Another question about removing powdercoat

[panz4ever]

Will soda blasting remove powdercoating? Picked up some aircraft stripper but it is really, really slow (cold temps have anything to do with that?). Thinking about investing in a soda blaster.

[Sarge]

I don'know how many frames I just sand blasted. Never any harm came to any uv um. Only had a frame "dipped" once't. Big mistake! It dripped that crap out for two years, after.

[panz4ever]

Thanks Sarge. Any of them had powdercoating on them? Eastwood has a poor man's version at a cheap price. Enco has some good prices on media. See there are a bunch of different types that equate to grit. Any recommendations on grit/media for powdercoat?

[Sarge]

Powdercoat is plastic, but it acts much like paint, but it's physically thicker. I like ordinary beach sand, filtered through a screen door, window frame mesh. All that fancy stuff is (IMHO) a waste of money to use on most steel, like a bike frame.
It might make a difference on softer metals, like aluminum or brass or something, and you need an organic medium like powdered cashew shells to keep from removing bits of metal, but a frame? I've had fine results with ordinary sand.

[moonwolf]

I use permatex gasket remover. Just spray it on and wait. Usually takes about three applications to take all the powder coat off.

A friend says he uses a torch and scrapes it off.

[flat-happy]

like sarge said powdercoat is plastic. what is plastic's worst enemy? heat. i use an oxygen/propane torch with a big rosebud tip on it. it turns the powdercoat to ash in one pass. then i put it in my glass bead cabinet one end at a time with a big leaf bag taped over the other end and it comes out looking like new. any graveyard stone maker will usually blast it for you for $25-$50. it's not something they usually do and are happy to do something different for a change. they use metal particles called blastite for engraving the stone

[56servi]

I used a torch from Harbor Freight. Just connect it to your propane tank & burn the powdercoat off. Don't breath the fumes that come off the melting plastic. Outdoors & downwind