Selected Answers

From farrel gorrell of gorrell Coatings on January 5, 2017:
Heat induction sounds good, but there are variable ...read more Heat induction sounds good, but there are variables, such as surrounding areas, fumes, ventilation and fire, not counting the gasses released. UHP waterjetting with enviro-screen would be the most cost- and time-efficient, in my opinion. Use a hand-lance for edges and hard-to-get to areas, then come in with deck-hogs and deck jetters with vacuum lines for large surface areas.

From Mike Moran of Kiewit Power Enbgineers on July 27, 2016:
We did aircraft carriers with UHP waterjetting at ...read more We did aircraft carriers with UHP waterjetting at 80,000 psi, and it exposes the original blast profile.

From David Zuskin of Indepedent on June 3, 2016:
The best way to remove thick-film elastomers is UH ...read more The best way to remove thick-film elastomers is UHP (ultra high pressure) water jet with a hand lance at 35,000+ psi. The UHP water jet can slice through the coating, and then the coating can be undercut with the UHP water, separating it from the substrate.

From mauricio gomez of Jifco inc on June 2, 2016:
The best way to remove elastomeric coatings, on my ...read more The best way to remove elastomeric coatings, on my experience, is by heating up the painted surface to the right temperature. The temperature of the material is the ticket. Too hot or burned material is hard to remove!

From Bryan Zofkie of Aerco Sandblasting Co. on June 1, 2016:
As with anything, I think this question could be v ...read more As with anything, I think this question could be very dependent on the details of the specific project; including the substrate, specific coating material as well as its thickness and current state of adhesion, and, finally, the accessibility of the work area. I believe the three viable options at hand here are heat induction, UHP water blasting and abrasive blasting, either with a centrifugal system or a blast nozzle. Although I personally have not experienced removing elastomeric coatings with any of these methods, I would like to think the methodology would be similar to removing an FRP epoxy or vinyl ester coating, aside from the production speed. That being said, we have had a great deal of success removing these FRP liners with our heat induction equipment. It has proven to provide faster production as well as no waste in comparison to the other two methods (water or blast abrasive). In my opinion UHP water blasting would be the second best choice, as I feel these coatings would be very resistant to abrasives.