Heavy overpaint on a Vietnam helmet liner

[ClaptonIsGod]

I just got this helmet liner in the mail today (thanks Kyle!) but unfortunately it has a really ugly blue overpaint on the outside. I'd like to try and preserve the green paint underneath if it's still there, and am worried perhaps using Goof Off would take both layers off, because it looks like green is trying to poke through. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

Hope Kyle doesn't mind my reusing his pics, I'm too lazy to take new ones, import them and upload them when they're right there.

[ClaptonIsGod]

No-one?

[JimD]

Goof Off will work; you just need to be quick about removing it with a clean cloth as quick as possible until you figure the time needed to get the overpaint without hurting the original OD beneath. Don't let it soak like you would if you were trying to remove overpaint on a pot. I just did a VN liner with the same type of heavy overpaint as yours and it worked fine.

[ClaptonIsGod]

Hi Jim,

 

Thanks for your advice. I'll look for some Goof Off around here, and will follow your directions. About how long should I let it "bake" before the "timer dings"? Thanks.

[Brian Dentino]

Good luck, and let us (show us) how well it came out when you are done. I have one that has some wierd silver spray paint on it I may want to try this with .......you go first!

Good luck!!!!!! :thumbsup:

[ClaptonIsGod]

Good luck, and let us (show us) how well it came out when you are done. I have one that has some wierd silver spray paint on it I may want to try this with .......you go first!

Good luck!!!!!! :thumbsup:

 

Uh.. no you!

 

Just kidding, I'll try and get to it this weekend! :thumbsup:

[JimD]

Hi Jim,

 

Thanks for your advice. I'll look for some Goof Off around here, and will follow your directions. About how long should I let it "bake" before the "timer dings"? Thanks.

 

 

It depends upon the type if paint. I would soak a small pad (one inch by one inch) in Goof Off then let it sit on the paint. Remove it after 30 seconds and see if the paint comes off (either by using steel wool, a dry cloth, a plastic scraper, a stiff nylon brush, etc.) It probably won't come off yet so let it sit a bit longer until you determine how long it needs to sit on the paint before it removes the overpaint. Use gloves because it gets messy. Eventually you will figure out the paint's tolerance level and then you can soak larger areas using larger rags and can whip through the project. Good luck.

[ClaptonIsGod]

Hi Guys,

 

I just did the deed. I tried using around 10 1 inch by 1 inch squares of "pocket rag" I found in the same aisle as Goof Off. Brian, I'll give you a shopping list:

 

1 container of Goof-Off, it's a rectangle.

1 pair of paint stripping gloves (the orange ones at Home Depot)

1 Bag of Steel Wool

1 pack of "Pocket Rags" (count of 6)

1 pair of eye protection

 

So I set up a space with newspaper laid out. Laid the helmet liner down on top, and put gloves and glasses on. Open can of Goof-off, take a square, put it on, leave said square on for around 50 seconds and doesn't work. So then I proceed to keep trying that, and give up. Eventually I just started pouring the Goof Off in a contained area, and then taking steel wool and removing targeted area and also go down to any run off. I worked my way around the main area, and then moved to the bottom edge. Due to physics, if you pour it it'll run off to the paper or stay on the liner. Then I took that off. Overall the result was very good and 75-80% of the green original VN paint remains. I suspect the areas missing paint were like that when it was surplussed out since when I took off the other areas using the same method and same energy on the steel wool it didn't take off much. Some green paint was even left on the rivets! I'll get photos tomorrow as it stinks and I'm letting it air out/dry.

[ClaptonIsGod]

Pics as promised

 

On top

To be fully honest, I think using the rags might've done this? :think:

[ClaptonIsGod]

[ClaptonIsGod]

Should I go for it on this?