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I have a set of Atlas O Alco C-630's that I want to paint up in a fantasy SP&S "Spokane Portland and Seattle" colors "Green and Yellow" (I know that SP&S didn't have C-630's)

I have everything to paint these professionally but I've only stripped paint off brass/die cast items. I've only painted plastic models that did not have paint on them originally.

Anyways I wanted to pick your guys brains on stripping paint off plastics. I believe these are an ABS type of plastic. I've heard of Spray on Oven Cleaner working, Simple Green.... Bake Fluid??

What methods have worked for you guys?

Thanks!

 

Last edited by Bruk
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I do not try and strip paint from plastics.....there is no need. use the factory finish as your substrate. first thoroughly wash the piece with warm soapy water. let completely dry. next, any heralds emblems, or road numbers you want to vanish, use fine sandpaper (600 or finer) to blend out into the original finish. then scuff the entire piece with gray scotchbrite. depending on the amount of different levels of colors piled on top of each other, will determine how much blending you have to do....the trick is not to break paint. if you do its not the end of the world, you will just have to use primer to build the area back up. then repeat the blend process with the fine paper. At this point, depending on your choice of refinish color, you can use a quality model primer or a sealer to prep for your new finish......I'm sure AMC Dave will hop on here too, and some of the other fellas too that have turned out beautiful models.....again, no need to strip....if you are not careful, you can wind up with a hot mess quick!..

Hi Bruk

brake fluid works but its slow, media blasting is nice but not often available

I have used 'super clean'  foaming tough task cleaner degreaser in purple spray bottle from auto parts stores

it works good at removing the pad printed lettering without removing all paint at least on some chineese Bachmann cars I did

If the factory graphics are not too heavily applied you could prime it lightly and topcoat from there

Good luck and be patient

Dave

 

I've stripped multiple Atlas loco shells using just 91% isopropyl alcohol.  Available at most any drug store or walmart pharmacy.  Relatively inexpensive too.  I let shells sit for a day or two.  It doesn't take long.  Rinse and use a toothbrush or similar to get into the nooks and crannies.  It's my preferred method as it's relatively benign with respect to odor and cleanup.

It did not work on the diecast frame though.   I don't know if it's different paint, or simply better adhesion.   Even after soaking for an extended amount of time, the paint wouldn't come off.  I used the spray on Citrustrip, bought at Home Depot, to strip the frame.  Again, I was looking for a safer alternative since I was doing this work in my apartment.  If I had a shop, I probably would have tried something more aggressive.

You cannot use the 70% type alcohol.  Only the 91% type.  The paint lifted right off in most areas.  The corners were more stubborn.  

013011

Jim

 

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Last edited by big train

I used Easy-Off (for ovens) on my Weaver GP38-2 plastic shell.  It worked great.  Actually, I use that to strip all of my diecast now too because it worked so well.  I tried the alcohol route, let it sit for a while and nothing.  Someone suggested the Easy-Off, but I was too scared to use it.... at first.  Wish I would've listened because it would've save me a bunch of time!

Here is my thread documenting the process.

Stripping, Detailing, and Repainting Project

Bruk posted:
big train posted:

You cannot use the 70% type alcohol.  Only the 91% type.  

What about anything higher than 91%, would that work? Curious because I have access to IPA at work

I don't think it's a problem to use something with a higher content, if you have convenient access to it.  70% and 91% are the two types most easily acquired at the local drug or grocery store.  Between those two the 91% is the way to go.  I did briefly look into buying from a supplier so that I could get a bigger volume, by the gallon.  It can take a lot of alcohol to fill the size tub needed for an O scale loco or car.  You can get a funny look or two when you checkout with 20 small bottles at the store.  

For the tub, I just used a plastic storage container.  But another good idea is a wallpaper hanger glue trough.  It's the right shape for O scale type stock.  But no lid, so I would cover it with plastic wrap or similar to prevent evaporation.

It would appear that 99% costs about 4 times as much as 91%, based on GRJ's link, but if you have it at work then that's not an issue.

Jim

Last edited by big train
mjrodg3n88 posted:

I used Easy-Off (for ovens) on my Weaver GP38-2 plastic shell.  It worked great.  Actually, I use that to strip all of my diecast now too because it worked so well.  I tried the alcohol route, let it sit for a while and nothing.  Someone suggested the Easy-Off, but I was too scared to use it.... at first.  Wish I would've listened because it would've save me a bunch of time!

I tried the 91% alcohol on some Weaver Centerflow hoppers.  On some, the paint came off in sheets almost immediately.  On others, the paint didn't budge even after and extended bath, soaking upwards of a week.  So maybe they had used different paint formulations at different times?  The project went on hold so I never got around to testing anything different on the stubborn Weaver shells.

HARMONYARDS, above: "I do not try and strip paint from plastics.....there is no need. use the factory finish as your substrate....."

I concur. There certainly are pieces that just need to lose a lot of complicated, showy  and hard-to-sand-off graphics actually stripped from them, but when you can skip it using the methods suggested (I use similar tactics), you are ahead of the game.

To quote (roughly) a repaint article from Model Railroader a number of years back: "you will never find a better primer coat than a factory paint job". 

Use it if you can, I'd say.

I just removed a coat of bad weathering and all the lettering on a lionel scale PS1 boxcar with the super clean product.  it left the silver base color untouched. I sprayed on super clean and wrapped it in few sheets of paper towels wet with more of same  and to control evaporation   wrapped it in a plastic bag. 8  hours later unwanted graphics and weathering came off easily with soft brushing and warm water.

No noxious oven cleaner smells

rubber gloves were needed as with any high power soap

D500 posted:

HARMONYARDS, above: "I do not try and strip paint from plastics.....there is no need. use the factory finish as your substrate....."

I concur. There certainly are pieces that just need to lose a lot of complicated, showy  and hard-to-sand-off graphics actually stripped from them, but when you can skip it using the methods suggested (I use similar tactics), you are ahead of the game.

To quote (roughly) a repaint article from Model Railroader a number of years back: "you will never find a better primer coat than a factory paint job". 

Use it if you can, I'd say.

I agree that the original paint is the best base coat but when you start adding more layers of paint on top of that the details in the car body start to fill up with paint. Lines are not sharp anymore but rounded.

 My disclaimer: test everything yourself first....you know the drills

 I've soaked plastic models (not trains, Revell, Monogram, Tamaya, etc). in Castrol's "purple degreaser"(Super Clean?) to remove botched paint jobs in the past (usually on Testors paint). It worked well, rubbed off with a toothbrush. The plastic did soften some initially. Letting it sit for a few days they seemed fine and are still around today. I even cleaned a 30yr old model my uncle started as a kid and repainted it. It did seem to soften some detail SLIGHTLY. Nothing compared to a coat of paint though.

It doesn't desolve the paint so much as penetrates under it and breaks the very thin bond layer away. Paint comes off like a thick waterslide decal.

I noticed the same thing with oven cleaner. Very fine detail change on models.

Could be the same active ingredients. Oven cleaner degreases well too. Both require gloves, but short term exposure isn't painful with them either. Both pune the skin then, dry your skin out as moisture dissipates. 

   Dont use "the purple" on some alloys or aluminum, it can cause changes in the metal and the end result looked kinda like the beginning of Zinc pest, to discoloration. (I tried it on some thick Magn./Alum. alloy and Alum. ) Bottle warns against it too.

Simple Green was reported to melt FT here years ago and I have no reason to doubt him. But others have claimed to use it on plastics without issue.

I've had citrus cleaners gum up plastic pretty good too; but these days who knows whats in a product like that anyhow detailers

..feel lucky?  

Soda blasting?

 

Edit: Who.is missing or used the word "detailers"?......after two weeks of no issues, looks like Google has issued another great update to rid the world of mistake free text.

Last edited by Adriatic

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