Methylene Chloride paint stripper (or similar)?

[DavidP2020]

Not precisely aircraft related, but a friend needs to strip the paint from a Corvette and he reached out to me. He used to use a product called Aircraft Remover that contained methylene-chloride which worked very well. It appears that was banned in 2019.

Many of the current aircraft/automotive paint strippers get poor reviews compared to the old stuff.

Does anyone have an aircraft paint stripper they recommend for its effectiveness?

Thanks!

[PhatRV]

I haven't used the "old stuff" and don't know what it is. But I've used the new stuff bought from Aircraft Spruce last year. It worked very well to strip the epoxy primer from my flap.

[lr172]

It was only banned from traditional retail. I just bought a gallon from spruce. They also sell the friendly/ineffective stuff as well, so have to go through the SDS to find the right one. I think it was Surestrip.

[Kyle Boatright]

Be very careful stripping paint from fiberglass. Most people mechanically remove paint from fiberglass because strippers can damage it.

That said, I’ve had good results with eco-strip from Stewart Systems.

[rhill]

The new stuff is far less toxic in an enclosed environment. One suggestion I would have. Do it outside in fresh air. Paint it on in squares and cover with a paper towel after 10 minuets or so. Paint wipes right off a Lotus Europa, you might need 15 minuets for the Corvette. Take care of your Liver you only get one.

[BillL]

The Certified Coatings stripper at Spruce has methylene chloride, but if it were my fiberglass, a call would be made to PTI. They have been in the application and removal business for many years. They were very helpful when I needed help for an epoxy selection for VARTM.

Definitely get a 3M organics respirator.

YMMV

[DavidP2020]

Thanks for the inputs! Looks like good info. I'll pass it along.