Without the right tools, surface preparation before repainting can take a lot of time and effort. So much so that many people skip this important step, paint on top of old paint, and believe the results will look fine. Unfortunately, they won’t. Often the old paint has cracked and sometimes completely peeled off the wood. Dry scraping only the loose paint chips and painting a new layer of paint on top of the old, uneven paint and bare wood leave a low-quality look. To further decrease the life of the new paint job, the rest of the dry paint left on the wood will eventually continue to crack and peel, fail, release, and take off the new layer with it. Then repainting is needed again in only a few years. This is why it’s so important to remove all paint before adding a fresh layer.
Speedheater™ products simplify paint removal. The Speedheater™ units’ infrared rays quickly warm the bottom layer of paint just enough to make it bubble and release from the wood. These powerful infrared heat stripping products make the final step of scraping the paint completely off the wood faster and more thorough. Using the correct scraper and edge determines how quickly and easily you get the job done. Using a poor quality scraper can add time and effort to finish even simple projects.
Can I Use a Cheaper Scraper?
Sure. But as they say, “You get what you pay for.” Speedheater™ designs their paint scrapers using high quality materials. Constructed of spring steel, Speedheater™’s blades do not bend or chip when they hit nails and screws like thinner, cheaper metal scrapers do. Speedheater™ blades have very sharp, beveled edges which are much sharper than most cheaper scrapers’ edges. The Speedheater™ blade edges are slightly convex which make scraping faster yet less damaging to wood. These edges easily cut through all the layers of heated, soft paint down to the wood surface. When pulled, not pushed across the surface, they create large pieces of paint waste. These larger pieces are much easier to collect and dispose of than the smaller pieces and the dust left from uneven-edged, dull scrapers. In addition, the nicked and cracked blades of lower quality scrapers require more scraping strokes to remove all the paint down to the bare wood. More scraping means greater chances dry scraping and releasing toxic dust and paint chips into the work area and environment.
What’s the Proper Way to Hold the Speedheater™ Scraper?
Learning how to properly hold your Speedheater™ Paint Scraper ensures complete removal of all paint and varnish. Grip the rear of the scraper’s long, ergonomic handle with one hand and place the other hand higher up the handle. Position the handle parallel to the painted surface you wish to scrape. Cut the blade into the heated paint all the way down to the wood surface and apply pressure while pulling the scraper towards you. Make sure you apply enough pressure to remove all layers of paint in just a few strokes. The new 8-Cut Scraper has a knob for your second hand. This type of grip provides more scraping pressure on resistant paint.
Can I Sharpen the Blade?
Speedheater™ Paint Scraper blades are made from spring steel. This makes them stronger and more durable than the blades of cheaper scrapers. The beveled edge blade of your Speedheater™ Paint Scraper should stay sharp much longer than straight-edged blades. However, if the scraper isn’t working as efficiently as before, you may need to sharpen the blade. Maintaining the beveled edge is critical to the efficiency of the blade. Speedheater™ ’s Grinding Kit makes it possible to sharpen the unique, beveled edge of the Speedheater™ Scraper without causing damage to the rest of the blade. The Grinding Kit includes two ceramic grinding cloths and a blade holder. The blade holder fits all Speedheater™ blades and protects your fingers while the grinding cloths sharpen all edges of the blade quickly and evenly.
Although Speedheater™ products can be used with other paint scrapers, they will not provide the same efficiency or results as Speedheater™’s high quality Paint Scrapers.
Please contact us for more information about Speedheater™ products.
