My Black & Decker hot air paint stripper is rated at 2kW but for me this is way too cool for paint stripping. I have to hold the gun way too long before the paint starts to ripple. I'm suspecting that they have limited the temperature so that they do not have customer liability problems where there is paint including lead.
This model has temperature control which I assume is Triac controlled. Its an easy matter for me to bypass the Triac but I would appreciate comments.
Beemer
Beemer,
Forgive me for being a little blunt. But if you are stripping your bargeboards, then you really are using the wrong tool!
A hot air stripper up a ladder, in the open air and at roof level is useless, go and get a decent gas (or even the 'ancient paraffin' ) blowlamp with the correct (IIRC a fishtail) nozzle and learn how to use it by practising on an old piece of painted timber.
Once you've learned the technique, the paint will literally 'fly off' in reasonable strips with little or no heat damage to the timber.
Brian G
It's also an excellent way to set light to the loft, if you aren't very careful, or you catch an old bird or wasp nest.
| > This model has temperature control which I assume is Triac | > controlled. Its an easy matter for me to bypass the Triac but I | > would appreciate comments. | >
| > Beemer | | Beemer, | | Forgive me for being a little blunt. But if you are stripping your | bargeboards, then you really are using the wrong tool! | | A hot air stripper up a ladder, in the open air and at roof level is | useless, go and get a decent gas (or even the 'ancient paraffin' ) blowlamp | with the correct (IIRC a fishtail) nozzle and learn how to use it by | practising on an old piece of painted timber. | | Once you've learned the technique, the paint will literally 'fly off' in | reasonable strips with little or no heat damage to the timber. | | Brian G | Brian,
Yes I have decided to renovate the bargeboards instead of replacing them with larch which was my original intention. Your suggestion about the blowlamp is wise but I also confirm Andrew's concern about the risk. On a side issue my father although not a tradesman had several blowlamps. One of these was a pint size petrol model which today gives me the creeps when I think that I as an 11 years old boy used to fill and play with! Even the noise from its burner was frightening.
I had an older fixed temperature heat gun with a lower wattage and I think it had a greater heat output than the new temperature controlled one I have now. I'll cut out the controller today and see the result. Unfortunately its raining again!
Beemer
When I did mine, I decided it was easier to replace them than it was to fix the old ones. I cut new ones to size and temporarily fixed in place to check. However, I then took them all down and prepared and painted them at ground level (rot proof, primer, topcoat), before refitting. Then I did a final topcoat layer in place, as it was impossible to get them up there without the odd ding, and to paint over the fixing screws.
Are you sure it wasn't a parrafin lamp? My father had a couple of these. Actually, he still has the copper one. There was a steel one too, but he chucked that as they corrode inside and can then explode when you pump up the pressure. I used to use these, but cheapness and ease of lighting a modern blowlamp means it's been relegated to the back of the cupboard.
Beemer,
I cannot seem to find Andrew's post where he is expressing "concern about the risks" but in my opinion it is far more dangerous to be playing with what is literally an electric 'hair dryer' on a ladder at height (presuming you are working on a two or more storey property) - than using a simple gas or *PARAFFIN* powered blow lamp!
For a start, you will not get enough heat from the gun to loosen the paint due to the various wind and convected air-currents floating around the wall and roof - and if you have to 'doctor' the gun by "cutting the controller" to get more heat, then that really makes my point!
This in effect makes the job harder and longer, giving rise to the situation where you will try and overstretch on the ladder to get more done in the 'same session' with its obvious dangers... even so called 'professionals' have been caught out doing this.
But, if you wish to take the risk... then good luck to you, as you seem to lead a charmed life on roofs and ladders :-)
Brian G
I wasn't implying an electric hot air gun was any safer.
"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message news:46bd73e9$0$647$ snipped-for-privacy@news.aaisp.net.uk... | In article , | "Beemer" writes: | > Brian, | >
| > Yes I have decided to renovate the bargeboards instead of replacing them | > with larch which was my original intention. Your suggestion about the | | When I did mine, I decided it was easier to replace them | than it was to fix the old ones. I cut new ones to size | and temporarily fixed in place to check. However, I then | took them all down and prepared and painted them at ground | level (rot proof, primer, topcoat), before refitting. Then | I did a final topcoat layer in place, as it was impossible | to get them up there without the odd ding, and to paint over | the fixing screws. | | > blowlamp is wise but I also confirm Andrew's concern about the risk. On a | > side issue my father although not a tradesman had several blowlamps. One of | > these was a pint size petrol model which today gives me the creeps when I | > think that I as an 11 years old boy used to fill and play with! Even the | > noise from its burner was frightening. | | Are you sure it wasn't a parrafin lamp? | My father had a couple of these. Actually, he still has the | copper one. There was a steel one too, but he chucked that | as they corrode inside and can then explode when you pump | up the pressure. I used to use these, but cheapness and ease | of lighting a modern blowlamp means it's been relegated to | the back of the cupboard. | | -- | Andrew Gabriel | [email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]
Andrew,
I could have bet that you or someone would come back with that question! Molded in large letters into the body of the blowlamp was the word PETROL. I believe that this was intended to be used on large lead plumbing or roofing work. This is the only one I have ever seen or heard of. My father also had a 1/2 pint paraffin blowlamp but it was not so much fun!
Beemer
| >>> This model has temperature control which I assume is Triac | >>> controlled. Its an easy matter for me to bypass the Triac but I | >>> would appreciate comments. | >>>
| >>> Beemer | >>
| >> Beemer, | >>
| >> Forgive me for being a little blunt. But if you are stripping your | >> bargeboards, then you really are using the wrong tool! | >>
| >> A hot air stripper up a ladder, in the open air and at roof level is | >> useless, go and get a decent gas (or even the 'ancient paraffin' ) | >> blowlamp with the correct (IIRC a fishtail) nozzle and learn how to | >> use it by practising on an old piece of painted timber. | >>
| >> Once you've learned the technique, the paint will literally 'fly | >> off' in reasonable strips with little or no heat damage to the | >> timber. | >>
| >> Brian G | >>
| > Brian, | >
| > Yes I have decided to renovate the bargeboards instead of replacing | > them with larch which was my original intention. Your suggestion | > about the blowlamp is wise but I also confirm Andrew's concern about | > the risk. On a side issue my father although not a tradesman had | > several blowlamps. One of these was a pint size petrol model which | > today gives me the creeps when I think that I as an 11 years old boy | > used to fill and play with! Even the noise from its burner was | > frightening. | >
| > I had an older fixed temperature heat gun with a lower wattage and I | > think it had a greater heat output than the new temperature | > controlled one I have now. I'll cut out the controller today and see | > the result. Unfortunately its raining again! | >
| > Beemer | | Beemer, | | I cannot seem to find Andrew's post where he is expressing "concern about | the risks" but in my opinion it is far more dangerous to be playing with | what is literally an electric 'hair dryer' on a ladder at height (presuming | you are working on a two or more storey property) - than using a simple gas | or *PARAFFIN* powered blow lamp! | | For a start, you will not get enough heat from the gun to loosen the paint | due to the various wind and convected air-currents floating around the wall | and roof - and if you have to 'doctor' the gun by "cutting the controller" | to get more heat, then that really makes my point! | | This in effect makes the job harder and longer, giving rise to the situation | where you will try and overstretch on the ladder to get more done in the | 'same session' with its obvious dangers... even so called 'professionals' | have been caught out doing this. | | But, if you wish to take the risk... then good luck to you, as you seem to | lead a charmed life on roofs and ladders :-) | | Brian G
Brian,
Heat gun impossible to cutout the heat controller as the air flow control is also connected/controlled through the heat controller pcb. Andrew was warning about setting bird's nests alight which I realise is a real risk. I had thought about taking the bargeboards down but I would really need a scaffold rather than my 2x18ft ladder. The ladder is another problem. As I live on a windy hill I decided that an aluminium extension ladder was too light so I bought a professional ladder. It is very heavy and on the limit for me handling. The problem comes when I fit the standoff to protect the cederwood siding above and below my windows. The standoff can only be fitted by putting the ladder at the correct extension, reversing it, fitting the standoff, reversing it then wiggling the ladder into position. Moving across the bargeboard means standing the ladder vertical and lifting the extension to my arms length and hoping any sideways inertia does not overpower me! (I should have bought a rope & pulley version. Ah the love of DIY!
Beemer
Beemer, to put this into perspective.
After dealing solely with housing repairs for around 34 years (on the tools and as a foreman), I have never seen birds nests set alight with blow lamp - and have only heard first hand, of one fire - and that was in a first floor box-frame window - these were always damned troublesome!
I was talking to this painter some time after this incident and he said he was stripping this window, knocked off for his morning break and was flabbergasted on his return half an hour later to see this big, red fire engine by the front door of the house with a fireman up a ladder pulling the window apart.
The investigation apparently found that a piece of burning paint had dropped into a pile of waste on the window cill, flared up and set light to the dry timber of the window - result one rollicking for the painter for not checking for this hazard (an incident he is still reminded of some twenty five years after it happened), a new window for the house and a small insurance claim from the tenants for their redecoration costs - and five cups of tea for the firemen :-)
Aftere reading the above, I would seriously suggest that you leave the bargeboards in place, and approach a local scaffold company to erect a modular scaffold system (not tube) to do this part of the job.
I'm not sure of the cost but I believe it would probably be far less than £200 for erection and dismantling and around a week or two's use - ball park figures now, but when I was dealing with these, the cost was around £100 for a pine-end and two weeks hire with some like £20 week after that.
Brian G
"Brian G" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net... | Beemer wrote: | > "Brian G" wrote in message | > news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net... | >> Beemer wrote: | >>> "Brian G" wrote in message | >>> news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net... | >>>> Beemer wrote: | >>>>> My Black & Decker hot air paint stripper is rated at 2kW but for | >>>>> me this is way too cool for paint stripping. I have to hold the | >>>>> gun way too long before the paint starts to ripple. I'm | >>>>> suspecting that they have limited the temperature so that they do | >>>>> not have customer liability problems where there is paint | >>>>> including lead. | >>>>>
| >>>>> This model has temperature control which I assume is Triac | >>>>> controlled. Its an easy matter for me to bypass the Triac but I | >>>>> would appreciate comments. | >>>>>
| >>>>> Beemer | >>>>
| >>>> Beemer, | >>>>
| >>>> Forgive me for being a little blunt. But if you are stripping your | >>>> bargeboards, then you really are using the wrong tool! | >>>>
| >>>> A hot air stripper up a ladder, in the open air and at roof level | >>>> is useless, go and get a decent gas (or even the 'ancient | >>>> paraffin' ) blowlamp with the correct (IIRC a fishtail) nozzle and | >>>> learn how to use it by practising on an old piece of painted | >>>> timber. | >>>>
| >>>> Once you've learned the technique, the paint will literally 'fly | >>>> off' in reasonable strips with little or no heat damage to the | >>>> timber. | >>>>
| >>>> Brian G | >>>>
| >>> Brian, | >>>
| >>> Yes I have decided to renovate the bargeboards instead of replacing | >>> them with larch which was my original intention. Your suggestion | >>> about the blowlamp is wise but I also confirm Andrew's concern about | >>> the risk. On a side issue my father although not a tradesman had | >>> several blowlamps. One of these was a pint size petrol model which | >>> today gives me the creeps when I think that I as an 11 years old boy | >>> used to fill and play with! Even the noise from its burner was | >>> frightening. | >>>
| >>> I had an older fixed temperature heat gun with a lower wattage and I | >>> think it had a greater heat output than the new temperature | >>> controlled one I have now. I'll cut out the controller today and | >>> see the result. Unfortunately its raining again! | >>>
| >>> Beemer | >>
| >> Beemer, | >>
| >> I cannot seem to find Andrew's post where he is expressing "concern | >> about the risks" but in my opinion it is far more dangerous to be | >> playing with what is literally an electric 'hair dryer' on a ladder | >> at height (presuming you are working on a two or more storey | >> property) - than using a simple gas or *PARAFFIN* powered blow lamp! | >>
| >> For a start, you will not get enough heat from the gun to loosen the | >> paint due to the various wind and convected air-currents floating | >> around the wall and roof - and if you have to 'doctor' the gun by | >> "cutting the controller" to get more heat, then that really makes my | >> point! | >>
| >> This in effect makes the job harder and longer, giving rise to the | >> situation where you will try and overstretch on the ladder to get | >> more done in the 'same session' with its obvious dangers... even so | >> called 'professionals' have been caught out doing this. | >>
| >> But, if you wish to take the risk... then good luck to you, as you | >> seem to lead a charmed life on roofs and ladders :-) | >>
| >> Brian G | >
| > Brian, | >
| > Heat gun impossible to cutout the heat controller as the air flow | > control is also connected/controlled through the heat controller pcb. | > Andrew was warning about setting bird's nests alight which I realise | > is a real risk. | | Beemer, to put this into perspective. | | After dealing solely with housing repairs for around 34 years (on the tools | and as a foreman), I have never seen birds nests set alight with blow lamp - | and have only heard first hand, of one fire - and that was in a first floor | box-frame window - these were always damned troublesome! | | I was talking to this painter some time after this incident and he said he | was stripping this window, knocked off for his morning break and was | flabbergasted on his return half an hour later to see this big, red fire | engine by the front door of the house with a fireman up a ladder pulling the | window apart. | | The investigation apparently found that a piece of burning paint had dropped | into a pile of waste on the window cill, flared up and set light to the dry | timber of the window - result one rollicking for the painter for not | checking for this hazard (an incident he is still reminded of some twenty | five years after it happened), a new window for the house and a small | insurance claim from the tenants for their redecoration costs - and five | cups of tea for the firemen :-) | | > I had thought about taking the bargeboards down but I would really | > need a scaffold rather than my 2x18ft ladder. The ladder is another | > problem. As I live on a windy hill I decided that an aluminium | > extension ladder was too light so I bought a professional ladder. | > It is very heavy and on the limit for me handling. The problem | > comes when I fit the standoff to protect the cederwood siding above | > and below my windows. The standoff can only be fitted by putting | > the ladder at the correct extension, reversing it, fitting the | > standoff, reversing it then wiggling the ladder into position. | > Moving across the bargeboard means standing the ladder vertical and | > lifting the extension to my arms length and hoping any sideways | > inertia does not overpower me! (I should have bought a rope & | > pulley version. Ah the love of DIY! | | Aftere reading the above, I would seriously suggest that you leave the | bargeboards in place, and approach a local scaffold company to erect a | modular scaffold system (not tube) to do this part of the job. | | I'm not sure of the cost but I believe it would probably be far less than | £200 for erection and dismantling and around a week or two's use - ball park | figures now, but when I was dealing with these, the cost was around £100 for | a pine-end and two weeks hire with some like £20 week after that. | | | Brian G | | I will consider this option.
thanks,
Beemer
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.