Myford Paint

I'm in the early stages of the restoration of a Myford Super 7, and although I'm having success with stripping the grey (repaint) and original blue paint, the white primer/putty coat is proving to be the very devil to get off.

Does anyone here have any ideas of solvents/strippers that I can brush into the nooks and crannies of the castings to get it back to bare metal?

Before anyone suggests it, I have had some experience of sand blasting on previous machinery projects, and wasn't impressed. Damage to threads and bearing surfaces, especially on the headstock, is what is worrying. There's no guarantee that the sand blaster doing the job will be as careful as I would be of sensitive areas. I'm also not sure that they would be able to get into all those under cuts of the headstock and bed castings. Plus you end up shaking sanding grit out of the parts for months to come.

So the chemical removal route seems the most appropriate. Any advice from those that have gone before?

Why remove the filler if it is well stuck on? Just use more filler to make up any dents and "Bring forward" as Professor Chaddock said.

Andrew.

P.S. Another way of saying "If it isn't bust, don't fix it".

Soak it in a big container of caustic soda?

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As others have already said, if the filler coat is sound, why remove it? Smooth it off and paint over it. If you are really determined, A soak in cellulose thinners will probably soften it suffiently to allow it to be scrubbed off.

Do not under any circumstances use caustic soda. Several parts are aluminium alloy, and caustic soda will attack them ferociously.

Good point, although I was assuming he would be stripping it to bare castings.

Thanks for the advice, but the base coat wasn't sound enough (chips and scratches) to leave. I ended up leaving the stripper gel on for a few more days and then using oven cream cleaner (Cif) to scrub it off. The vast majority of it is gone, and now I can apply new filler coat.

I might have to go this route with other parts, and send some of the simpler parts to the sand blaster.

I have posts on here of my renovation, there is no need to remove primer. Just get fime grit paper and sand down and then re prime. I used red oxide and it worked really well.

All but the cabinet I hand painted, see the results, it worked really well.

Andrew