First Board -- Removing Spray Paint

[weosal]

New to surfing and just got my first board. Looks like a good starter board, but there's one problem -- the guy I bought it from used spray paint to personalize it a bit. Any idea how I can remove the spray paint without damaging the fiberglass?

Thanks.

MQ

[Rogue_Shadow]

I dont think there are many thinsk that will get that off without ruining the surface of the board
I mean if you sand/ wet n dry paper it down and get the original colour back the board maybe weaker or uneven
Tough one...

[drowningbitbybit]

A *small* amount of white spirit (or acetone if that doesn't work. Go with white spirit first - its less likely to damage anything) and some wire wool should do the trick.
It'll scratch the top layer of glass but nothing you'd notice unless you looked for it.

[weosal]

Hey,

Thanks for the tips, guys. I decided to shy away from the sanding, since it would be my first time, and I went with the diluted (?) acetone in the form of nail polish remover. Didn't seem to do much, but I only tried a bit at a time several times. Instead, I took the plunge and decided to try the "goop remover" I had laying around. A little nervous at first since this is some kind of mystery solvent, but the paint eventually started coming off. It took a few rounds, especially with the thicker paint, but eventually took it all off. Not sure if there was any effect on the glass. It looks okay to me, but I'm a newbie. I will repost if it turns out it caused some problems to the glass, but like I said, so far so good. Miracle cure, I guess...

MQ

[Rogue_Shadow]

If your board dissolves....let us know what the mystery solvent is ha ha.
Good work

[jb987]

You can also buff and shine it now that you have the paint off. Then wax it for riding.

If you take it to a repair shop, they can also put a gloss coat on it for you.