Swore by my heat gun for years until a workshop in Portland changed everything

I was at a class over at Reclaim It Portland last spring, watched this guy peel finish off a door frame with just a chemical stripper and a scraper in half the time. Took me about 3 tries with the heat gun on a test piece before I saw how it didn't scorch the wood or fill my garage with fumes. Has anyone else switched away from heat guns for stripping paint, or am I the last one to catch on?

3 comments

3 Comments

charlescraig16d ago

Three paint jobs and I'm still using my heat gun.

grantp1416d ago

Did you ever try the trick with a wooden scraper right behind the heat gun? I was in the same boat peeling off old latex from some trim and after three rounds of frustration I switched to a 2 inch putty knife with a bent tip. That cheap little tool grabbed the bubbles way better than anything else I tried. Also, keeping the gun moving instead of holding it on one spot saved me from burning the wood underneath. What type of paint are you dealing with?

charles_mitchell16d ago

Nah man, heat guns still got it. That chemical stuff is nasty, burns my eyes and the smell sticks around for days. I'd rather deal with a little scorch mark I can sand off than breathe that crap in.