What to use to strip paint off a model

I have used a product called "LA's TOTALLY AWESOME"...it's a USA made product,available in dollar stores...I just used it to strip a Santa Fe f-3....it took off the red paint!Use a high concentration with hot (NOT BOILING) water.... a tooth brush,you should be fine....joe

rrgeorge,

There have been many posts and responses to this question over the last couple months. Do a search and you'll get a number of stripping solutions fast.

Have fun, and stay healthy

I think EasyOff oven cleaner will take the paint off the plastic and someone else used the Tide pods or any dishwasher pods 3-4 of them to strip paint off pre-war

@Mike23 posted:

I think EasyOff oven cleaner will take the paint off the plastic and someone else used the Tide pods or any dishwasher pods 3-4 of them to strip paint off pre-war

 

I'm in the same boat.  I need to strip a plastic MTH car and can't find 91% Isopropyl alcohol.   That method is easy.   I've seen other posts about the oven cleaner, but have not read about the process.  The closest anyone has come to explain is to spray the parts, put them in a ziplock bag for 10 hours and then brush with a toothbrush.

Is that how you do it Mike23?

Ron

Amazon showing 91% isopropyl alcohol for sale state side

Without knowing what the model is there is no one product that will work everywhere. There at least dozen different kinds of paints used on plastic, brass, and die cast models from different eras.

Pete

@jackiejr posted:

Amazon showing 91% isopropyl alcohol for sale state side

I'm not that desperate to depart with my cash.  Those are 4 times the regular cost of the stuff.  Shameful.

Ron

Cant answer the question without specifics???

I've had success with both 91 and 70% alcohol. Finding it was hard for a while, but it's back on the shelves here...

Mark in Oregon

@SIRT posted:

Cant answer the question without specifics???

Not trying to hijack rrgeorge's thread.  He can reply what his model is.  But here is mine.  I had great success with 91% on the same model a few months back.

MTH 20-97423 ACF Demo 2-Bay Centerflow Hopper 

Well, decided to try the oven cleaner method on a piece of scrap MTH plastic from a bridge I kitbashed.

I applied ez-off liberally and put in a zip lock bag.  Sprayed even more once in the bag and sealed.

Results tomorrow.

Ron

Has anyone tried this product which runs off a can or compressor ?

https://www.micromark.com/Micr...ni-Sandblast-Gun-Set

@Richie C. posted:

Has anyone tried this product which runs off a can or compressor ?

https://www.micromark.com/Micr...ni-Sandblast-Gun-Set

Bought an air eraser off ebay several months ago same function different manufacturer works well on smooth surfaces but will round off sharp details if your taking paint off down to the plastic base.  I have removed road names from passenger cars using a close cut mask. With judicious use of the eraser you can remove the lettering and leave the base color, Though it will have a dull flat finish not good for applying decals.  Apply a thin layer of clear gloss in the area and decals will adhere.  Once your proficient it can save you much time on a complete repaint.                                   j

Hi - The car in question was one of Lionel's newer Scale PS-1 boxcars.  The Jade Green NYC.  I ended up using brake fluid.  It took off about 98% of the paint - there were a couple of sections that did not want to come off.  I finally used some 0000 steel wool and got the rest of.  

@Ron045 posted:

I'm in the same boat.  I need to strip a plastic MTH car and can't find 91% Isopropyl alcohol.   That method is easy.   I've seen other posts about the oven cleaner, but have not read about the process.  The closest anyone has come to explain is to spray the parts, put them in a ziplock bag for 10 hours and then brush with a toothbrush.

Is that how you do it Mike23?

Ron

 

Yes, I just put it boxcar top in a bucket and sprayed the **** out of it like I would have an oven. Left it in the bucket as long as the directions say as for cleaning a metal oven...couple hours? then rinsed it good in a slop sink/sink in my cellar. sponge and light brush so not to scratch the boxcar.

I found the 91% alcohol at Walgreens I think.

whaaaa! How did the "page" know I spelled h-e double hockey sticks! wow!

FYI;  The active ingredient in oven cleaner is sodium hydroxide (lye,  drain cleaner)  I purchase a two pound canister of lye crystals and it is my go to stripper for plastic.  I have used 91% isopropyl as well as denatured alcohol they both work most of the time my only misgiving about them is they burn and I would rather not breath the fumes.  At the concentration that I mix my stripper, between one and two cups of the crystals in a 5 gallon bucket with about 4.5 gallons of water, you can get it on your hands and just as long as I rinse them off in a couple minutes I have never had any skin burns.  Though if you leave it on long enough it will chafe your skin. I do wear protective glasses I would not want to splash it in my eyes. There again it is weak enough that if you rinse your eyes in running water for five minutes you should be fine. I lower a body shell or several into the bucket put the lid on and let it sit till a tooth brush wipes the paint off usually about two days. The process may actually take less time but I just give it about two days out of habit. If you want it faster you can add more lye crystals.  Remember as you make it stronger it will eat your skin or eyes faster. I would guess that my brew is weaker than oven cleaner.  By the way it will also remove chrome/nickel plating from plastic.   Many things will remove paint from plastic Brake fluid works well but is more toxic than lye or alcohol.  Model airplane fuel works well, on many plastics, but there again it burns. One last point some drain cleaners contain small bits of metal and some have little blue crystals mixed in the the white sodium hydroxide. I don't use these as once the metal or the colored crystals dissolve they drastically weaken the solution and I keep my solution, in a five gallon bucket with snap on lid, for years.    j

I've tried just about everything and settled on 91% alcohol.  I made a bath "tube" using an 18" length of 4" pvc pipe with a cap glued to one end for long models like passenger cars and a shorter one (or a metal cake pan) for smaller items.  The pvc pipe will hold at least 2 qts of alcohol.  Stick the passenger car in the bath and let it soak for 3-4 hours then take an old toothbrush to it to remove the paint.  I also use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to get some of the stubborn paint off.  I stopped using brake fluid when I noticed a couple of pieces were getting brittle, seems like brake fluid sucks the life out of the plastic.

No luck this AM with the oven cleaner.  Maybe I did it wrong?  After a 22 hour soaking in EZ-Off, I scrubbed with a toothbrush and could not remove any paint.  I used a Mr. Clean Magic eraser and could only barely remove paint on edges and underside.  I could not remove any paint in top.  Guess I'll have to keep searching for Isopropyl Alcohol.