Getting the paint stripped off a bike?

I have a great bike with an ugly paint job. I'm considering finding someone here in the SF Bay area to strip the bike down to a nice brushed aluminum finish, but I have a few questions first for those who may have done this already.

- Is it a physical or chemical process (i.e. is it sandblasting or solvent)?
- Does it remove any appreciable amount of metal from the frame, and if so is it enough to compromise strength?
- Can it be done to painted carbon fiber parts?
- It is expensive?

Thanks!

Sandblasting seems to be the industry standard. Your frame will be just fine if the place is reputable. Don't know about carbon fibre. Here in UK it's about £60 - £80 for a strip and respray.

__________________
Bill.

God invented beer to prevent the Irish taking over the world!

Eat right, exercise, DIE ANYWAY!!!

I hate my new job, it sucks like a thirsty leech.

Maybe for idiots and the menatlly crippled.A heavy hand with sandblasting on a thin alumnum frame will do it no good.There is safer media or a heavy bodied paint stripper will do the job.

Now you're arguing for the sake of arguing boudreaux. Sandblasting is WIDELY used, because it's re-useable and virtually risk free. Do you have any idea what it would cost using paint-stripper? Not to mention the time it would take and the problems getting rid of used paint-striper. What's this other media you're waffling on about, or are you just full of sh/t?

__________________
Bill.

God invented beer to prevent the Irish taking over the world!

Eat right, exercise, DIE ANYWAY!!!

I hate my new job, it sucks like a thirsty leech.

The other method he's refering to is bead blasting. Like sand blasting, but with tiny glass beads. Just as re-usable as sand, but won't scratch or erode the metal underneath.

Plastic is just one option.Try google.It's your friend. I have stripped frames with paint stripper for alot less than the cost of paying someone to do by blasting.Have you actually tried it or just lowing chunks?

Just as tough as sandblasting.

__________________
Bill.

God invented beer to prevent the Irish taking over the world!

Eat right, exercise, DIE ANYWAY!!!

I hate my new job, it sucks like a thirsty leech.

Yup. I use paint stripper on my own frames, but the guy is on about sending his frame away, and for a company that does multiple strips and resprays or polishing, and that method could prove costly and time consuming for them. I'll agree with you on the plastic, but kinda rare being used on bike frames in UK at least. If sandblasting is good enough for Bob Jackson Cycles, one of the best frame builders/resprayers etc, it's good enough for me.

__________________
Bill.

God invented beer to prevent the Irish taking over the world!

Eat right, exercise, DIE ANYWAY!!!

I hate my new job, it sucks like a thirsty leech.

I just finished doing a vintage restoration on a steel bike.

I stripped the bike using Aircraft Stripper ($8 for a spray can at NAPA), set the frame on a plastic drop cloth, in the center, spray the bike heavily ( use the whole can) then wrap the palstic upa and around the frame to prevent evaporation.

Come back in a couple of hours and lift the frame off the sheet, throw the palstic out, hose the frame down and use emery clothh to clean off any residual ( there isn't much left).

Cheap and fast.

Cost me a $100 to have the frame sprayed and baked.

I just finished doing a vintage restoration on a steel bike.

I stripped the bike using Aircraft Stripper ($8 for a spray can at NAPA), set the frame on a plastic drop cloth, in the center, spray the bike heavily ( use the whole can) then wrap the plastic up and around the frame to prevent evaporation.

Come back in a couple of hours and lift the frame off the sheet, throw the palstic out, hose the frame down and use emery clothh to clean off any residual ( there isn't much left).

Cheap and fast.

Cost me a $100 to have the frame sprayed and baked.

Does anybody know if carbon fiber parts can be sandblasted while still leaving the gloss sheen on the outside of the epoxy matrix?

Toomanybikes, can the aircraft stripper be used on carbon fiber parts without damage to the epoxy matrix?

I would not sandblast or even bead blast a carbon fiber frame. If you want to paint CF I would think you are probably limited to abrading the surface to get some "bite" for the new paint.

In terms of Aircraft stripper - I don't know. I would ask a parts store or high end body shop and see if they would use it on CF car parts - I just don't know.