We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to LA but unfortunately I (Mela) caught a cold on the way back home. So Don headed back into the bus solo so I could get some rest. We were so close to being done with these floors (we have been doing this for what feels like forever) so he tackled the last 10% without me and got the job done!
As you know we used Citristrip to get the glue off the floor. It worked well but we made some mistakes along the way and thought we’d share some tips with you.
FOR USING CITRISTRIP
1. Wear Protective gear.
Gloves, long-sleeved T-shirts, long pants, goggles etc. You don’t want to get this on your skin, it burns!
2. Have a rag handy, to clean up the excess glue or drips
Clean it up quick before it starts eating through things you don’t want it to.
3. Be careful what you touch while working with it.
Take your gloves off before touching anything you don’t want to get the citristrip on. We almost ruined our camera by touching it with our gloves. Big oops!
4. Watch where you step.
The hard part about putting this on the floor frame in the bus is there was little place to stand. So make a plan of where to start and finish your application so you won’t track it around.
Rust Removal
The next day Don’s dad assisted him in completing the rust removal. We had done small areas in the past, one thing we learned was to take the safety guard off the angle grinder (link) because then we were able to put the grinder flat onto the metal. It didn’t eat up the blade at the edges and sanded down the metal more evenly. We used a few different angle grinders, our favorite was the Bosch Angle Grinder as it was more powerful. The cheaper ones we bought from Harbor Freight got the job done too but there was a big difference in power.
After the job was done we were pleased to see the main beams were in really good shape and shining up nicely. We realized the support beams at the back of the bus, that were completely rusted out, were designed to support the restroom (which we took out). We don’t need these support beams so we just took them out.
Up Next
We both go back to working in the bus for what will be the hottest, sweatiest period of bus work yet.
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We have used 4 angle grinders already on this job! 2 cheapo's from Harbor Freight (one sadly died) and 1 Robi which was cordless and the battery only lasts for so long. The best angle grinder we have used is a Bosch brand. It seems to have much more power and fortitude than the others.
4 inch Gator Grit Paint and Rust Remover
This has an extra course grit, an attachment for an electric drill and did a great job at removing surface rust from our metal frame.
This stripping gel can be used on wood, metal and masonry surfaces. We used it to remove the glue from the metal frame. There are no harsh fumes so it can be used indoors.
