Sunday, February 21, 2010

What would be the chemical composition of PAINT STRIPPER to strip enamel paints from wood and metal?

It would either be a very effective solvent, like tetrahydrofuran (used in PVC primer and pretty good at removing old paint) that would dissolve the dried paint and/or weaken it enough for it to be removed. Any number of organic solvents would work like that.





Or a compound that has very low surface energy. That is, when something like TCE (trichloroethylene) is on a metal surface, it is a lower energy than if there is rust, oil or paint on it. Lower energies are favored, so it is a spontaneous process - the TCE slips between the rust/paint/oil and the metal itself. A number chlorinated solvents do that. However, they also cause health and environmental damage, so that aren't used nearly as much as they were 20-50 years ago.What would be the chemical composition of PAINT STRIPPER to strip enamel paints from wood and metal?
If you use chemical stripper do not use any product that is 'Methylene Chloride' based. That product is highly carcinogen.

No comments:

Post a Comment