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Re: Removing old treadmaster!

Jack Norie
But either way its a slow laborious job.



Take two is tomorrow and I'm going armed with a range of power tools heating implements, chisels and hammers etc and a extra body

My bus number (if any): RMF2771

Re: Removing old treadmaster!

A small thermo-nuclear device is being suggested by an outside member... :)

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Re: Removing old treadmaster!

Jack Norie

It's also worth coating the bare metal with an anticorrosion coating and letting it cure before relaying a top surface as the original light etch coating tends to come away with the removal of the flooring and the adhesive.


RM floor section top surfaces were not primered, they were bare metal.
Heating it will have no effect if it was properly glued down. Get a blade/chisel end under the matting and scrape, get as much of the mat away, then scrape off the residue, as simple as that! My knees still ache when I think of RM Lower saloon floors:(

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RMC 1458, RM 1585 and several RTs

Re: Removing old treadmaster!

Brian, You are in part right.

The floor panels were not primed as per the rest of the body. They were, though, light etch primed at PRV. Every alloy sheet component was coated with a clear coat of etch primer. Very hard to distinguish unless a treated and untreated panel is placed side by side. Appeared colourless but was a very slight dull silver grey.
As far as I recall, it was only the floor panels that were not primed in Pink as it impaired the bonding of the Treadmaster.

It can be more noticeable now from aged original panels where the paint has flaked . It looks like the alloy has been smoked. Later fitted panels were not treated this way, most simply primed in Chiswick Pink or stove enamelled and later still not even that.

One of the reasons some restorations have had corrosion issues is that the preparation of panels and joints has not been a 2 part process before top coating and not both sides of panels.

Re: Removing old treadmaster!

Post Work report!

Being unable to procure a small thermonuclear device we decided to start with hot hair guns (probably for the best as late morning a Apache Gun Ship flew over the farm so low it only just cleared the trees up the road - don't want to be on the wrong end of their guns)

After above about 5 mins of hot air 'gunning' it we gave up and moved to a Air chisel, this worked but was faster doing it by hand so upgraded to a 2000w electric hammer drill with 1 inch attachment.

This got the threadmaster up with ease (and a lot of noise)when used at about a 10* angle from the deck. unfortunately was very easy to miss little strips that then with a bit heavy vibrating tool was hard to align up again - had to do these by hand.

Also so not to risked the hammer drill punching through between plates (yeah i did once but it can repaired) we stripped all the treadmaster over aluminium joints by hand!

in about 5 Hours work managed to do most the upper deck just a small section left to do over the weekend!


Then for once I sand back the left overs; whats the verdict on painting the floor/protecting?



O and today, I struggled to put my socks on - so stiff!!





My bus number (if any): RMF2771

Re: Removing old treadmaster!

Use fabric softener when you wash your socks, it makes them less stiff. :)

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Re: Removing old treadmaster!

Jack Norie
Brian, You are in part right.

The floor panels were not primed as per the rest of the body. They were, though, light etch primed at PRV. Every alloy sheet component was coated with a clear coat of etch primer. Very hard to distinguish unless a treated and untreated panel is placed side by side. Appeared colourless but was a very slight dull silver grey.
As far as I recall, it was only the floor panels that were not primed in Pink as it impaired the bonding of the Treadmaster.

It can be more noticeable now from aged original panels where the paint has flaked . It looks like the alloy has been smoked. Later fitted panels were not treated this way, most simply primed in Chiswick Pink or stove enamelled and later still not even that.

One of the reasons some restorations have had corrosion issues is that the preparation of panels and joints has not been a 2 part process before top coating and not both sides of panels.
Yes you are right Jack I'd forgotten the new floor sections were a grey colour, as were the cover strips, but this was not done at Aldenham on the new 4 bay floor sections between the footstools nor on the platform sections, they were left bare, but the interior top hat sections were as you say stove primered in the Bonderiser!!.

Good to see although we were not always up to speed on "modern methods" that the use of a sharp scraper really is the best way of getting treadmaster up! We tried white spirit once after getting the bulk of the Treadmaster up, we had a bin full of black oily swabs and it looked great, we put the slats down and they all came unstuck again ;( Meaning wee had to clean the floor again with soap and water to remove the residue of the solvent and try again, taking twice as long!

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RMC 1458, RM 1585 and several RTs

Re: Removing old treadmaster!

Glasurit do a product called spirit wipe.

It removes all grease residue and white spirit residue for pre paint prep.

It works really well and has been around for decades now.

If you use that in conjunction with a tack rag before painting it will provide a dust and contaminant free surface.

Cellulose Thinners works but the fumes will get you. The fumes from Spirit wipe are lesser.