More Undercoating Removal + Ducklings Rescued – Saabyurk's Saab Monte Carlo 850 Restoration Blog

In my last post, I said the I didn’t like the air hammer chisel method of removing undercoating. As it turns out, that opinion was arrived at due to my own incompetence, cluelessness, and lack of experience or any combination thereof. I just tried reducing the pressure to about 40 psi along with rounding off the corners of the chisel to eliminate gouging, and the air hammer chisel works absolutely great on flat surfaces. That will account for probably 90 percent of the undercoating removal. The video below shows it in action.

Undercoating Removed with Air Hammer Chisel

If you haven’t watched the video, or can’t, the photo to the right shows the test result. Note that there is no metal gouging whatsoever. The paint is marked at the chisel edge, but that’s no problem. Only minor cleanup is required. I will use the needle scaler or wire wheel for the ridges and contoured areas that the chisel can’t do. Plus, I found that reducing pressure to the needle scaler also reduces gouging. Duh.

Undercoating Removed with Heat Gun and Scraper

I also tried one other method. I used a heat gun to soften the undercoating as I removed it with a scraper. This sort of works, but it is smelly and slow. It also leaves a lot of residue to clean off with kerosene or whatever. It is, however, a good “zero damage” method for small spot cleaning. You can see the smeared area in the photo. The adjacent area was done with the air hammer chisel.
An oscillating tool was recommended in comments. However, after watching a Youtube video demonstrating a Fein oscillating tool removing undercoating, I decided it would require more patience than I have. It looks like a useful tool though.

Life on the Farm
If you have a soft spot in your heart for ducklings being led to shelter by their mother, please continue reading.

Mallard Ducklings

Mallard Duck and Ducklings Herded into Coop

Mallard Duck Covering 10 Ducklings

I was on the tractor, heading back to a wooded area to cut some felled trees when I was astonished to see a mallard duck trying to lead 10 ducklings through a fence surrounding our yard. We enclosed our entire yard with fencing so our alpacas could use it for pasture — saves a lot of grass mowing. I have no idea where this mother hatched 10 eggs, but it must have been near a pond we have with a floating duck house for some Pekin ducks we used to have. Well, with all the cats, dogs and coyotes in the area and yard, I didn’t think the ducklings stood a chance in the wild.
My wife and I found it remarkably easy to herd them all to an unused chicken coop. The mother seemed right at home in there, so I set up a heat lamp, got water and mde a quick trip to Tractor Supply for duck starter/grower feed. It’s the 3rd day now and all seems well, except I wish I could see the ducklings eating more, but they seem healthy. It’s amazing how that small mallard duck, can spread her wings a little and cover all 10 ducklings. You might not even notice them in the photo if I didn’t tell you they were there.
A video of the moment I discovered them is just below. Sometimes, life on the farm is good.

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Bruce Harbison May 11, 2014 at 10:50 am

Excellent information! Thank you for taking the time to show the different methods you are using. Liked the ducks too!

All about my 1966 MC850 restoration.

All about my 1966 MC850 restoration.

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