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Typical Applications
(cont’d)
Failure to follow adequate safety
precautions when working with
lead based paint could result in
lead poisoning. See our Paint
Stripping instructions for more
information.
3) Keep away from chemical paint
strippers which can ignite or
release harmful vapors.
4) Use adequate ventilation (such
as a window fan in the exhaust
mode) and keep your work area
clean.
5) Wear gloves and safety glasses
at all times.
6) Keep a fully charged fire extin-
guisher close at hand.
7) Stay alert, watch what you are
doing, and use common sense.
IMPORTANT SAFETY
INSTRUCTIONS
READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING:
Hidden areas such as
behind walls, ceilings, floors, soffit
boards, and other panels may con-
tain flammable liquids that could be
ignited by the hot air gun when
working in these locations. The igni-
tion of these materials may not be
readily apparent and could result in
property damage and injury to per-
sons. Do not use if in doubt about
this hazard. When working in these
locations, keep the hot air gun mov-
ing in a back-and-forth motion.
Lingering or pausing in one spot
could ignite the panel or the mate-
rial behind it.
Paint Stripping
WARNING:
Extreme care should be
taken when stripping paint. The
peelings, residue and vapors of
paint may contain lead, which is
poisonous. Any pre-1977 paint may
contain lead and paint applied to
homes prior to 1950 is likely to con-
tain lead. Once deposited on sur-
faces, hand to mouth contact can
result in the ingestion of lead.
Exposure to even low levels of lead
can cause irreversible brain and
nervous system damage; young
and unborn children are particularly
vulnerable.
Before beginning any paint removal
process you should determine
whether the paint you are removing
contains lead. This can be done by
your local health department or by
a professional who used a paint
analyzer to check the lead contact
of the paint to be removed.
LEAD-
BASED PAINT SHOULD ONLY BE
REMOVED BY A PROFES-
SIONAL AND SHOULD NOT BE
REMOVED USING A HOT AIR
GUN
Persons removing paint should fol-
low these guidelines:
1) Move the work piece outdoors. If
this is not possible, keep the
work area well ventilated. Open
the windows and put an exhaust
fan in one of them. Be sure the
fan is moving the air from inside
to outside.
2) Remove or cover any carpets,
rugs, furniture, clothing, cooking
utensils and air ducts.
3) Place drop cloths in the work
area to catch any paint chips or
peelings. Wear protective cloth-
ing such as extra work shirts,
overalls and hats.
4) Work in one room at a time.
Furnishings should be removed
or placed in the center of the
room and covered. Work areas
should be sealed off from the
rest of the dwelling by sealing
doorways with drop cloths.
5) Children, pregnant or potentially
pregnant women and nursing
mothers should not be present in
the work area until the work is
done and all cleanup is com-
plete.
6) Wear a dust respirator or a dual
filter (dust and fume) respirator
mask which has been approved
by the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA),
the National Institute of Safety
and Health (NIOSH), or the
United States Bureau of Mines.
These masks and replaceable
filters are readily available at
major hardware stores. Be sure
the mask fits. Beards and facial
hair may keep masks from seal-
ing properly. Change filters
often. DISPOSABLE PAPER
MASKS ARE NOT ADEQUATE.
7) Use caution when operating the
hot air gun. Keep the hot air gun
moving as excessive heat will
generate fumes which can be
inhaled by the operator.
8) Keep food and drink out of the
work area. Wash hands, arms
and face and rinse mouth before
eating or drinking. Do not smoke
or chew gum or tobacco in the
work area.
9) Clean up all removed paint and
dust by wet mopping the floors.
Use a wet cloth to clean all walls,
sills and any other surface where
paint or dust is clinging. DO NOT
SWEEP, DRY DUST OR
VACUUM. Use a high phosphate
detergent or trisodium phos-
phate (TSP) to wash and mop
areas.
10) At the end of each work ses-
sion put the paint chips and
debris in a double plastic bag,
close it with tape or twist ties,
and dispose of properly.
11) Remove protective clothing
and work shoes in the work
area to avoid carrying dust into
the rest of the dwelling. Wash
work clothes separately. Wipe
shoes off with a wet rag that is
then washed with the work
clothes. Wash hair and body
thoroughly with soap and
water.
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
Stripping Paint
1) To strip paint, turn unit on and
hold it about 1 inch from the sur-
face being stripped. Proper dis-
tance and speed of stripping
should be determined by experi-
ence. It is an advantage to hold
the gun further from the surface
and to move forward slowly.
Slower speed is compensated
by the wider softened areas.
Heat will also penetrate deeper.
2) Outlet temperature can be regu-
lated by the heat control. At
maximum, temperature is about
500°F/260°C at a distance of 1
inch from the nozzle. Experiment
to see which setting gives the
best results with the paint you
are stripping.
3) As paint begins to blister and
bubble, move gun slowly in a
steady progression across the
surface. Follow closely with a
scraping knife (a 2-inch wall
scraper works best) to scrape
the loosened paint. Preheat
scraper as you are heating the
paint surface. This increases the
speed of paint stripping.
a. Removal of paint by using
heat is based on the fact that
all organic paints soften at
elevated temperatures. When
soft, the paint can be easily
lifted off without damage to
the surface.
b. When stripping paint from
grooves in moldings, you can
devise your own scraping
tools. Old screwdrivers with
ground-down blades and
linoleum knives are often
used.
