So once again I offer you the DIY IPR.
http://www.oceanmanorhouse.com/paintremover.html
ps. My blog is offline until I figure out what I'm doing with it.
Dave
My Homemade Paint Remover
Moderators: oldhouse, Schag, Greg
My Homemade Paint Remover
A coupla years back I made a quartz based infrared paint remover because I didn't want to spend the $ on a "Silent Paint Remover." It was a success. Many people made their own unit based on my instructions, and began stripping their own houses. The old timers here might remember it. Recently I made the next generation based on ceramic rather than quartz. I think it's a marked improvement and can be made for about the same price as my original.
So once again I offer you the DIY IPR.
http://www.oceanmanorhouse.com/paintremover.html
ps. My blog is offline until I figure out what I'm doing with it.
Dave
So once again I offer you the DIY IPR.
http://www.oceanmanorhouse.com/paintremover.html
ps. My blog is offline until I figure out what I'm doing with it.
Dave
Nifty, Dave. Thanks for the update. I'm still grooving along with the homemade quartz version, but this ceramic one looks like it might be able to put up with accidental drops a bit better. (Yes, I have continued to use an IPR with a cracked, and then split, rod ... until the fuse blowing became annoying ... and yes I do have fire extinguishers on every floor ...)
The only stupid question is the one that isn't asked.
An IPR heats the paint via infrared radiation (IR), whereas the heat gun heats the paint using convection (hot air in motion). IR and convection are two of three ways that heat can be transferred. IR is similar to how the sun heats the earth. When you're standing in the window on a cold winter day, you can feel your skin warming in the sun, even though the space between you and the sun is cold. The energy is being transferred directly from the sun to you without heating the space in between. An IR paint remover works the same way. The quartz rods throw off IR rays. Only what's exposed to the rays absorbs IR energy and heats. Anything shaded remains cool. This substantially reduces the risk of fire. With a heat gun, you blow very hot air onto the paint. The air can blow into cracks, carrying cinders or igniting something in the crack. Dust, dry leaves, powdery wood, are all very flammable.
Quartz rods are not very efficient producers of IR. Much of the energy the quartz rods receive from the power cord is not converted to IR. Quartz rods glow red, the light is energy wasted. Some is also conducted to the air surrounding the rods. The efficiency of quartz is about 50-65%. Even so, quartz is adequate for heaters and IPRs. Ceramic has a higher efficiciency, close to 95%. The ceramic IPR doesn't glow.
Another advantage of an IPR over a heat gun is that second for second of exposure time, the IPR doesn't heat the paint as hot as a heat gun. Therefore it is easier to work safer with an IPR in regard to lead outgassing from the paint.
Another advantage of an IPR is that you can heat and strip a larger area than a heat gun
Dave
An IPR heats the paint via infrared radiation (IR), whereas the heat gun heats the paint using convection (hot air in motion). IR and convection are two of three ways that heat can be transferred. IR is similar to how the sun heats the earth. When you're standing in the window on a cold winter day, you can feel your skin warming in the sun, even though the space between you and the sun is cold. The energy is being transferred directly from the sun to you without heating the space in between. An IR paint remover works the same way. The quartz rods throw off IR rays. Only what's exposed to the rays absorbs IR energy and heats. Anything shaded remains cool. This substantially reduces the risk of fire. With a heat gun, you blow very hot air onto the paint. The air can blow into cracks, carrying cinders or igniting something in the crack. Dust, dry leaves, powdery wood, are all very flammable.
Quartz rods are not very efficient producers of IR. Much of the energy the quartz rods receive from the power cord is not converted to IR. Quartz rods glow red, the light is energy wasted. Some is also conducted to the air surrounding the rods. The efficiency of quartz is about 50-65%. Even so, quartz is adequate for heaters and IPRs. Ceramic has a higher efficiciency, close to 95%. The ceramic IPR doesn't glow.
Another advantage of an IPR over a heat gun is that second for second of exposure time, the IPR doesn't heat the paint as hot as a heat gun. Therefore it is easier to work safer with an IPR in regard to lead outgassing from the paint.
Another advantage of an IPR is that you can heat and strip a larger area than a heat gun
Dave
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tammylovesroses
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Wed Aug 09, 2006 9:28 am
- Location: Western TN
Thanks Dave!
I'm definitely going to show my husband your directions and see if he thinks he can put this bad boy together. We've got 2 houses to strip and repaint. We tried the conventional way of stripping but with John's heart condition, he thought he may just keel over! So, we've been waiting to get the money together to buy a SPR. This could be our saving grace!
I'm definitely going to show my husband your directions and see if he thinks he can put this bad boy together. We've got 2 houses to strip and repaint. We tried the conventional way of stripping but with John's heart condition, he thought he may just keel over! So, we've been waiting to get the money together to buy a SPR. This could be our saving grace!
Tammy
