How to remove paint from fiberglass?

Leg

Leg

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I have an Armalite midlength free float fiberglass handguard that someone has painted over, probably because it's a little rough around the edges. I think that I'd prefer it in all of its naked, ugly glory.

Is it possible to remove the paint without damaging the fiberglass?

Seems like a nice stout handguard but apparently these things weigh a ton compared to other free float tubes (like a pound a half or something).

ETA: These things look almost identical to the early KAC free float tubes that they used put on the SR25 before the rail craze. Anyone know if Armalite simply copied KAC, or vice versa?
 
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Try some wintergreen oil in the inside; if it affects the fiberglass don't use it.
If it doesn't, spread some oil on the paint and let it soften then use a soft scraper and strip it from the surface.
I use wintergreen oil as a muscle pain rub but it is excellent for salvaging quality paintbrushes that were forgotten with paint on them.
PP.
 
Leg said:
I have an Armalite midlength free float fiberglass handguard that someone has painted over, probably because it's a little rough around the edges. I think that I'd prefer it in all of its naked, ugly glory.

Is it possible to remove the paint without damaging the fiberglass?

Seems like a nice stout handguard but apparently these things weigh a ton compared to other free float tubes (like a pound a half or something).

ETA: These things look almost identical to the early KAC free float tubes that they used put on the SR25 before the rail craze. Anyone know if Armalite simply copied KAC, or vice versa?
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I don't advocate acetone on FG...especially for things like handguards. This is not to say you shouldn't use acetone but you must use sparingly and have to regulate work time and rinse.

I've used this very mild stuff called Winning Colours (available at CT and Home Depot) that comes in a white plastic squeeze bottle of about 1L for about $10. It works well and is advertised as a general paint remover/cleaner, etc.

Cover the handguards with a cloth or similar and pour some of the stuff on the cloth, let it sit and soak for awhile. Then take a stiff brush and maybe 3M pads to the painted areas.

Edit:

This is the stuff I was referring to... http://w ww.winningcolours.com/
 
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I've removed paint from both plastic and fiberglass and I usually machine buff it off with a polish. takes a little time but the results are good. I would not use chemicals as I have damaged surfaces even when the pain remover was supposed to be the one to us.
 
napier environmental had some really good products for removing paint from fiberglass-non toxic and ,water based -didn't burn your hands.I've used it successfully on a number of applications-metal, fiberglass,etc.It was originally made for stripping anti fouling paint off yachts.
 
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