# What to soak plane in to remove paint.



## AESamuel (Jan 20, 2015)

Hi,

I recently picked up a W110 block plane and I'd like to strip all the paint off and repaint it.

I'd like to soak the plane but I'm wondering what to put it in to get it all off. Would plain lacquer thinners work? Roughly how long would it take before I could start scrubbing? Obviously don't want to affect the metal too much.

Any other suggestions are more than welcome!
Thanks!


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Here is the rick to refinishing wood and other stuff. But some fine (000 or 0000 grade) steel wool and some liquid brush cleaner (available at Lowe's and Home Depot). Dip the steel wool pad in the brush cleaner and scrub the wood with it. The brush cleaner cuts the paint, the steel wool scrapes it off. Rubber gloves may be preferred, however I usually just use my hands.

This method doesn't create much of a mess and can be done just with some paper on the bench or floor. And its is quick and not messy.


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Paint stripper. I think that worked for me?


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I use Citrus Strip. Easy, fast, clean. Wash the crap down the drain.
Bill


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## Johnny7 (Jun 1, 2015)

> Wash the crap down the drain.


I'm going to assume that the poster just doesn't know any better.
This is nasty stuff-don't be fooled by the orange color and scent.

No one has ever confused me with a tree-hugger, but putting this into the water supply is a really crappy move.

(you can see the MSDS for yourself on the company website)


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Buy a can of Klean-Strip…the spray can. Give the painted areas a good coat, let it sit, as per directions….then just scrape off the crud. Place in a plastic baggie to be disposed of. Repeat as needed.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Buy a can of Klean-Strip…the spray can. Give the painted areas a good coat, let it sit, as per directions….then just scrape off the crud. Place in a plastic baggie to be disposed of. Repeat as needed.
> - bandit571


Oh man, I've used that stuff before and it is a nasty brew! I'll never use a chemical stripper again if I can help it. For metal stuff, I've found that a pretty easy method is to stew it in a crock pot with a mix of degreaser/detergent and water. I use Purple Power, but I imagine any of the normal degreasers would be fine, or could probably even be left out of the equation. Pop it in the crock pot, let it simmer over night, and the next morning the paint will usually be falling off by itself or easily removed with a wire brush. It's the heat that does it… paint bubbles up and lets loose of it's grip. The degreaser/detergent does a pretty good job of getting rid of any remaining crud that may also be present.

Cheers,
Brad


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## Harryn (Apr 25, 2011)

Just recently installed a rolling barn door in the house. I had a pair of old rollers with several layers of paint on them. I put them in a pot of water and boiled them for several hours. The paint just brushed off. Worked great.


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## GlenintheNorth (Dec 6, 2016)

If it's paint and not japanning, and you're not afraid of some really nasty chemicals, I've used brake cleaner. Worked just stupid good, but really should wear a respirator and gloves.


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## diverlloyd (Apr 25, 2013)

Aircraft stripper from your local auto store. Stuff is amazing.


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## AESamuel (Jan 20, 2015)

Hey guys, thanks for all your suggestions!

Unfortunately paint stripper had little to no effect, acetone hasn't done anything either so I may have to go with elbow grease and sandpaper/steel wool.


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## AESamuel (Jan 20, 2015)

In the end I used a dremel! I originally didn't like how much metal the flap sanders on the dremel were removing and didnt want to risk removing the writing from the plane either. I came across this little bug sanders (like a ball of scotchbrite on a dremel shaft) it removed the paint but barely touched the metal and It also got in between the raised letters on the body without any risk of damaging them. Only downside was the fact that the wheel wore down incredibly quickly, I only just finished by the time it had worn down to the shaft.
Hopefully this info helps someone!


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