Stripping paint off cab

[Leinhit]

Well, I read the past posts about stripping paint off a converted cab.

There were lots of different tries...

anyone have an opinion on what worked best for them? I picked up a Ms. Pac that was painted over and I can see the outline of the old artwork underneath. I would like to strip this black paint off.

Any different things to try if its latex vs. oil based paint?

 

[shirkle]

Latex is easy...a little bit of goof-off and you're good to go. At least that's the method that worked best for me....just let it sit for a couple minutes and scrape or wipe the paint off. I'm not sure how durable the original screen art is though, so you don't want to let any product sit on the paint too long.

Oil....I have no idea.

 

[JohnDrzal]

Pray it's not oil. If it is, you will have to use a paint striper and saving the art will not be easy.

As far as latex goes, I've had great success with gasoline.

 

[chris25810]

Sorry to burst your bubble Leinhit but you're probably going to find that the Ms. Pac art underneath is crap and it really wasn't worth the time you spent removing all that black paint. I've restored lots of Ms. Pacs and have found that taking it down to the bare wood is the best option.

 

[teckkev]

Chris is correct on stripping it to bare wood. I made the mistake of thinking I just need to sand to make a suitable surface for painting. Defender paintwork underneath the black was so strong/thick that when I started to apply the new paint, it was like using tracing paper and a big black crayon. The outline of Defender showed up clearly. Hey, That is why I used $5 cabinet that most would burn to practice on

 

[shardian]

If it is indeed stenciled art and not the late model vinyl, you are SOL. If it is vinyl, then you would have a shot of uncovering it with 3M Safest Stripper. Like said before though, it may not be worth saving.

 

[Leinhit]

Who was it that stripped a MK cabinet here and uncovered all the artwork and it looked great?? I was looking for his thread cause he had lots of pics..

Oh, I figured the odds are that the artwork underneath is less than nice.. but thought it might be fun to try.. maybe uncover buried treasure..

I think I will give it a try just to see, as a learning experience.. should only take an hour to see if there is any hope...

then if not, I will do what you guys suggest.. sanding to bare wood, re paint correctly.. and then new graphics..

I want a Ms pac in the middle of my pac and jr. pac.. so this will be worth trying I think..

I need a heated work shop!

 

[spanks_4]

you talking about the guy that was stripping the zookeeper cab lein?

 

[1up]

I can't remember who it was but I know the thread you are referring to. He used lift off to remove the paint. I bought the same stuff and started removing the paint off a dkjr cabinet and it works great.. Since there is no art i may decide not to finish removing the paint and just sand it to wood.

 

[1up]

The MK thread you were asking about.....
here it is!

 

[ElGwako2006]

You can get all the tips and tricks out there but the fact is That there is no one positive sure fire to get the paint off without ruining the artwork underneath. Everyones situation is differnet based on what the original cabinet is, condition is was in when painted, what paint was used to cover the artwork, etc..etc... The best thing to do is a test area first....work a little at a time. Maybe the back door or front panel. Goof off may work on cabinets with vinyl artwork underneath but it is not good on a Defender cab. If you leave anything on too long you will have problems.
IMO it is not worth the effort unless you can be positive the artwork is OK. All it takes is to have a small area go bad and you will be disappointed.

 

[chris25810]

If you get to the point where you decide not to save the original artwork, don't bother with the sander. Lay the cab on each side and use a paste liquid power stripper. The paint will bubble up in minutes and leave you with a nice bare cabinet. bondo up any of the bad spots, put on 2 coats of a color matched blue and lay on the new art. You will waste more time trying to revive old faded artwork and your paint will never match. Trust me on this one, there is nothing to argue.

 

[1up]

Thanks for the tip!

 

[chris25810]

You're welcome 1up, consider it my contribution to free friday.

 

[Leinhit]

Chris / 1 up .. tks .. that link is perfect... I 'll go w/ your advice.. once I realize its not great underneath, I will then try your magic potion and strip to bare wood...

No pun intended...

 

[1up]

assuming i go with the stripping the pain what is the best way to paint a cab? Do i need ot by a pain sprayer? if so has anybody tried those mini paint sprayers that fit ona gallon of pain? I think the brand is wagner and they are pretty cheap. $30 - $50 i think.

 

[chris25810]

Wagner Power sprayer would not be a good choice,an HVLP sprayer is best but a little skill with a short nap roller wil do quite well too. You can squirt paint out of your ass better than a $30-50 power painter will do.

 

[ChompingQuarters]

Wagner Power sprayer would not be a good choice,an HVLP sprayer is best but a little skill with a short nap roller wil do quite well too. You can squirt paint out of your ass better than a $30-50 power painter will do.

Well said... I rolled all three of my cabinets and I must say Q*bert has the best finish w/ Sherwin Williams Oil Based Semigloss w/ a 3/16 (or was it a 1/4") nap roller... It leveled so nicely it almost looks like it was sprayed.

Let's put it this way... You can have the best sprayer and compressor and a controlled environment to prevent dust... But, if you don't know how to spray it will look like crap... So, if you are insisting on spraying I would practice a little bit before you tackle your cabinet.

 

[chris25810]

I love Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel, i've yet to find a better paint. At $38.00 a gallon, it should be good.

 

[Leinhit]

Re: Stripping paint off cab -Ms. Pac

Well, I started today.. just a spot.. this is with Goof Off.. and I ran out after only this much.. goign to store.. I'll get more goof off and see what else they have.

Are the Ms Pac graphics painted on too then?!? I was thinking they were a decal.. trying to factor that in while picking what else to try / use...

I like the idea of a spray that bubbles it up and then you scrap/peel it off.. but VERY afraid it will go too deep and take off what stuff I want to keep..