removing varnish from aluminum?

[a j r]

Hey all,

How do I remove old dried varnish from aluminum name ID tags. I want the varnish removed without disturbing the underlying paint on the little aluminum tag. This is for the Thompson tag and the Outboard Boating Club tag. I also do not want to scratch the surfaces up.

I have attempted Acetone and mineral spirits with no luck.

Any suggestions?

Andreas

[stampbj]

I haven't actually tried it, but a little heat might soften the varnish up enough to scrape it off with a plastic putty knife.

[JRPfeff]

AJR,

My wife used Bix stripper to remove varnish from the outside trim from our boat. It worked well for that purpose, although we might have also used steel wool (we can't remember).

There was no text or paint that needed to be preserved under the varnish, so we can't answer answer whether that would be removed, too.

jrp

[Rodney Syverson]

I used lacquer thinner to remove the varnish off from all metal parts on my boat. It worked well for softening the old varnish and remove with a little scrubbing. However It may very likely remove the painted surfaces of your tags. You should try a small area on a similiar tag to see what the effects would be. Other wise you might be able to soften up the varnish with a subtle application of lacquer thinner and then very carefully buff with rubbing compound to remove the remaining varnish. Could be a tough one as the tag more than likely is a thin oil based paint that will disolve or abrade quickly. Have a tag of my own I might try. Will let you know.
AJR: Do you know of anyone that can provide me an insurance survey for my boat in MN?
Thanks: Rod

[a j r]

Sometimes the most obvious thing works. Someone suggested paint stripper and sure enuff - a few minutes of some typical paste paint stripper took the varnish right off. It didn't hurt the "good" paint on the tags either!

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Andreas