Strip paint with a hot air gun

Removing layers and layers of paint are not my favourite task. It takes a long time and can be extremely messy, especially if you use a sander or chemical paint stripper. I decided it was time to fork out and get myself a hot air gun ...

 

Armed with my new Skil hot air gun I took on the task of removing all the old paint that has built up over years and years of painting. Having never used a hot air gun before I was surprised at the speed of the entire operation. And although there was mess, it was easily contained on a dropcloth.

No special technique is required other than to get the hang of pointing the gun in the right direction in order to be able to maneuver the scraper behind the paint, to make scraping off much easier and quicker. Simply guide the nozzle over the area in a slow circular motion. Never allow the gun to point directly at one spot for more than a few seconds.

Though the heat gun does not produce a flame, the heat is hot enough to cause scorching, and in some cases, can set the wood on fire. As the paint begins to bubble, gently scrape the softened paint from the surface with a putty knife or paint scraper.

Of course, if you need to remove water-based paints you will still have to resort to using chemical strippers.

Buying a hot air gun
Some of the more basic heat guns have just one heat/fan speed and are designed primarily for basic paint stripping. The Skil hot air gun has three heat/fan settings that allow you to have more control and avoid scorching the surface being stripped. While the temperature of any heat gun can be reduced by holding it further away from the surface, having variable settings does give you more choice.

A model that offers additional attachments for specific uses other than stripping paint can be useful. I recently used one of the attachments on the Skil hot air gun to cut polystyrene blocks when making the Fractal Mirror. So, yes, sometimes additional gadgets can come in handy.

With the attachments you can use a hot air gun for softening adhesives such as contact adhesive, forming plastic laminates, heat shrinking and even removing silicone from windows. The Skil hot air gun comes complete with glass protection nozzle, flat nozzle, reduction nozzle and reflector nozzle.

Safety first
A hot air gun is an easy tool for a beginner to use, but should still be handled carefully. Be constantly aware of the high temperature reached when operating on maximum power. Do wear thick gloves when using a hot air gun. Due to the chemical nature of paint and plastics, work in a ventilated area to reduce any possibility of toxic fumes. After using, have a suitable place to put down the hot air gun while it cools. The heated nozzle can melt nylon, plastic and other synthetic materials while still hot.