What is the best scraper to remove paint?

You should avoid scraping if you have the choice.

Even small bits of paint may cause the surface to begin to crack or worse, crumble.

You don't mention the size of the area that needs to be cleaned, which greatly affects what tool(s) you will use, and will also affect your decision about the kind of work done in preparation for stripping. The following is my approach (no idea if it will actually meet your needs): Remove all nails or other fasteners from the surface before starting to clean. Use a pry bar or hammer and nails can be reused after sanding. For exterior surfaces you should remove paint from all holes in the concrete. Use a reciprocating saw and long blade to cut through the concrete and pry with an expanding reciprocating saw (use a drill to counter the recoil). Remove the outer layer to reveal the bare metal.

Use a power buffer and sand. Power buffers are better than rotary tools as they reduce the amount of noise. There are a number of sizes and blades to select from. Sand for an hour or two at low settings, adding 30 minutes at each new setting. It will take many months of this to achieve a smooth surface. Depending on your surface roughness, this could be all that's needed.

Inspect the area for scrapes and dents which require touchup work (use a fresh primer and paint to match the original color). Some of these might require more or different work than just an adhesive.

If the surface does not need any touchups, use an epoxy stripper. If the surface is rough, the epoxy may pull away loose material and cause damage. If you wish, you can mix your own.

Vaporize the surface before stripping with paint remover - depending on the method used for cleaning the existing paint you might get all of the original layer back. If the surface had any filler added, you might have difficulty finding it. If a large area needs this or if another part needs stripping then go ahead and do the whole surface with a degreaser.

Use heat with a rotary tool to strip. This might work well for larger areas.

Remove paint and old primer with soap, water and scrub brushes. For smaller areas you can use a wet-jet wash. In a pinch, just use a bucket of water with paint shaker.

What is the best tool for scraping exterior paint?

I've heard from a lot of people that I should be scraping my exterior painting with a metal scraping pad (such as a flat bar or metal scraper) instead of sanding it. In the past, I have been using sanding techniques to get the paint off. But now it appears that a flat steel scraping tool should be used. I will be getting two paint scraping tools: a metal scraper (metal scraping pad) and a flat bar (scraping blade).

What is the difference between these two scraping tools? Should I only use one of these tools instead of both? Is there a reason to stick with one tool type instead of the other? I am curious if there is a reason you should not use the scraper in lieu of sanding or vice versa. I do not mind spending the money for the right tool. I really want to know the differences between them. I'm also willing to spend the extra money if they truly offer the superior scraping ability. Please include anything about why it's a bad idea to use the plastic scraper but a good idea to use the metal scraper.

I've had a few people mention it's a good idea to only scrape/debulk once instead of scraping several times. If you have experience with one or both of these scrapers, please comment with a breakdown of pros and cons. Or maybe I have already asked you the best way to scrape paint. If so, please let me know.

Thanks! The plastic blade was just for fun, I made it for home projects. You could try the metal scraper but metal strips have a tendency to bend over time.

I use wood strips but metal strips are more flexible. A better choice in my opinion.

How do you scrape tough paint?

With a high-powered rotary tool, of course.

The DeWalt DCD-5 is an upgrade over its DCD-4 predecessor, and the most obvious difference is that it has a dual-stage trigger. But there are also a couple of other improvements that make this tool a nice addition to any home improvement shop.

Best Rotary Tool for Your Work. The DeWalt DCD-5 is a bit different from other rotary tools. Rather than the rotary handle turning a rotary chuck, this one uses a trigger. By using a trigger, you get a bit more leverage, and you can hold the tool more comfortably. The trigger also gives you an instant and smooth release of the tool, which is great for scraping paint or working on hard-to-reach areas.

The DCD-5 is rated for up to 125 feet per minute. It's a nice improvement over the DCD-4, which was only rated for 60 feet per minute. That's a pretty substantial increase.

The DCD-5 also has a larger motor than the DCD-4, so it is able to drive more efficiently and power through more difficult surfaces. While the DCD-5 is not the fastest rotary tool available, it's certainly one of the most powerful.

Another interesting improvement with the DCD-5 is the trigger lock. This keeps the trigger locked in either a forward or reverse position. This is a nice safety feature, but it also lets you have more control over the speed and direction of the tool.

The DCD-5 comes with a standard 18V battery, and it is rated for 15 minutes of run time with that battery. That's a lot of time for a rotary tool.

DeWalt DCD-5 Specifications. Here are some of the specs of the DeWalt DCD-5: Power rating: 250 watts. Rechargeable battery: 18V. Operating time: 15 minutes. Speed rating: 125 feet per minute. Rated torque: 50 ft-lb. Motor: 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch helical. Weight: 10.5 oz.