Paint Removal?

[Clive-Ports]

Calling on the collective brains here!

Having spent a week diving from a newly pained Boat on the Red Sea the paint has come off onto my wetsuit and BC. Now...before I take paint thinners to the neoprene, which I think is a petrol/oil derivaitve (and the codura of the BC) and therefore watch my suit desolve before my eyes.......any thougths or suggestions as to a harmless but effective paint remover or is it safe to use thinners/brush cleaner? Many thanks from a Dive 'Newbie'

[BILLB]

I believe you are correct not to try any paint thinners to remove the paint. But to provide more help (and probably not from me); Is the paint simply paint chips that have stuck to the suit or is the paint 'wet" . Chips of intact paint may be removed by throughly drying the suit and then using a scrapper to gently remove the paint chip.

Wet paint that has dried may be almost impossible to remove. Alcohol may soften the the paint and then maybe a medium stiff brush (with fibers bristles) might help.

If the wet suit is colored black, you might consider a thinned solution of Aqua Seal and use this to cover up the paint spots.

Any chemist out there?

[Clive-Ports]

well first off....thanks for such a fast reply!

dried chips or wet paint? well a bit of both really, so I think I can scrape some off.

I have some isopropal alchohol that I can try on a very old suit I was given....If its still in one piece after that I'll try it on my new suit.


And if that doesnt work.........I'll paint it black!! (I assume Aqua seal is a black waterproof paint?)

Cheers

[BILLB]

Aqua Seal is an adhesive used to repair wet suits and dry suits. I mentioned it because in will stay elastic. However, looking at a dry suit pocket I put on last year the color may fade to a ligher hue over time. Just cover it again with Aqua Seal!

If you really want to look cool (like in a well worn wetsuit) then use the Aqua Seal as intended. Cut small patches of thin wet suit material and glue them over the paint spots!