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Building Tips and technical articles. => Paint and finishing => Topic started by: Tim Wescott on June 27, 2017, 10:17:35 PM
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Old plane, old dope, some old Monocoat over some of the dope.
Is there a way to get Monocoat off of dope after 30 years, short of lots of careful sanding? I'm assuming that anything that'll eat Monocoat glue will eat dope, but if there's a magic solvent that works the other way, I'm listening.
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Old plane, old dope, some old Monocoat over some of the dope.
Is there a way to get Monocoat off of dope after 30 years, short of lots of careful sanding? I'm assuming that anything that'll eat Monocoat glue will eat dope, but if there's a magic solvent that works the other way, I'm listening.
Hi Tim,
You can use a paint cleaning solvent which will remove the adhesive without harming the dope. The solvents that I use are Sikkens M-600 (the best, in my opinion), Poly-Fiber C-2210 (also an excellent solvent), and PPG makes a good paint cleaning solvent but I can't remember the product number. The water-based paint cleaning solvents don't do much for paint prep cleaning and will likely do nothing to remove adhesive, so don't bother using them. All of the solvent-based products contain varying amounts of naphtha with other ingredients depending on the manufacturer.
Wet a rag with the solvent, and I mean really get the rag wet - not just damp. Wipe the surface several times with the wet rag then immediately wipe it dry with a clean, dry rag. Since the adhesive is old you may have to do it several times. The solvent will not harm the dope or the balsa.
Tim - I just noticed that you wanted to get the Monocoat itself off of the balsa...the paint cleaning solvents will not do that but they should remove any residual adhesive. I would try using a heat gun on the monocoat (carefully) to soften the adhesive & pull it off.
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Actually, my question could have been worded better -- there's Monocoat stuck on over dope that needs to come off, but there's also places where the clear mylar has peeled away from the dried-up adhesive. And even a "perfect" job of removing Monocoat always leaves some adhesive behind.
So you answered my need, if not my question as worded -- thanks.
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Whatever Bill reccommends, I'll go with because of the infinite experience and knowledge he has, but if you only have a small spot or twenty, cigarrette lighter fluid is nearly 100% naptha. I use it a lot in the shop to remove excess glue spots left from spot glueing, etc. and also clean the wood thoroughly before starting to apply a finish. (That's on custom guitars.) So that's a good way to go if there isn't a huge area to do. I just replenished my "supply" for a buck 95 at Wally-world.
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Whatever Bill reccommends, I'll go with because of the infinite experience and knowledge he has...
If it's about paint, I listen to Bill. Even if he's just contradicted Mark Scarborough (but then, I'm pretty sure that I've seen him contradict Mark and Mark's response was "listen to Bill").
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Bill, where does one buy the cleaners and solvents you mentioned? Surely not Home Depot.
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Bill, where does one buy the cleaners and solvents you mentioned? Surely not Home Depot.
Automotive paint store, I assume. O'Reilly's had something from 3M called "adhesive remover" with xylene and naptha that doesn't seem to eat the dope -- I'll find out this weekend, unless Bill yells at me, in which case I'll find a real paint store.
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Tim,
consider yourself yelled at. Get a paint solvent from an auto paint store. Tell the guy you are cleaning adhesive from lacquer. He can recommended something they carry. I tend to use pPg or DuPont stuff, but Sikkens is fine as Bill notes.
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Bill, where does one buy the cleaners and solvents you mentioned? Surely not Home Depot.
Hi Larry,
Sikkens M-600 is not available in California anymore - I get mine from an automotive paint supply in Arizona. Poly - Fiber C-2210 is available from either Poly - Fiber directly at Fla-Bob airport in Riverside or from Aircraft Spruce in Corona.
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Automotive paint store, I assume. O'Reilly's had something from 3M called "adhesive remover" with xylene and naptha that doesn't seem to eat the dope -- I'll find out this weekend, unless Bill yells at me, in which case I'll find a real paint store.
Hi Tim,
Actually, the 3M adhesive remover should work just fine...I just use the paint cleaning solvents because I keep them in stock.
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Hi Tim,
Actually, the 3M adhesive remover should work just fine...I just use the paint cleaning solvents because I keep them in stock.
I thought that was the case -- particularly after dribbling some in an inconspicuous spot and checking -- but it's nice to be sure.