Repainting engine- strip to bare metal or just scuff original paint?

[polar8]

I'm repainting my CB700 engine. I have the top end off and everything taped up and ready to start cleaning tomorrow. Most of the paint is in good shape but some of it has little cracks in it. Should I take it down to bare aluminum (as best I can) or just try to scuff up the existing paint with a wire brush?

Thanks!

 

[jeffreyhardy]

Get it down to bare metal as much as you can. The more that comes off the smoother the paint will be later.

 

[polar8]

Well, I spent the last 5 hours in the backyard with aircraft stripper and a wire brush on my drill, and the results aren't great. I'm thinking I'll head to harbor freight and get one of these:

http://www.harborfreight.com/portable-abrasive-blaster-kit-37025.html

And soda blast the cases. The wire brush was leaving marks on the casings and I'm not sure that the new paint would cover them up.

One question- when you mask stuff for blasting, what do you use? I have a feeling that soda blasting would rip through masking tape.

 

[Kong]

You may be able to mask for it using duct tape.

 

[Butts]

Duct tape will work. Its what we used at work to protect serial numbers on parts before sand blasting.