Vinyl Paint

[Jonathan Poll]

Hello all,

  You lot probably remember Vinyl Paint. My Nobel seats have been painted with vinyl painted back in the days. Underneath seems to be reasonable, so I would like to keep those seats until I find a perfect match for new vinyl.

Does anyone know a good way to remove the old paint? I want to keep the original stuff as good as possible.

Thanks, Jonathan

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Jonathan

The only vinyl paint I have seen is blue tartan paint. At one time they did red spotted paint on a whit background. It was very difficult to wash off. You may have to peel it off.

Chris Thomas

[marcus]

Try smooth peanut butter or gritty Swargega perhaps. And YES, peanut butter IS a good cleaner: very finely abrasive particles + oil to lift penetrate and lift dirt and stuff off a surface.

[Jonathan Poll]

Chris, this paint is black, so is it maybe normal paint? Doesn't peel of, for sure.

Marcus, I've treid abrasives, and they don't work.

Interesting about the peanut butter though!

[Jonathan Poll]

Googled and found the answers. People say use soft thinners or acetone. I'll give it a try on a small part first,n then wash of before it melts with water.

[Barry]

Also try some meths.

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Be very careful where you test the acetone, that will just melt the face off some plastics on contact. I'd try isopropyl alcohol first. Mr Muscle oven cleaner or caustic soda crystals are also very good at getting some paint off some plastics. the problem is always what type of paint and what type of plastic. If the paint is bonded into the surface you might be better repainting it with something until you can afford to get it recovered.

[marcus]

Be very careful where you test the acetone, that will just melt the face off some plastics on contact. I'd try isopropyl alcohol first. Mr Muscle oven cleaner or caustic soda crystals are also very good at getting some paint off some plastics. the problem is always what type of paint and what type of plastic. If the paint is bonded into the surface you might be better repainting it with something until you can afford to get it recovered.

Absolutely right, be very careful, if it can dissolve paint it might also attack the vinyl below. Safer to re-paint unless you get the exact specs of the vinyl and the paint. Bear in mind that vinyl is a difficult plastic to get paint to stick to, so it probably has a solvent to let it slightly dissolve the top layer of the vinyl, then the solvent evaporates  and paint and vinyl become one. Even if you DO get the paint off without damaging the vinyl below, it might already have been stained or discoloured by the solvents in the special paint formulated to stick to vinyl. Get specialist/expert advice, or just do another coat over the top!

[Jonathan Poll]

Well, I tested standard cellulose thinners on a small area, then wiped off with water. UIt does remove it, but it sort of spreads the paint around, so once the tissue is covered in paint, it just spreads the opther pazint around. It would do the job with a bit of work.

I guess I'll just have to look for some original interior, since I want my car to be as original, and my dad thinks my seat is too bad to keep. I would have patched it up.

Anyone got some nobel seats? 

[Big Al]

All my similar patterned Nobel style material has been sold, unfortunately. Ideal for a loose cover to protect original and now slightly fragile originals.

Indecently I still have a steering column here and found a gear lever, Wilksie. No stress just so neither of us forget. Was it your car that wanted a rear mudguard, should anyone have one?

[Chris Thomas]

Does anybody know where you can get the Tartan paint?

The one I used last was McTavish

Chris Thomas

[Bob Purton]

Thats what you send out the new apprentice for, 3 tins of tartan paint and 2 dozen sky hooks!

[Jonathan Poll]

All my similar patterned Nobel style material has been sold, unfortunately. Ideal for a loose cover to protect original and now slightly fragile originals.

Indecently I still have a steering column here and found a gear lever, Wilksie. No stress just so neither of us forget. Was it your car that wanted a rear mudguard, should anyone have one?

Nope, have spares of them, but I am looking for an original nobel mudguard in reasonable condition. If no one does, I'll make one out of an old trailer mudguard.

JP

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Bob

That and a long weight.

Chris Thomas

[marcus]

Or a bag of spare sparks for an angle grinder, spare bubble for a spirit level, or spark plug gaps, or a six inch skirting ladder, or even a bag of greased nuts