How to strip powder coat from aluminium...?

[snotrag]

Any ideas? Heat treated Aluminium components - original finish is really tough, I'm guessing it is a powder coat.

I've tried Nitromors, the top coat comes off (with great difficulty) in 'sheets' like peeling plastic off - but there appears to be a silver (zinc maybe?) primer/undercoat that is really really tough.


I am currently thinking it needs blasting. What media, and what grade should I use, for aluminium (quite thin walled tubing, welds etc)) ? Is Aluminium oxide ok?

I can borrow a blast gun easy enough.

Trying to prepare a frame for a mate to paint it.

[GTIR]

You need some liquid unobtanium - brush on leave and it'll just fall off.

[Timsta]

GTIR said:

You need some liquid unobtanium - brush on leave and it'll just fall off.

Leave on overnight. Worked for me.

[Mr.Jimbo]

Have you tried Oven cleaner? the alkaline ones. I know they can strip anodising off ally pretty easily!

[StressedDave]

That 'undercoat' might actually be a chromate or similar coating designed for paint adherence. If that is the case, stripping it off might not be the best thing. I'd say the last thing you'd want for painting is bare metal.

[Big Al.]

Shot Blast?

[clarkey318is]

Sandblast it, especially if you can borrow the equipment.
If anyone is reading that doesn't have access, I thought I would mention that a local paint/metalworkers should be able to do it, I once took some aluminium bike cranks to be done and they did them free.