Thunderbolt Restoration

Thunderbolt Restoration Part 2 - Paint Removal

After taking all of these Thunderbolt choppers apart, I started on the very labor-intensive task of paint removal. The first step I use is Citristrip chemical paint stripper which comes in an aerosol can as a foam or in a bottle as a gel. I prefer the foam for all but the largest of parts.

This photo is the 1000T stator after spraying it all over with the Citrus foam.

Here is the 1000's stator getting the same treatment.

You can see this is a messy process, but it is totally managable when kept contained as shown.

After the foam works for 24 hours, I wipe it off with many rags and the Citristrip clean-up solvent. After scraping of some stubborn paint bits here and there, the stators are both down to bare metal. The 1000T stator turns out to be much more oxidized and dirty underneath than the 1000 stator, and this is why it appears darker. The next few photos show how I took care of this.

This photo is the 1000T stator AFTER paint removal but BEFORE cleaning with Scotch-Brite.

Now here it is after the thorough cleaning. It looks like a different metal!

You should really click on this one to see it full size, it's a beautiful piece of metal.

Concurrently, I was giving a similar paint-removal treatment to the motor housing of each chopper as well.

Nice bare aluminum ready for priming.