What do you use to get paint off of aluminum?

Answer 1

Use a methylene-chloride solvent paint remover. Aluminum is resistant to solvents, but will be damaged by acid paint removers. Abrasion isn't a good option, either, because aluminum is relatively soft and will scratch easily with sanding or steel scraping tools.

I have an '04 Ford Expedition & the door siding is aluminum. All the paint has bubbled and peeled off exposing rust. Maaco and Ford wanted $500 to install new trim on three of the affected doors. My husband tried traditional sanding and spray paint & it peeled off in no time. I did research and found PEEL AWAY 7. Awesome! I put it on yesterday and left it overnight. I took it off this morning. The paint came off in a strip with NO problem. I then cleaned the area with denatured alcohol and sanded with two grades of steel wool, cleaned again with denatured alcohol and have a smooth, clean surface ready to paint. I am a perfectionist and don't care for "it's good enough". This product (peel away 7) met my standards, and actually exceeded them, which is rare. lol!