What is stripping
Written by: Vinnie van Rooij
Stripping is the act of removing a certain product/residue/film from a surface, often with the purpose of re-applying a new product. Stripping can be done chemically or mechanically and is a common step when re-applying a new form of protection.
Why the need for stripping
When you apply a sealant to a surface, the sealant will not deteriorate completely over time. Residue will stay behind. Before you can re-apply a new form of protection, it is important to strip the surface from all residue of old layers of protection. The old layer might contain contamination and will be a fragile foundation for the new product. Stripping the old layers completely and give the new product a perfectly clean surface to bond with. Not all products are removed with the same ease or via the same method. Certain coatings are so difficult to remove that heavy polishing or even wetsanding is required.
Different ways of stripping
Stripping can be done in 2 different ways. Depending on the product or the type of residue, the approach of stripping differs.
Chemically
Chemical stripping is done by applying a certain chemical, that will break down the product and remove the bond it has with the surface underneath. Different examples of chemical stripping are: IPA, traffic film remover and paint thinner. These products are capable of removing certain products or residue by simply coming into contact with it. There is usually very little need to rub it in, or apply pressure/friction to the chemical. The removal is often done by either rinsing it off or wiping it off.
Mechanically
Mechanical stripping can be seen as the use of friction and abrasion to remove a very controlled layer from the surface. If the residue is softer then the original surface underneath, the abrasive action will remove the residue without affecting the original surface underneath very much. The term “mechanical” refers to the moving action that uses friction and/or abrasion to directly interact with the material that needs to be removed. Examples of mechanical stripping are: claying, polishing, wetsanding and denibbling. Not all forms of mechanical stripping are always required. And some methods should only be used when another method has been done before. For example, you should not polish or wetsand if you haven’t clayed the surface first.
Chemical stripping can help to make mechanical stripping easier. In some cases it is easier and safer to only strip by chemicals.
Different related articles
- There are multiple ways of drying your car. The most common one is drying with Microfiber towels. However, you can also use a device that blows air for blow-drying off the water. This can especially be handy when you have to deal with small spaces, crevices or trims that can hide water....
- A rinseless wash is a washing technique that allows you to wash your car in a way that does not require rinsing afterwards. It is not waterless, but rinseless. This way of washing can save on time and/or product and prevents too much chemicals from going down the drain....
- In the field of protection, there are generally 4 groups of products: wax, sealant, hybrid and coatings. These products can be combined, but with mixed results. Knowing what the properties of a product are will clarify the end result....
- Koch-Chemie is a German manufacturer of industrial and commercial detailing products. Apart from developing new products, the brands aims at using sustainable raw materials, biologically degradable ingredients without the use of dangerous hydrocarbons....
- Many detailers will post up pictures of their vehicle showing great beads, and then claim their layer of protection is very old. However, that doesn't add up. When a wax is a few months old, it doesn't bead very good anymore, and that is normal. So how did this person manage to use a normal wax and get such great beads after all that time? Because he used a QD!...
- The use of wax as a protective product is very popular and has been one of the most used ways of protecting paintwork since the invention of wax many years ago. The application of wax isn't very difficult, which makes it so popular. But it helps to know how to get the most out of your wax to get the best results....
Links to this article
There are no external links to this article. Yet.