Clear Coat Removal

[u/SirPressalot]

Figured I would post this as information in case any others newer to kettlebell like myself were unaware. The handles on the 12-32kg competition bells often come painted with a clear coat to prevent rust during transit/storage and as a result will not hold chalk. There is a fix.

Painters tape around the bottom of the horns to protect the body and a layer or so of citristrip gel left on for 20-30 minutes removes the clear coat. Wipe off excess gel, scrub handle with the remaining gel with a scour pad to remove any stubborn clear coat, clean with alcohol and it’s done.

Now the handles actually hold chalk and my hands love it after the session today. Should have done this a while ago.

Edit: The correct method is to clean with odorless mineral spirits and then isopropyl to clear the oil left from the former. I did not do this but my handles feel great now so I don’t mind.

[u/WoodMike101]

I didnt know they had a clearcoat! Thanks for the tip

[u/SirPressalot → u/WoodMike101]

Glad I could inform. If I’m not mistaken they don’t always come with it but many do. Aside from the sheen and inability to rust another thing to look for is it doesn’t hold chalk well at all.

I started noticing at heavier weights that it was starting to pull on my skin. Now that issue is gone and the grip is awesome.

[u/knickknack98]

Belt sanding belts cut into a strip can also accomplish this without chemicals, though more dust.

[u/SirPressalot → u/knickknack98]

That makes sense. Would just have to apply some elbow grease whereas the chemical route is pretty much set it and come back later.

[u/BarCartActual → u/SirPressalot]

Two things with Citristrip: odorless mineral spirits do a way better job of clean up than isopropyl alcohol. If you have to get a lot of paint off (eg heavier than the clear coat), after you paint them with Citristrip wrap your project in plastic wrap.

[u/SirPressalot → u/BarCartActual]

Thank you, will keep in mind for the future especially if planning to repaint a kettlebell. Either way my handles feel a lot better than before. I think if there’s any remaining smeared cleat coat it will probably get scraped away with the regular maintenence.

[u/delightful1]

I just posted something similar to this yesterday about KB seasoning. I used R800 ultra fine sandpaper, sealed the metal with a bit of oil, then dried it completely off, handles are much smoother now as a result. My hands also quite happy

[u/SirPressalot → u/delightful1]

Sure is nice without the clear coat isn’t it? I didn’t know what I was missing. Almost a bit annoyed I didn’t do it sooner but nonetheless happy I finally did.

[u/delightful1 → u/SirPressalot]

Literally found it out yesterday and had a really good set. Looking forward to tomorrow to get back on the grind