Underseal removal.

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As per @Beneagles , or, and you have to be VERY careful and must work in an open space, soak with petrol o_O

Now this might seem a little risky, but not if done carefully and methodically. Simply decant some petrol into a jar and paint on with a 2-3" brush. Allow the petrol to soak in for some 15-20mins and then scraper off. The old underseal will simply fall off after a good soak/couple of coats.

Of course there are some safe working procedures when doing this:
  1. ventilation - garage doors wide open
  2. no heat/naked flames anywhere
  3. PPE must be worn
  4. suggest putting old carboard boxes under full length of car to catch all fallen underseal/Waxoyl/Schultz
  5. once petrol fumes have spent the old underseal can be swept up into a bag and disposed of.
Any underseal leftovers can be wiped off with a little petrol and a blue paper towel. Any hard crusty bits use a steel wire wheel. Finish off with a proper degreaser before first primer/chassis treatment goes on.
 
If you are using petrol please be ultra cautious. You have two major things to consider if using it;
Fire risk. You are potentially going to have your hands soaked in it so if the **** does hit the fan you can't just tackle the situation in a normal way. Remember that petrol fumes are heavier than air so can linger in areas. Also think about disposal of rags etc. I am not sure how easy the fumes are to ignite, but beware of sparks from static and any electrical power tools etc. Perhaps a foam extinguisher on standby?

Fumes- I once changed a leaking petrol tank on an old Sierra. Struggled getting it off due to corroded fixings so ended up breathing the fumes for way longer than I should. Really suffered with it for a couple of days. I would not use it anywhere that is enclosed as I would want any wind to constantly clear the fumes.
Personally I would have thought a hot air gun and scraper would be more controlled.
 
Acetone brings back bizarre memories of running down the middle of the main Weapons Shop in Portsmouth Royal Dockyard, having sat on a rag soaked in it...
 
Acetone brings back bizarre memories of running down the middle of the main Weapons Shop in Portsmouth Royal Dockyard, having sat on a rag soaked in it...

Ouch! Acetone is an horrendous solvent to be corporeally absorbed. I spilt some on my foot/toes whilst wearing sandals. Took 9mths before skin / tissue was fully healed, especially between the toes. Far worse, a friend kept working in his acetone soaked overalls, ignoring the burns/not realising the burn severity despite flushing with water. He was rushed to hospital that evening, had an extreme allergic reaction, went into a near coma[!!], was released 1week later and now has permanent skin sensitivity over both legs/feet/hands and some crazy dermatitis. Dangerous stuff is acetone...
 
I was cleaning up the sealing face of a Ferranti 909 weapons director cover; **** job, so the boy gets it.
To be fair, I did have full PPE, even in 1983, but that didn't cover my arse.
Thirty minutes later, I was still sitting in a washbasin full of cold water and Swarfega.
 
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