After a little more cleaning, it was time for paint prep! I used Dumond Smart Strip, which was a water-based stripper that worked wonderfully. You just slather the paste on your painted surfaces and paint falls off like wet newspaper. A metal bristle brush helps with the removal.

About 24 hours later

As many other reviewers have said, I would also recommend not to shy away from liberally covering your surfaces to strip. I had to apply and wipe a couple times to make up for the parts I didn’t cover as thoroughly.

I finally was able to get down to the bare metal, which I had sanded with a bit of 220 and 400 grit sandpaper. Also, I had removed the “CAUTION” plate above the switch by drilling out the rivets. I also removed the Astoria badge, the Mazzer sticker, and the small metal disc behind the timer-switch knob so that I could strip and repaint the surfaces underneath.

Next step: priming!

I decided to use two types of primer:

  • First, a metal-etching primer to prepare the aluminum surface. I made 2-3 overlapping coats of different upright angles and one with the grinder on its side (to cover the bottom). Between coats, I would wait a day and lightly sand the primer with #400 sandpaper, vacuum, brush, and wipe, and pass over with tackcloth.
  • Second, two coats of filler primer. This is to fill the imperfections introduced during the aluminum casting process and the several deep nicks and gouges from its use over the years.
First coat of etching primer. The incandescent work lamp and the background tarp had messed with the white balance a little. There is indeed a greenish tint to the grey etching primer, but it's not as warm as what it looks. Note the removed CAUTION and switch plates.
Bottom coat of etching primer. This is more representative of its actual color.
Filler primer coat. This does not spray on as uniformly, probably due to the nature of the spray having more "particulate" that binds together to fill imperfections.
Close up of the filling of the filler primer.

I’m still deciding on a color for my main (top) coat. I’ve ruled out black, white, and the pure silver-grey that comes with stock Mazzer grinders. I’m also not a fan of the garish sports car colors, as much as the powder-coating and glitter spray are impressive displays of painting. Something neutral, maybe a subtle graphite may work.