zukahn1 

I have come across a lot of fairly nice parts bikes with nice components recently that are free for the taking but have full cheap raddle can spray jobs wheels tires pretty much everything including chain drive parts, brakes and tires. Any good advise on cheap easy way to remove cheap paint. Before I just pass on stuff and leave it were it is. On pretty much all this stuff I don't care about the actual frame or bike I just want the paint off the nicer component's and maybe a couple of tires.

Unca_Sam

Acetone.
The other guy must be trolling, since sodium hydroxide will strip the anodizing from the aluminum.

zukahn1 

I would agree sodium hydroxide is a bit extreme I would expect it to damage the components plus I really don't wan't to use anything that I would need to wear rsoporator special gloves and googles to use safely. I',m leaning towards acetone on smaller stuff and maybe a paint thinner soak on the bigger all metal stuff. Both are still a bit of work but might be worth it on some of the nicer stuff.

CliffordK

I find that MEK is slightly stronger than Acetone.

I'd probably look at commercial paint strippers at your local building supply store.

prairiepedaler

During salvage for the coops, there have been bikes which have been spray painted as the OP had mentioned. I have a few Deore LX parts which require their black paint removed. For the non-painted portions of the derailleurs I'd use stripper. Where the model/brand is painted on the rear derailleur will require a little more thought. Stripper might bugger what is factory painted. I'll try a wipe of acetone first. These cheap spray painted jobs are usually hallmarks of a hot bike.

zukahn1 

Theses aren't hot bikes there bin bikes that silly young kids rattle canned to make there own fix up or maybe stop theft in a community that has basically zero bike theft. I know several of the people who rattle canned these bike and through them out. Two of the bike I'm riding were though buy the same neighbors who though these bikes a Schwinn Messa GSX and Raliegh MT-200 weren't worth a basic tune up and pumping up tires.

Mr. 66

I think that rubbing gasoline or reagular paint thinner would take the paint off rather easily. Probably won't hurt the original paints.

svoperokram

I bought Peugeot UO8 that was spray painted all over. I have completly removed the paint with aceton - nail lack remover. All the decals and original paint was left undamaged.

UO8

cyccommute 

Goof Off worked very well on a rattle can painted frame I found at my local co-op. Use gloves.

Don’t use gasoline for anything but internal combustion engines. It’s not particularly effective on paint and it’s particularly hazardous.

Mr. 66

Gas works great on cheap paint, here's the Lemond that was rattle canned fork. Like any solvent one needs to be careful about how, when and where to used.

Unca_Sam

Uh oh...

cyccommute 

No. Gasoline isn’t “like any solvent”. One doesn’t need to just be careful about how it is used but one has to be far more careful about how, when, and where it is used. Acetone and MEK are flammable but they don’t have the hazards that gasoline have. For example, the flashpoint of a mixture is a property that is proportional to how flammable a substance is. For acetone, the flashpoint is -20°C. Gasoline has a flashpoint of -40°C.

Additionally, the explosive limit of acetone is 2.6 to 12.8% in air. The explosive limit of gasoline is 1.4 to 7.6%. It takes far less gasoline in the air to form an explosive mixture. Gasoline is also rather toxic.

Bottom line: gasoline is one of the most hazardous things we handle regularly and we should never have a cavalier attitude towards it or it’s use. As a chemist who handles hazardous materials all the time, there are few materials that I encounter in a laboratory setting that have as many hazards as gasoline do.

Mr. 66

Yawn, that's more like it, better with the explanation, than the orders you commanded before Lol, Gas works great for removing cheap paint.

cyccommute 

My post wasn’t meant for you. You are a lost cause. It was meant for people who might be considering your rather uninformed advice. You might want to inform your local fire department of your gasoline usage so that they know what to do when they pull up to your house fire.

For everyone else reading this really bad advice...and especially for those considering following it...go down to your local fire department and ask them about using gasoline for anything outside of running an internal combustion engine. I’m sure they will have pictures to show you.