Stripping

Stripping

Now that I’ve got your attention, I am looking for advice as to the best method and products to use to strip peeling paint off of heat risers. Anyone particularly happy with a specific brand or formula of solvent? Any strategies or techniques that have worked really well? How much time to allot per riser?…

by slopefarm
09/04/2008

Now that I’ve got your attention, I am looking for advice as to the best method and products to use to strip peeling paint off of heat risers. Anyone particularly happy with a specific brand or formula of solvent? Any strategies or techniques that have worked really well? How much time to allot per riser?

Unhappily, I am going the DIY route on this one (I’ve paid contractors to screw this up twice, I may as well screw up for free on my own this time).

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Stripping

Comments

  1. I have lots of stuff to strip. I’ve used several products but have settled on Soy Gel. Its fairly non toxic and works well but is expensive.

  2. Thanks, setancre. There was some subtantial discussion a month ago in teh forum on the question of paint for heat risers, with some saying you can do a coat of oil-based primer, while others recommending the heat resistant route. I haven’t made up my mind, yet.

  3. Just getting back to you slopefarm, checked the can and we used Rock Miracle Multi-Coat Liquifier.

    Also, we purchased high-heat tolerant paint to repaint the riser with. If your paint keeps peeling you may want to go that route. It may be getting too hot for normal paint.

  4. Just so this thread doesn’t go too far afield, there aer no lead issue here. House was totally redone. We’re talking heat risers only, which contractor screwed up when he painted it, leading to excessive peeling. The handyman crew I hired to peel/scrape and repaint the risers screwed it up too, and I’ve got peeling all over again. I’m not stripping wood and there is no lead paint to worry about.

  5. I’d never dry-scrape or use a heat gun on any paint in an old building due to the chance there’s some lead there. Paste strippers, or an infrared stripper gun (silent paint remover) with a respirator and a HEPA filtered shop-vac are the only ways to do it safely. Any kind of dry scrapping, sanding, etc, creates too many opportunities for toxic dust.

    I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not (or have my kids) die from kidney failure, suffer cognitive and central nervous system disorders from high levels of lead exposure.

  7. Man, I must be one dumb-bunny. I’ve used Peel Away and Rock Miracle and heat tools to strip paint. But when it comes to heat risers, I just scrapped them. I mean, rock breaks scissors cuts paper covers rock, but if it’s metal and metal and paint, guess who the loser is. That said, everything FenFen says is true and recommends itself.

  8. the ecostripper heat gun is best for wood that is shellac-ed poly-ed underneath. It is not good for bare wood that’s been painted.

    Otherwise, Peel Away #6 and #7 is very good (Janovich Plaza in Soho carries it)

  9. Peel-Away 1, less toxic than Rock Miracle, same idea of paste with backing to remove paint in liquid sheets. Prevents lead dust, etc. by keeping the mess contained in wet goop.

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