I have been searching for the best way to remove the color layer of coverings. Most say to use heat and melt it, use a solvent, or use packing tape and pull it off. I experimented a bit today on a 40% solid foam balsa covered wing.

I first tried the packing tape, I was surprised how it worked but still left almost 25 percent of the covering. I then tried sanding the rest and that didn't go so well at all.

I went to the hardware store and got Zip Strip paint remover. I used it on a small area and it removed 99% of the color and then sanded and it looked like new. It doesn't really leave any residue but didn't want to do any more until I checked in this forum to see if anyone has used this method and if there is any problems with usiing Zip Strip?

Any help would be appreciated.

Take old piece of covering (un-used) and stick it over the offending color, heat, count to 5 and pull. works every time for me.

Do not try to sand it off it will give you uneven spots.
I would not use a stripper over glue joints either.

Ya, I'd be careful on joints with any stripper!

lol so many stripper jokes that could be made!

Used some stripper on my airframe once, it needed some major medical attention after that. Wear protection around strippers, you can get a rash on your skin. Make sure to keep the door and windows open too. Strippers can get stinky. And dont use strippers around the wife. They get pissed about everything asspect of it. Wife made me buy a new kitchen table after i used a stripper on it.

Ok am done.

Strippers Hee hee hee

Strippers only work if you pay it too. And "kicker" is to CA as a good pole is to a stripper. itll go easy if you give it a nice pole

all joking aside good luck on your project man

Originally Posted by parpar1

They get pissed about everything asspect of it.

i see what you did there haha
ironically today at Target i say these pant/legging things that were called "asspect"

heat gun (same as used to shrink the covering onto the plane) and a flexible plastic putty knife... Wear an oven mitt. While the color is warm it comes right off.

Acetone on a rag will get most of what managed to get into the balsa grain.

Nothing gets it all if it was really well ironed on.

I tried the heat gun for a short time but was worried it would get to hot and melt the foam under the balsa. Is that something to worry about? It also seemed to drive the color into the wood grain.

Acetone works to remove the coloring under the film, open windows wear gloves and use sparingly ..especially if the wing is foam core as it will melt the foam if it soaks through.
I used it on a built up 25% extra with success about two years ago. It reminded me of the top flight trim solvent in some ways.
A palm sander might work on the wings?

Maybe this is what you meant when you said carton tape, but I have put carton tape on it, heated with the iron and then pulled the color up after the tape cooled a second or two. Worked much better than using the carton tape cold.