Did I mention how much I hate Seam Sealer?, this shit sucks! torch method really bad? Options

[snflupigus]

Wire wheeled some of the rear seam sealer...

What is the big downfall to burning it out again? Can i get it to a temp that it peels off? A heat gun doesnt do the trick.

Porsche had this scientific-marvel-of-a-pain-in-the-ass in the 70s but they couldnt keep a car from being a rust magnet? blows my mind.

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[jasons]

Why do you want the seam sealer out?

[snflupigus]

1. some of it has rust underneith it... 2. eventually I'm going to have those seams welded and smoothed. 3. For the smoother look I guess.

I'm not going to try to remove all of it, but I want it smoothed out and taken care of before I prime for paint.

I guess I'm slowly realizing that I really dont want to take the whole car down to metal... but I do want a clean smooth paint finish for when i do. I'm no body man so how smooth do I have to get everything before its ok to paint over old paint?

[dmenche914]

Scraping and judicius aplication of heat may do it, maybe a low temp tourch? just be aware of fire,a dn toxic fumes. you could try some solvents, no idea if that will soften it or not, maybe acetone???

I'd avoid the stron acid / alkaine stripers, as they will be left behind, unless all stripper/sealer is removed,adn cause havoc with the new paint ifigures that acetone, if it works, will at least evopoirate, leing no residue, which would liekly be non-harmfult o the new paint.

Wire wheels probably just soften it from heat, causing it to not fly off

if you use solvent, were proper gloves, reporator and or fan for fresh air, and glasses, it can be nasty to soak in acetone thru you flesh, and eyes can easy be damged. use car, it will porbably be slow going.

[bd1308]

Torch + stiff putty knife.

Plus wire cone brush thing on a high-power drill.

[Bartlett 914]

I have found that heating from the back side enough to make the sealer warm works without a lot of smoke. The sealer is a poor conductor of heat. So heating it directly doesn't work as well. By heating the metal beneath it, weaken the sealers hold on the metal and allows it to be scraped off.

[Matt Romanowski]

Use either a Snap On Crud Thug or a wire brush on a grinder.

[Brett W]

Get a four inch side grinder and use a knotted wire wheel. That will make super fast work of removing that stuff. You will sling shit every where but it will clean it off easily without lots of work. Much better than using a torch.

[PRS914-6]

A good auto media blaster should be able to remove it. They can use crushed glass or other sharp media that will cut through it......Don't tell Andy though (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[dakotaewing]

Get a four inch side grinder and use a knotted wire wheel. That will make super fast work of removing that stuff. You will sling shit every where but it will clean it off easily without lots of work. Much better than using a torch.

I am doing the same thing... I had seam sealer hanging from the cobwebs in all 4 corners of the garage, but found this was the easiest way to deal with it... Not that it was easy....

[snflupigus]

Get a four inch side grinder and use a knotted wire wheel. That will make super fast work of removing that stuff. You will sling shit every where but it will clean it off easily without lots of work. Much better than using a torch.

I am doing the same thing... I had seam sealer hanging from the cobwebs in all 4 corners of the garage, but found this was the easiest way to deal with it... Not that it was easy....

Thats what I'm using now.... knotted wire wheel on an angle grinder... hence the "I hate seam sealer" --- My garage is a MESS, again.... I went through this with the floors once before but forgot how much I hated the stuff.

I think I'll try the heat-from-the-backside method. Thanks guys.

[IronHillRestorations]

From my own experience, mechanical (scraping, abrading, etc) is the only way to get that stuff off. We use wood chisels, wire cups & brushes, and whatever scraper that does the job. Also from my experience, if you use any media that will cut through that stuff, it could warp some of the adjoining areas, and of course get media in lots of place you don't want it. Ask me how I know??

The problem with using heat is if you start cooking the stuff, it's PVC and you've got trouble. Toxic fumes, and the nasty fact that PVC is corrosive when hot can add to the corrosion. I like Mark's idea of warming the backside of the panel to heat the metal it's adhered to, but that's only do-able in some areas.

It's a PITA job regardless.

[jd74914]

I tried chipping off the majority of it with an old wood chisel, and then did the finish work with a knotted whire wheel. It sprayed less crap up that way.

[andys]

From the little I have removed so far, heating the seam sealer seemed to work the best for me. PVC will not release toxic fumes or corrosives until it decomposes (burns or chars). That said, is it really PVC? As I recall, PVC will not support a flame and the seam sealer certainly does. Anyone?

Andys