# Infrared paint remover



## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

I know some of you have one of these infrared paint remover. We are going to buy one but with a few choices I wanted to ask the pros what they have and how good they work. I won't take what I read on the interweb and decided I would prefer hearing from some one who has used one first hand.


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## The 3rd Coat (Aug 17, 2013)

I bought the Speedheater but haven't used it yet. Would like to use it for full scale stripping of wood siding but it doesn't seem the most efficient way. Though all the alternative methods also have a lot of issues. I'm thinking if I had 3 of these, all set up next to each other, then 1 person could be really efficient using them, but only one speedheater seems too slow, there's a lot of waiting time.


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## Brian C (Oct 8, 2011)

I also have the speedheater and the wall clamp apparatus they sell along with their scraping hooks.
After using the paint shaver, my speedheater has been mothballed for a few years. 

Just buy the paint shaver, its a better and quicker result.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Brian C said:


> I also have the speedheater and the wall clamp apparatus they sell along with their scraping hooks.
> After using the paint shaver, my speedheater has been mothballed for a few years.
> 
> Just buy the paint shaver, its a better and quicker result.


We already have the paintshaver. We are stripping a very detailed exterior this summer and there is no was a paintshaver or other power sanders will get the details stripped without doing damage to the wood. It's either infrared or by hand. I believe we are buying another paintshaver any ways because of some of the houses we are tackling this summer.


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## premierpainter (Apr 17, 2007)

The infrared heater blows. Way too slow. For delicate areas use a caustic stripper. We use Rock Miracle. Spray it on wait and remove. Works great.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

premierpainter said:


> The infrared heater blows. Way too slow. For delicate areas use a caustic stripper. We use Rock Miracle. Spray it on wait and remove. Works great.


How well does this work on exteriors? I know infrared is slower but it's faster than hand scraping. As for some thing like Rock Miracle it needs to work fast. I have some 40' work scraping and want to limit the climbing up and down to a minimum.


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## Monstertruck (Oct 26, 2013)

We've used this on windows, doors, and detail work for 3 years now.
http://www.silentpaintremover.com/index.htm

As with any new tool, there is a bit of a learning curve.
I've yet to try it on siding and trim.
If you plan on using it for that purpose, you should invest in the rail/arm attachment. Holding it vertical for the length of time required to heat the paint is very tiring.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

This home is a very detailed trim and front, the front is clapboards, cedar shakes, a fan pattern of clapboards and thin trim pieces to break it up. The trim pieces are thin and the paint shaver will destroy them, they look to be around 1/4 thick maybe 1" wide. I have to swing by and take a picture so you guys will see the details we have to do.


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## dan-o (Sep 28, 2008)

cdpainting said:


> How well does this work on exteriors? I know infrared is slower but it's faster than hand scraping. As for some thing like Rock Miracle it needs to work fast. I have some 40' work scraping and want to limit the climbing up and down to a minimum.


RM works great on exteriors.
Brush it on, wait 10-15 until the paint bubbles then scrape it off.
Scrape off previously treated areas while newly applied areas are bubbling up; there's little down time other than waiting for first/last section to cure.
Neutralize with a power wash post stripping, which will be needed anyway to wash off residual dust from PS and sanders.

The SPR sucks.
Super slow to prepare a 12"x5" space which then needs immediate attention/scraping before it hardens back up.


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## Brian C (Oct 8, 2011)

cdpainting said:


> This home is a very detailed trim and front, the front is clapboards, cedar shakes, a fan pattern of clapboards and thin trim pieces to break it up. The trim pieces are thin and the paint shaver will destroy them, they look to be around 1/4 thick maybe 1" wide. I have to swing by and take a picture so you guys will see the details we have to do.


the speedheater would be suitable for this work but the fumes from burning paint are bad. Make sure you wear a dust mask.


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## Roamer (Jul 5, 2010)

We've found that the Speedheater is better for any horizontal surface or small areas of detail. The SH won't damage the substrate. It also will not make any lead paint into a gas so it meets the RRP standard as a safe tool for paint removal.

The drawbacks are that it is slow and quite heavy. If you are using this tool all day without the holder then you will need to have arms like Popeye.

Chemical strippers are great and usually very effective but the clean up can be huge. Waste water needs to be collected and disposed of which is a time consuming and difficult task.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Brian C said:


> the speedheater would be suitable for this work but the fumes from burning paint are bad. Make sure you wear a dust mask.


Dang! I was hoping to huff the fumes :whistling2:


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Roamer said:


> We've found that the Speedheater is better for any horizontal surface or small areas of detail. The SH won't damage the substrate. It also will not make any lead paint into a gas so it meets the RRP standard as a safe tool for paint removal.
> 
> The drawbacks are that it is slow and quite heavy. If you are using this tool all day without the holder then you will need to have arms like Popeye.
> 
> Chemical strippers are great and usually very effective but the clean up can be huge. Waste water needs to be collected and disposed of which is a time consuming and difficult task.


We do want to avoid this if at all possible. We have 14 days figured out for the stripping. I did make sure to leave extra time in the estimate just incase it goes a little slower but our ultimate goal is less than 14 days for stripping.


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## Monstertruck (Oct 26, 2013)

dan-o said:


> RM works great on exteriors.
> Brush it on, wait 10-15 until the paint bubbles then scrape it off.
> Scrape off previously treated areas while newly applied areas are bubbling up; there's little down time other than waiting for first/last section to cure.
> Neutralize with a power wash post stripping, which will be needed anyway to wash off residual dust from PS and sanders.
> ...


Did you measure the process as a whole?
I think if you calculate the neutralizing wash required when using chemicals you may find that the SPR stripping isn't as 'slow' as the chem strip.
I'm guilty of not measuring the total times of both and comparing.
Maybe Jackson Pole has done so already....


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## Monstertruck (Oct 26, 2013)

Roamer said:


> We've found that the Speedheater is better for any horizontal surface or small areas of detail. The SH won't damage the substrate. It also will not make any lead paint into a gas so it meets the RRP standard as a safe tool for paint removal.
> 
> The drawbacks are that it is slow and quite heavy. If you are using this tool all day without the holder then you will need to have *arms like Popeye*.
> 
> Chemical strippers are great and usually very effective but the clean up can be huge. Waste water needs to be collected and disposed of which is a time consuming and difficult task.


Even my Popeye arms get tired!

I like the fact that it is a low heat unit with temps that don't turn the lead into toxic gas (if used properly!).


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## dan-o (Sep 28, 2008)

Monstertruck said:


> Did you measure the process as a whole?
> I think if you calculate the neutralizing wash required when using chemicals you may find that the SPR stripping isn't as 'slow' as the chem strip.
> I'm guilty of not measuring the total times of both and comparing.
> Maybe Jackson Pole has done so already....


We did, but there's no getting around the fact you need to wait ~2min for a small area to be prepared and then immediately jump on it before it sets back up. Even with the holder you're not walking away doing another task while the SH works. We only use it on very detailed (dentil pick) type stripping; it also works well on pillars for some reason.

The RM strip chem, while I hate chem strippers, works.
Short set up time, easy clean up/containment of scraper shavings etc.

I don't know why water containment is needed for the final house rinse. There's nothing in the run-off water but dust from sanding at that point.
The RM is removed when you scrape and any remaining paint after the initial scrape is removed by Festools.

We only use RM on tight spaces the paint shaver won't fit it.
It it fits in a space the paint shaver does the heavy lifting.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Brian C said:


> the speedheater would be suitable for this work but the fumes from burning paint are bad. Make sure you wear a dust mask.


I know this was a problem with the higher-temperature Electric Paint Removers (=heat plates) from Hyde and Warner, but I was under the impression that the quartz-tube heaters didn't have this issue. If what you say is a problem, a dust mask doesn't help with fumes. If you're creating both lead dust and lead fumes, you'll need a combination P100/organic vapor filter in an actual respirator, not a dust mask.

I have some dim recollection (actually, I have a lot of those) that the "speed heater" in Australia is a different critter than it is here in North America. I have this sense of déjà vu that this has come up before.


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## Monstertruck (Oct 26, 2013)

dan-o said:


> We did, but there's no getting around the fact you need to *wait ~2min for a small area to be prepared and then immediately jump on it before it sets back up.* Even with the holder you're not walking away doing another task while the SH works. We only use it on very detailed (dentil pick) type stripping; it also works well on pillars for some reason.
> 
> The RM strip chem, while I hate chem strippers, works.
> Short set up time, easy clean up/containment of scraper shavings etc.
> ...


2 min.? Yikes! Typically 30 sec to 1 min per set for multiple coats here. Set up of the holder can be a pain.
Agreed on using it for detail work.
We also pull sash and use it on those horizontally.


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## Roamer (Jul 5, 2010)

Here's some pics of some detailed interior casings that we used the Speedheater with some success. We followed the Speedheater with a marine paste stripper to tweak the surface.

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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

Beautiful work Roamer. And nice example! Curious why you didn't just use the Paintshaver? ;-)


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## GreenGirl (Apr 22, 2013)

*SPR is not Speedheater*



Damon T said:


> Beautiful work Roamer. And nice example! Curious why you didn't just use the Paintshaver? ;-)


 The Silent Paint Remover is not the same tool as the Speedheater. SPR is not UL-listed, has no shock absorbers on bulbs to prevent some of the bulb breakage, and does not have the quality problems the SPR does. Reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Silent-Paint-Remover-1100/product-reviews/B0007CGXF2


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

I was on the 40' with the Speedheater today and wow my arms are sore as heck. It actually took much longer than I thought but then again there is so much detailing on this resto job. Some of it is in bad shape and if you just breath on it wrong it will fall apart.

I gave up on it for now. I will tackle it tomorrow now that we have some one who can use the shaver without a mishap.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

GreenGirl said:


> The Silent Paint Remover is not the same tool as the Speedheater. SPR is not UL-listed, has no shock absorbers on bulbs to prevent some of the bulb breakage, and does not have the quality problems the SPR does. Reviews:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/The-Silent-Paint-Remover-1100/product-reviews/B0007CGXF2


We were on the fence as to which to get.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

GreenGirl said:


> The Silent Paint Remover is not the same tool as the Speedheater. SPR is not UL-listed, has no shock absorbers on bulbs to prevent some of the bulb breakage, and does not have the quality problems the SPR does. Reviews:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/The-Silent-Paint-Remover-1100/product-reviews/B0007CGXF2


You lost me with your last sentence, "SPR is not UL-listed...and does not have the quality problems the SPR does". :blink::blink:


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Gough said:


> You lost me with your last sentence, "SPR is not UL-listed...and does not have the quality problems the SPR does". :blink::blink:


I took the last sentence as the SPR has quality problems unlike the Speedheater.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

cdpainting said:


> I took the last sentence as the SPR has quality problems unlike the Speedheater.


While that's not was was written, I'm also assuming that 's what was meant.


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## Monstertruck (Oct 26, 2013)

cdpainting said:


> *I was on the 40' with the Speedheater today and wow my arms are sore as heck.* It actually took much longer than I thought but then again there is so much detailing on this resto job. Some of it is in bad shape and if you just breath on it wrong it will fall apart.
> 
> I gave up on it for now. I will tackle it tomorrow now that we have some one who can use the shaver without a mishap.


Oh you're just getting 'warmed' up!:thumbup:

Your shoulders are going to be HUGE by the end of the summer!:jester:


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## GreenGirl (Apr 22, 2013)

Oh, you folks caught my too fast typing error on the SPR vs the Speedheater. CD Painting, what country are in? If the US, think about getting a hands-free Classic Arm to hold the Speedheater for you! http://www.eco-strip.com


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

GreenGirl said:


> Oh, you folks caught my too fast typing error on the SPR vs the Speedheater. CD Painting, what country are in? If the US, think about getting a hands-free Classic Arm to hold the Speedheater for you! http://www.eco-strip.com


I think for doing window casings and bargeboards that might be more trouble than it's worth. For working stretches of clapboards, I can see the usefulness.


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