Steve Sanford
Well-known member
In response to Tony's question on my Scooter thread - here is how I burn paint off wooden boats. I have always done it - but I never read about it anymore - so I'm not sure about legal/insurance aspects. There are obvious hazards - both to human health and to the boat - and I always take some common sense precautions.
First a bit of history. As I understand it, burning paint was a/the standard technique for removing paint from all sorts of wooden things, especially buildings (I suspect there are still quite a few charred foundations around that support this contention). It was part of a professional painter's skill set - just like mixing any color you wanted from linseed oil, standard pigments, and additives like turpentine, Japan drier, et cetera. Obviously, many of these are now lost arts. The device below was my Dad's blow torch. I believe it used "white (unleaded) gas". It is now simply an ornament in my shop - I have never used it.
I use a Bernzomatic torch and a putty knife. I use a small flame and burn several square inches at a time. The paint - usually all of the layers at one time - bubble up as gases escape from within the paint. I immediately work the putty knife beneath the paint and pick up a "skin" of old paint and put it into a tin can right next to me. It usually takes just a few seconds to do this. lf the surface is fairly flat, I use a 2 or 2 1/2 inch wide knife and so get a patch of paint about that wide and 6 or 8 inches long. The surface resulting will have a residue that varies from a pasty primer (probably white lead on older craft) to almost clean. While it is still warm, this can be scraped off easily with a conventional paint scraper. Or, since this is a technique for wooden things that will most likely be repainted, I may leave it as a base coat, needing only some light sanding with 80 or 120 grit paper.
NOTE: I have always been impressed by the weight of all the dried paint that comes off the boat when stripped. Someday I will remember to actually weigh it....
Here it what it looks like after burning. If this were the exterior, I would next sand it with 80 or 100 grit before re-priming. Note the scorch marks. These can largely be avoided but are, I think, inevitable because of the vagaries of the existing paint that is being removed. I am careful, though, that these marks are truly superficial and are not allowed to char deeply. Usually just removing the flame is enough - but sometimes a gloved hand will pat an area out.
I remember reading - I am pretty sure it was Zack Taylor in Sports Afield magazine - that burning drives the linseed oil into the wood. His point was that a hull could not be 'glassed with polyester resin if the paint had been burned off - epoxy would be necessary. Of course, nowadays, most of us would not even consider using anything but epoxy to put 'glass on a wooden boat. More important, if the boat (or furniture or whatever) is to be re-painted, having more linseed oil in the wood fibers is all good, in my view.
I love this Bernzomatic with the instant-on trigger! It makes this job - and every other torch job - much more convenient. I was using a fairly narrow knife here - because of the tight quarters - but use a wider one whenever I can.
Here are the things I do for safety:
1. I work OUTSIDE! I presume there is lead paint in everything I burn and so do not want to be breathing those fumes - or any burned-coating fumes for that matter. Obviously, this is not a job for a windy day - but a light breeze is ideal. A dust mask with a carbon filter would probably be wise, too.
2. I wear leather gloves - so I can pat out a hot spot if needed.
3. I have a pail of water and a rag nearby. I do not recall ever actually using either - but I certainly want to have something handy in case things get away from me.
4. I work just outside my shop - but within 10 feet of my fire extinguisher. Again, just in case.....
5. I put the big flakes of burned paint in a metal can. And I keep an eye on the can and make sure there is no residual combustion/smoldering.
6. On the Scooter, I vacuumed up the "crumbs" every several minutes because they represented a potential fuel source. As with the can, I check the drum every once in awhile and store it outside, away from the shop until it is emptied.
7. If I am burning the outside of a hull (or cabinet, etc), I put a poly tarp beneath the work area so the flakes can fall but be retrieved for disposal.
BTW: Later this year, I will be removing old (polyester resin) 'glass from another Scooter with a torch - I will report in then on my experience.
I hope this is helpful - I look forward to hearing others' experiences.
All the best,
SJS
First a bit of history. As I understand it, burning paint was a/the standard technique for removing paint from all sorts of wooden things, especially buildings (I suspect there are still quite a few charred foundations around that support this contention). It was part of a professional painter's skill set - just like mixing any color you wanted from linseed oil, standard pigments, and additives like turpentine, Japan drier, et cetera. Obviously, many of these are now lost arts. The device below was my Dad's blow torch. I believe it used "white (unleaded) gas". It is now simply an ornament in my shop - I have never used it.
I use a Bernzomatic torch and a putty knife. I use a small flame and burn several square inches at a time. The paint - usually all of the layers at one time - bubble up as gases escape from within the paint. I immediately work the putty knife beneath the paint and pick up a "skin" of old paint and put it into a tin can right next to me. It usually takes just a few seconds to do this. lf the surface is fairly flat, I use a 2 or 2 1/2 inch wide knife and so get a patch of paint about that wide and 6 or 8 inches long. The surface resulting will have a residue that varies from a pasty primer (probably white lead on older craft) to almost clean. While it is still warm, this can be scraped off easily with a conventional paint scraper. Or, since this is a technique for wooden things that will most likely be repainted, I may leave it as a base coat, needing only some light sanding with 80 or 120 grit paper.
NOTE: I have always been impressed by the weight of all the dried paint that comes off the boat when stripped. Someday I will remember to actually weigh it....
Here it what it looks like after burning. If this were the exterior, I would next sand it with 80 or 100 grit before re-priming. Note the scorch marks. These can largely be avoided but are, I think, inevitable because of the vagaries of the existing paint that is being removed. I am careful, though, that these marks are truly superficial and are not allowed to char deeply. Usually just removing the flame is enough - but sometimes a gloved hand will pat an area out.
I remember reading - I am pretty sure it was Zack Taylor in Sports Afield magazine - that burning drives the linseed oil into the wood. His point was that a hull could not be 'glassed with polyester resin if the paint had been burned off - epoxy would be necessary. Of course, nowadays, most of us would not even consider using anything but epoxy to put 'glass on a wooden boat. More important, if the boat (or furniture or whatever) is to be re-painted, having more linseed oil in the wood fibers is all good, in my view.
I love this Bernzomatic with the instant-on trigger! It makes this job - and every other torch job - much more convenient. I was using a fairly narrow knife here - because of the tight quarters - but use a wider one whenever I can.
Here are the things I do for safety:
1. I work OUTSIDE! I presume there is lead paint in everything I burn and so do not want to be breathing those fumes - or any burned-coating fumes for that matter. Obviously, this is not a job for a windy day - but a light breeze is ideal. A dust mask with a carbon filter would probably be wise, too.
2. I wear leather gloves - so I can pat out a hot spot if needed.
3. I have a pail of water and a rag nearby. I do not recall ever actually using either - but I certainly want to have something handy in case things get away from me.
4. I work just outside my shop - but within 10 feet of my fire extinguisher. Again, just in case.....
5. I put the big flakes of burned paint in a metal can. And I keep an eye on the can and make sure there is no residual combustion/smoldering.
6. On the Scooter, I vacuumed up the "crumbs" every several minutes because they represented a potential fuel source. As with the can, I check the drum every once in awhile and store it outside, away from the shop until it is emptied.
7. If I am burning the outside of a hull (or cabinet, etc), I put a poly tarp beneath the work area so the flakes can fall but be retrieved for disposal.
BTW: Later this year, I will be removing old (polyester resin) 'glass from another Scooter with a torch - I will report in then on my experience.
I hope this is helpful - I look forward to hearing others' experiences.
All the best,
SJS
