Question about stripping paint.
 

Hey all,

I'm converting an old Japanese ten speed (Sekai) to a fixie and decided to while im at it, strip the paint and repaint it. Today I went out and bought some aircraft paint stripper, i heard that was the best, and starting disassembling the bike. I was wondering when I strip it, if it is okay not to cover up like the headset and bottom bracket cups? Is it okay if some paint remover gets on them, I would assume it was okay since all it does it take off paint....

Another question, i went to take off the cranks/bb and noticed something that is now bugging me. There is a little plastic cap that is covering the crankarms bolts. In the center of the little cap there is a notch that looks like you would just put a flat head in there and twist it off. I did, and the plastic just started to deform, for lack of a better word. there is no way a flathead was meant to pull it off. i thought that you could just try to pop if off with a tiny tiny flat head, but it doesnt want to get. should i just take it off and ruin it? can i buy another set of these little caps later?

Thanks all, sorry for not having pictures :(

-Matt

I think the caps are to prevent the blots from getting wet but im not to shure if you can get them you shuld look at the manufacturer's web site they might have them there and i dont think it would be a problem if the pain stripper got in the headset but just incase be careful better safe then sorry well good luck and happy riding

Chemical stripper is the ideal way to strip off a metal frame if you can deal with the residual waste. Keep a bucket of water nearby to neutralize the reaction, and do not leave active material on the frame unattended. It will not damage the frame, but it will dry on it and be a bother to remove. A kitchen scouring pad will be a worthwhile investment to scrub the stripped paint off as you go. For a steel frame, a steel scouring pad is fine, for aluminum frames, use a 3M Scotchbrite. Steel on aluminum can cause problems for the aluminum in the long term.
A simple way to remove the crank caps is to use a dime and pliers. If they are too far gone, go ahead and chip them out. New ones are cheap.

The stripper will do no harm to the threads of the bottom bracket or headset. The same rules apply, do not leave it to dry.
The purpose of the caps is to protect the bolts, yes. Moreso, the caps protect the pulling threads, since they are easily damaged.

Awesome, thanks for the info. So it is fine if i leave the headset/bb cups in? I don't feel like taking them out, then have my lbs face them for $30. Would sttel wool be fine for a steel frame to help remove the paint when I wipe off the paint stripper?

Thanks again!

Use a quarter to remove/install those plastic dustcaps.

I stripped quite a few frames using chemical strippers. The strippers will not hurt bearing cups, but I remove them anyway.

The reason I remove the bearing cups, is because the liquid stripper can get between the cup and the frame -- where it will remain liquid for quite some time. This liquid paint stripper has the annoying tendency of leaching out AFTER you've applied your new paint, thereby ruining your nice shiny paint job.

I'd take absolutely everything off of the frame before I started stripping it. You'll have to take that stuff off if you want to do a neat repaint job anyway.

Those dust caps actually screw off. I know b/c I own a Sakai 2500 and I broke one of the dust caps by trying to pry it off. Don't pry it. They're plastic and brake easily. Trust me on this one.

The funny thing is I'm trying to repaint the bike too. I used a chemical stripper, which did a fine job for the paint, but the white primer base layer is stubborn. I've been using sandpaper and elbow grease but those hard to reach places are near impossible to rub clean. I could use some suggestions myself. Good luck