Stripping alcohol

Hey,

I'm doing a Koenig 600SL right now, but I messed the body paint up so I wanted to strip it. I got myself some 98% alcohol, which comes in quite small bottles, which are expensive as hell. The amount of alcohol wasn't enough to submerge the body in, so I figured I could mix it with Spiritus (75% alcohol) to make the amount of alcohol big enough to cover the entire bodywork. So I did just that, poured the alcohol in a plastic container and put the body in.

Aproximately three decades... cough, three weeks later, the only result is that I can scratch the paintwork off with my fingernail. The paint has become rougher and more translucent, but it can't be smeared off. Sooo, my question is, am I being impatient or is this not going to work anyway?

Thanks in advance.

You need 91% Isopropyl Alcohol.

You need 91% Isopropyl Alcohol.

Yeah, that's what I bought, but it's quite expensive and it wasn't enough to cover the entire bodyshell. Do you think 75% can do the job as well?

Just use Dot 3 brake fluid its cheap and enough to cover the body. Takes paint right off in seconds used it when i screwed my paint job on the doors of the Enzo. It wont harm the plastic, but i wouldn't recomend leaving it over night. Hope this helps.

Yeah, that's what I bought, but it's quite expensive and it wasn't enough to cover the entire bodyshell. Do you think 75% can do the job as well?

75% isn't sufficiently strong to remove the paint well.

If the paint is lacquer, you may need to leave the part a few days to allow the alcohol to work. Also try using an old toothbrush to give a little mechanical assistance.

As for brake fluid, it works well except it will effect the plastic in the sense that it weakens it.

Like Freakray sed, give it a good scrubbing with a toothbrush and some dishsoap. If it doesn't come clean, soak it some more. It sounds like your alcohol percentage is too low to get an optimal effect, but it doesn't mean that the paint won't come clean with some scrubbing.

What kind of paint are you trying to strip? I don't think you actually saud in your post.

Try electronic stores for your alcohol - I bought 1litre for the equivalent of approx. 5USD here in Poland from an on-line store and the alcohol was packaged in German so it was probably imported!!

The alcohol stripped some TS (fresh) in less time that it took me to say "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" ;)

HTH

Just use Dot 3 brake fluid its cheap and enough to cover the body. Takes paint right off in seconds used it when i screwed my paint job on the doors of the Enzo. It wont harm the plastic, but i wouldn't recomend leaving it over night. Hope this helps.


I had a model in a brake fluid bath for 2 weeks, and the paint is still on it. Wouldn't even scrub off with a brush. 2 weeks didn't even harm the plastic in anyway.

Yeah, that's what I bought, but it's quite expensive and it wasn't enough to cover the entire bodyshell. Do you think 75% can do the job as well?

How much does it cost there in the Nether Regions? It's about a dollar for a pint or so here.

How much does it cost there in the Nether Regions? It's about a dollar for a pint or so here.

I don't exactly remember, I think 0.5 liter is about 8 euros, thanks to the taxes that are put on it. Same goes for Tamiya paint, by the way.

Klutz: good idea, since this Spiritus isn't going to work. The paint is too hard to scrub it off with a toothbrush.

I went to search an online store, but Dutch online stores seem to ask the same bloody amount of money for a bit of alcohol as regular stores do :eek: . Sooo, I tried an US-based store, but the ones I found don't ship outside the USA! Any ideas? :)

That's some expensive alcohol; at Wal Mart here you can get a pint of 91%for about 80 cents. A friend ordered several gallons of 99% isopropyl from the pharmacy at a Publix grocery store, it was about $10-$12 per gallon. 8 euros for a pint is rather taxing :icon16:

find something called chameleon. it is a paint stripper that i found at the hobby store. it will eat the paint in about 10 min and won't hurt the model at all. i just stripped a civic that i painted about 2 years ago. put it in the solution, and took a toothbrush to it and in about an hour -- no more paint. then you strain the stuff in some cheese cloth and put it back in the bottle for the next time. the stuff works great. it costs about 20 bucks for 16 oz.

Wow, that is expensive. You were looking in drug/grocery stores?

I had to do the same now, but i used Break Fuide, DOT4. The paint has been on for a while and it have been painted twice so it was a thick layer. I also added some thinner, just to try it out.

I looks like it took it, gone check it closer tomorrow.

I had to do the same now, but i used Break Fuide, DOT4. The paint has been on for a while and it have been painted twice so it was a thick layer. I also added some thinner, just to try it out.
Hrm... thinner and brake fluid at the same time?
You should be careful when doing combo's like this.
Not sure if the two will mix tho.
Give some results 'cause I'm curious about your mix :wink:

The alcohol stripped some TS (fresh) in less time that it took me to say "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" ;)

Must be one of those Polish prases, loosly translated to "how long does it take this stuff to work, anyway?" Or, someone has been to EuroDisney far too recently.

Enough with the brake fluid- yes, it gets paint off (but then so does laquer thinner, or for that matter, gasoline). Sometimes you will get away fine, and sometimes it will utterly destroy your body. It does attack plastic, so is it really worth the risk? There are always better options.

KTem- Can you find a household cleaner called Simple Green (http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_prod_fam_all.php)? In the States, it's availible in hardware, home supply, and car supply stores. Stevenski, you've found this stuff haven't you? Lately it's my favorite paint stripper. It quickly, safely and easily removes laquer and acrylic (haven't tried it yet on enamel, but I hardly ever use enamels), and it claims to be fully non-toxic and biodegradable- good stuff by me.

What are you trying to strip, anyways?

Must be one of those Polish prases, loosly translated to "how long does it take this stuff to work, anyway?" Or, someone has been to EuroDisney far too recently.
:D
Just call me Mary Poppinska :p

MWPR: I'm trying to strip a car body painted with Tamiya TS paint :) I don't know about the Simple Green, I'll see if I can find it, thanks for da suggestion! :yugosmili *drives away in his pimpin' Yugo*

uh-oh. be careful with thinner. least damage it could to if you soak it would be to make the body brittle.

worse damage...completely eat the body.

*looks at the half-dissolved R34 V-Spec II body in the spare parts bin*

What abou this (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5-L-Isopropyl-alcohol-IPA-2-Propanol-HIGH-GRADE_W0QQitemZ330018575363QQihZ014QQcategoryZ2642 0QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)?

Yes, Andy I got super green here - about 20USD for 1 litre :eek:

Come to think of it, didn't Hiroboy recently threaten to start carrying isopropyl in his online store? I remember he said he can get it. Maybe he'll ship across the channel?

Hrm... thinner and brake fluid at the same time?
You should be careful when doing combo's like this.
Not sure if the two will mix tho.
Give some results 'cause I'm curious about your mix :wink:

It went great, 1litre of DOT4 and just some thinner. But it was so much paint on it that i need to do the DOT4 one more time to get all off and the primer.

I jsut wonder how i will clean it, the DOT4 sticks well and I belive new paint wont like it.

The car looks just fine to me also.

Must be one of those Polish prases, loosly translated to "how long does it take this stuff to work, anyway?" Or, someone has been to EuroDisney far too recently.

Enough with the brake fluid- yes, it gets paint off (but then so does laquer thinner, or for that matter, gasoline). Sometimes you will get away fine, and sometimes it will utterly destroy your body. It does attack plastic, so is it really worth the risk? There are always better options.

KTem- Can you find a household cleaner called Simple Green (http://consumer.simplegreen.com/cons_prod_fam_all.php)? In the States, it's availible in hardware, home supply, and car supply stores. Stevenski, you've found this stuff haven't you? Lately it's my favorite paint stripper. It quickly, safely and easily removes laquer and acrylic (haven't tried it yet on enamel, but I hardly ever use enamels), and it claims to be fully non-toxic and biodegradable- good stuff by me.

What are you trying to strip, anyways?

I've been hearing that people are having great luck with stripping all kinds of paint, including TS sprays, with Dawn Power Dissolver that you get at the grocery store. I have some, but haven't tried it yet. It's in a pump spray bottle and it's fairly inexpensive. I have no idea if it's sold overseas.

It went great, 1litre of DOT4 and just some thinner. But it was so much paint on it that i need to do the DOT4 one more time to get all off and the primer.

I just wonder how i will clean it, the DOT4 sticks well and I believe new paint wont like it.

The car looks just fine to me also.

For the cleaning of the DOT4, just run it under the tap then light scrub it with some dish detergent using a toothbrush. The water will neutralize the brake fluid and the dish detergent will clean the rest off. Just curious what type of thinner did you use? Normal lacquer thinner? or modeling (synthetic) lacquer thinner? and around how much?

@Cyberkid: I used Tetrosyl thinner, it is a cellulose thinner ment for mixing with primers and paint.

Well I used a smidge... just had some in it said *blop blop* about two times... not much. just to add some extra. I was abit afraid about the mixing.

Thanks for the tip with water, and that you told me how it did work :)

Do not use thinner with it, and don't keep it there too long. Two parts of my car did break loose. Maybe abit hard handed by me to.

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