I'm repainting my GS.Originally red, PO did black either fizzycan just a poor job with with a gun.Anyway I was told to use aircraft stripper on the tank but I'm not sure about the front fender and underseat plastic.Can says do not use on plastic bumpers but the black pait is so soft it probably would come right off without setting the 15 minutes they recommend.Anybody tried it? What else could be used to strip the plastic? to many curves to use the DA on.And the black is to soft to coat over so roughing it up is not an option. Hoping to lay down a nice DARK candy blue when I'm done with the prep work.

BTW it's a '93 so there's not that much plastic.

                                                                                                                                         Later,
                                                                                                                                             Greg

Sand/wet sand it off?

DON'T use aircraft stripper on the plastics...it will eat it. Use a good degreaser, wash with something like dawn dish soap really really well... sand with whatever sand paper required according to your primer specs, primer primer and primer some more right over the old stuff...then paint and clear..

Just sand.  Whatever paint doesn't come off is fine.  Don't use aircraft remover on anything except aluminum.

degreasing is important, especially on the front fender because otherwise you'll get fisheyes in your paint...

if he sands it propperly there won't be any grease...and degreasers can leave residues as well.  Best to just use warm water, dish soap, and sand paper.

Quote from: Onlypastrana199 on March 05, 2007, 05:42:11 PMUse a good degreaser, wash with something like dawn dish soap really really well... [then] sand

Thanks for repeating what I'd already said 

same words but you have the steps a bit out of order.  Washing = last...and you shouldn't wash it with anything but water.  Maybe a rub down with denatured alcohol but that's it.  Soap...degreasers...oils...wax...it can all cause problems.

Quote from: Onlypastrana199 on March 05, 2007, 08:02:01 PM

Quote from: Onlypastrana199 on March 05, 2007, 05:42:11 PMUse a good degreaser, wash with something like dawn dish soap really really well... [then] sand

Thanks for repeating what I'd already said 

Quote from: makenzie71 on March 05, 2007, 08:07:38 PM
  Maybe a rub down with denatured alcohol

+1 deff use some alcohol as your final step before painting

O.K. So ellbow grease it is.. No stripper on the plastic.

  I know the steps for painting it...I just never had to strip junk paint off plastic before.

ALL the black must go.It's soft enough that a few drops of gas lifted it.Any primer I put down ower it will lift it also.I'm not worried about the factory red It should be a good base for the primer.

It was the soft black I was really worried about.It's so soft that the rivets on my jeast went right throug it when I was stading beside the bike pulling it back out of the garage.

  BTW water is not a good final wash.Especially for the bare steel tank....It'll rust overnight just from moisture in the air.The right solvent for the right paint will do fine.Then make sure it is warm enough for it all to evaporate before painting it.

Silicone, IE armor all is the worst thing to try to get off.Detergent works good on smooth surfaces but not allsways on rough areas.Hopefully PO never used it on the front tire fender area.Had  trouble with the ground effects on a car I painted once the flat areas facing the tires were fiberglass and full of silicone from fling-off of the tires.Took a tone of sanding to get through what soaked into the fiberglass.

Now all I gotta do is the labor and decide what Base/Candy combo I want to go with and I'll be all set.

  Thanxs for the help.

water's fine.  if it developes flash rust just hit it with some fine paper and it'll come out.  Don't let it sit with water on it.

If gasoline lifts the paint then that's what I'd do.  Wash it in gasoline.

 Not if, when. It will rust just may not be able to see it.

  Gas as a paint stripper..Hmmm I bet that heat gun I have will help the process along too.........just make sure my Insurance is paid up on me and the garage.

   Seriously guys I just wondered if anybody ever tried the stripper on plastic.Some plastics are nearly impervious to certain chems thaought I might get lucky guess not.will just have to do it the old fashioned way.Give me something to do till the weather warms up here anyway.

Quote from: Shadow on March 05, 2007, 09:31:54 PM
   Seriously guys I just wondered if anybody ever tried the stripper on plastic.

I did it.    And your rationalization over the technique is amusingly similar to what mine was.    Just a thin application...on & off quick!  It'll never penetrate the multilayered surface coat.    But it did, it does, and it will.  Ate divots into the plastic in nothing flat.  Needless to say, after that, prep took twice as long as it would have had I done it right the first time.