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I had my M37 bed done with dustless blasting-it was awesome and cheap!
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the only method is to Chemical strip....any sort of abrasive media will remove the factory alodine treatment on the aluminum. It's aircraft grade aluminum, the methods used for repair and paint are the same as an aircraft.I know this thread is kinda old but I was looking into the same thing of figuring out how to remove the paing off a Humvee which has multiple surface types. There is this service called "Dustless Blasting" and there are mobile units all over the country. Type it into YouTube, it's well worth checking it out.
Dustless blasting will work on aluminum and won't distort the panels. You will have to re-alodine the bare metal. It is incredibly easy and is only about $24 a quart.the only method is to Chemical strip....any sort of abrasive media will remove the factory alodine treatment on the aluminum. It's aircraft grade aluminum, the methods used for repair and paint are the same as an aircraft.
This reply was posted 10 years ago, but this thread comes up high in search results for stripping CARC paint, so I just wanted to take this chance to thank Bill and confirm what his friend told him. I used DOT 3 brake fluid to strip some CARC coated parts. As Bill's post says - it's an extremely slow process. For a while, I had this setup outside at about 70F on average, and this was too cold. No action. After being in a warm location indoors for several days (about 83F) the paint has started to come off. It took about a week to get to this point (image attached).Although I have no first-hand knowledge (that's my disclaimer), I was told by a guy that dabbles in MV's A LOT, that if a guy is not in a hurry, plain old fashioned brake fluid will loosen darn near any paint. It just takes days and days. Maybe weeks. He assured me, it will lift it, but it is slower than molasses. He told me you coat it, wait a few days, coat it again, wait again, and coat it a third time, then the real wait begins. A week or two later, the paint will literally fall off.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, let the record reflect I have never tried this method myself. This guy has given me other bits of oddball advise over the years, and has never let me down.
I will give the heatgun method a shot for some of the parts, thanks for the suggestion! I'm trying to strip these with no damage/scratches to the aluminium. There are some elaborate machined details which would be difficult to scrape. These parts are sitting in an orange polypropylene case (PP is compatible with DOT3/4 brake fluid). I removed the sealing valve and put a mesh filter in to avoid any pressure buildup. This way I can open it up every few days, brush some of the surfaces and close it back up. Seems like a decent solution for smaller parts. I'm in no rush. -NickI've had very good luck with the heatgun and razor scraper method. Panels are thick enough that I dont worry about warping them and after a few seconds of heat the CARC comes off in long strips with the razor scraper. Works great as long as the panel is flatish.
Do you have the parts just sitting in a tub of brake fluid? Does the tub handle the brake fluid ok?
Yes, definitely want to try it on a bunch of little brackets. Thanks for reviving this thread.I will give the heatgun method a shot for some of the parts, thanks for the suggestion! I'm trying to strip these with no damage/scratches to the aluminium. There are some elaborate machined details which would be difficult to scrape. These parts are sitting in an orange polypropylene case (PP is compatible with DOT3/4 brake fluid). I removed the sealing valve and put a mesh filter in to avoid any pressure buildup. This way I can open it up every few days, brush some of the surfaces and close it back up. Seems like a decent solution for smaller parts. I'm in no rush. -Nick