Words/Pictures by Steve Cooper
We’ve all been there; the painter or powdercoater forget to mask a thread. Taps and dies are good on smaller threads but what about larger ones? What if you’ve already fitted key parts and access is limited? Fill the back of any holes or spaces with clean rag and add masking tape if necessary. Apply paint stripper (even the modern weak stuff) cautiously with an artist’s brush then walk away for 30 minutes. Carefully dig into the threads with a pick, old tooth brush or similar to loosen the finish and vacuum off everything that loosens. Reapply the paint stripper and repeat the process until the thread is clear. Eventually the thread will come clean. Gently extract the packing rags and vacuum at the same time. Allowing the stripper to work and almost dry ensures surrounding paint should not be affected.
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