[Shop-talk] Liquid paint stripper?

[Karl Vacek]

The really nasty (but unfortunately effective too) ingredient isn't MEK 
(methyl ethyl ketone), it's methylene chloride.  Been identified as a potent 
carcinogen for decades.

3M makes a product called "Safest Stripper" with a weak acid (unusual type, 
but I can't remember what it is).  It takes longer, but works OK on most 
typical coatings, but not so great on 2-part coatings.  You can coat the 
hinges with stripper and then keep them in zip-lock bags or similar.

There are also limonene-based strippers like Citrustrip that work OK on 
single-component coatings like house paint, varnish, etc.

Good luck !

Karl




>I need to strip a bunch of hinges of years of oil & latex paint. All
> the strippers I found at ACE are 'super thick cling" which doesn't
> make a nice dip & strip setup. Anything out there that will do the
> job? Preferably without MEK or other really nasty chemicals. I can
> let this sit for a few days.
>
> thanks,
> jim