WHY WE DO NOT OFFER ACID DIPPING…

A common and very cost effective way of stripping paint and coatings from ferrous and non-ferrous components is to acid or caustic dipping.  However, although recognised as an inexpensive way of conducting this process, stripping of items such as a car body can give rise to numerous negative effects.  The use of these aggressive chemical strippers can, for example, leave residual chemicals entrapped in the frames, joints and structure of a car, vehicle body or panel.

Additionally the inside of the vehicle body and panel will have been paint dipped by the manufacturer and this will then be removed by the acid/caustic stripper and cannot be replaced, leaving the inside of the body shell/panel open to possible corrosion from within.

Plastic media stripping,

as an alternative process, only strips visible areas on a selective basis.  Ideally suited not only to paint removal from steel and aluminium bodies, it will also work perfectly on composite and glass fibre vehicles and panels, with no fear of component distortion, which can occur with conventional blasting.

Unlike chemical strippers, plastic media is non-toxic and non-polluting and the process was accepted as the ideal method of achieving delicate surface preparation for a wide variety of materials and components

Soda Blasting

Often thought of as the answer to a variety of expendable and coating removal process needs, soda or bicarbonate of soda blasting is centered on a highly caustic product – indeed, it should be noted that, in certain circumstances, it can cause a reaction to an operative’s skin and is difficult to ‘wash away’ when used outside.  It should be swept up or vacuumed away as attempting to wash away into drains can often cause blockages.

Not effective for removing rust or heavy contamination.

Additionally, using soda to blast paint from automotive and aerospace coatings means that a residue of the removed coating will be mixed with the used soda and there will also be a portion of soda (caustic) entrapped in seams and rivets.  When this retained material becomes wet it will react and damage any coating that has been applied.  Therefore, such components need to be thoroughly washed to remove any residue.

Powder Coating preparation and removal

The requirement for an optimum finish in a powder coating starts with an ideal surface profile.  Whether it is removing manufacturing imperfections or creating an even profile across a component, blasting is often the best way to achieve this economically and efficiently.

On ferrous substrates, the use of a cast iron/chilled iron media or of hardened steel grit is often preferable, while on a non-ferrous component, invariably  is ideal.  Removal of powder coating when manufacturing errors occur can usually mean a laborious process to remove these tenacious coatings.  With the advent of plastic media stripping , this process has become significantly easier than with conventional blast materials.  Due to its low heat generation and aggressive angular cutting ability, plastic media can remove powder coating faster than any other media.

Without this process it will be inevitable that the final finish will not give a long lasting and satisfactory finish. This is one of the reasons we offer a five year warranty on most of our powder coating work.

Reflective coatings

By utilising a small glass entrapped in a special clear powder coat, a prism is created, and when light is shone directly at a coating containing the bead a vibrant reflection of the light  bounces back at the origin. This captures the concept of a cat’s eye , which is relevant to most reflective materials such as highway white lines and clothing reflective strips. We supply a diverse range of glass beads for highway and reflective applications from BS6088 approved products to customer bespoke blends of high refractive index beads.