnt my suggestion anyway

[Scarfaze]

I think the wet and dry would be better, it also wont take long it works on the principle of friction as well as scraping where a razor works only on scraping meaning if turned to a wrong angle can leave a deep cut or graze in the glass, as for the wet and dry they mainly use it with glass that have imperfections like bumps etc, they use it because they might buy a peice on glass for say $30 and sell it for $45 or $50 the glass companies make more money of cutting and custom making then they do from the actuall glass, so thats why they use the wet and dry, it is also known that using a razor can leave streak like effects on the glass, IMO if it was for a display i would use wet and dry if its for a breeding or grow out use a razor, as for the chemicals i have heard of people spraying air freshner around their house only to see floating fish in the morning so i wouldnt apply anything like a stripper or any other alkaline based product on or around the tank.

HTH

[canerod]

I bought a stack of old tanks from an lfs and they were all painted and although i intended to have them painted as well, this stuff looked old and stuffed up but was really difficult to blade off. I used hydrochloric acid which i use to clean the salt cell on my swimming pool in a 1 part to 5 mix with water to soften the paint before scraping it off with a blade. Once you give the tanks a good wash there won't be any residue to harm your fish.

Caution, do not use this stuff unless you have goggles and rubber gloves etc.

Bob

[stotto]

Well i just finished getting the paint off a few mins ago. I had both a razor and wet & dry ( found some out in the shed ). I ended up using the razor and not one scratch on it the tank looks a million bucks lol . i would have gave the wet & dry ago if i had some spare glass lieing around to see if it would work. But since i didnt i didnt take the risk as i wasnt sure on how safe it was. The razor worked perfect no troubles what so ever. I spose it allso depends on what type of paint is used. But in this case there was no probs. The only thing it needed was a little windex to get some sticky bits off. So i now know that a razor works well, But im olso curious to see how this wet and dry works. I might have to go get some off cuts and see if it does work. At the moment im bit confused on how it would work . The only way i supose is to test it.

Thank you all for your advice it was much appreciated.

PS if some one trys this wet & dry let us know how it goes

CHEERS STOTTO

[BaZ]

Methinks Scarfaze might be a wet&dry salesman

Either that or he just has something against using a paint scraper to remove paint

[roo]

For the sake of the arguement, Boats use alot of glass and I have installed glass panels worth 100k each and believe me, if someone saw you attempting to sand one of those, you are in for a very heated exchanged.

But like I said a couple of posts back, it would work. But IMO why take the risk unless you really need to.

As for using penetrol, is that the clear priming crap that comes in the square can? I can't remember the name of it, but I know we used to add something to paint to help it hold.

I worked briefly at Riveria back in 1996. ( back when the fit out was done on Hope island) These days however I have retired from the boats. And enjoy working in a white collar role ( no dust, no fumes and more pay )

But just to further clarify a point, I have built and worked on a wide range of boats ( that includes installing windscreens, shower screens and port holes all made of glass) in four countries. Hence I do consider my self resonably experienced in all aspects the trade. With most of the boats I have been involved in you dont get change from a million bucks ( in the case of 100k glass windscreens the boats were worth USD$10m a piece so you can quickly surmise that absolute quality is paramount . Any blemishes in the finished product results in the removal and replacement of it.

Also Eddie, if you were wanting to work in Canada, you should check out

http://www.crescentcustomyachts.com/

Just apply for your work visa, send Crescent your resume and tell them when you are arriving Vancouver. ( the size and scope of these boats will blow your mind.. check out all the glass too )

They are a great bunch of guys to work for and are always looking for good tradesman. Vancouvers a great place to hang out.

PM me if you want to know more.

[phatoscarlover]

Good to hear the razor blade worked stotto, id still give the tank a good rise before you use it though in case any overspray from the windex went inside the tank Windex is Ammonia. Cheers Andy

[stotto]

Yeha i gave it a good rinse, I just didnt wanna take the chance. Just looking at it then and now its dry and it looks pretty dam good if i dont say my self . Soon putting water in it and getting it cycled for my new arivals,Acei not sure on what varient yet

[Eddie Salita]

if someone saw you attempting to sand one of those, you are in for a very heated exchanged.

Start running buddy...

As for using penetrol, is that the clear priming crap that comes in the square can? I can't remember the name of it, but I know we used to add something to paint to help it hold.

Thats the stuff. used on alkyd based paints to really make em stick. Great rust preventative too.

Thanks for the link roo. I am actually a carpenter/joiner. But do commisioned ornamental carving and inlay work(my specialty) for the "USD$10m" plus some boats from time to time. I have my hands full in Brissie atm(doesnt everyone) But I've always wanted to go to Canada. So maybe next year when on holidays I might consider extending my stay. I have forwarded this to a mate who is over there atm.

Thanks again,

Jason