Help With Paint Stripping?

[nicecar]

I started an enzo a while ago (dont worry, its only the revell kit) and i got a new airbrush, so i thought i'd test it out.

Turns out i hadnt figured out how to use it, and the paint wasnt coming out much, so i fiddled with it, and ended up with paint runs all over my beloved enzo body..

A year or so later, i come back to it, do a lot of sanding then had paint it.
The hand painting isnt that bad, but you can still see all the runs and things from the previous paint jobs.

Just a quick one then, will i be ok to use brake cleaner to strip the paint back to the original body? If so how do i apply it?

Chris.

[andybmw7272]

I soak things i mess up in Purple Power (a heavy duty cleaner I got at WalMart) and it works well. Just fill up a bowl or container where the whole piece can be submerged and soak it for a few hours.

Andy

[MPWR]

No, brake cleaner will destroy the plastic. No not use brake fluid either.

What did you use for paint....?

[nicecar]

Its humbrol enamel =/

And i live in the uk so its hard to come by american products.

[jano11]

Isopropyl alcohol will do the job, it won't harm the plastic, and you will find it in the UK for sure.
Try to get the higher grade (99%) one, the lower grade isopropyl alcohol will also do the job but it will take longer.

[nicecar]

So should i get an aerosol spray, or a few litres of the solvent in a tin?

[freakray]

Originally Posted by nicecar

So should i get an aerosol spray, or a few litres of the solvent in a tin?

Go to Boots and look in the aisle with things like Savlon and Dettol, if you can't find it ask. 99% isopropyl alcohol usually comes in a plastic bottle.

[nicecar]

Originally Posted by freakray

Go to Boots and look in the aisle with things like Savlon and Dettol, if you can't find it ask. 99% isopropyl alcohol usually comes in a plastic bottle.

Thanks

Maybe i can pick up some savlon, see if that will fix my modeling skills

Now to see how this is gonna turn out.

[stevenoble]

If you have a Maplins electronics store near to you you can buy it there.It's where I got mine from and I'm in the UK.Buy the stuff in the metal container not the aerosol spray.Put the whole litre into a plastic tupperware type container with an airtight sealed lid and leave the body shell overnight in the 'bath' with the lid sealed.Next day remove and scrub with an old toothbrush and the paint will come off easily especially Humbrol enamel.Some other types of paint take a couple of soaks.But it always comes off in the end.Don't throw away the old alcohol, leave it in the container with the lid sealed and you can use it over and over again for future disasters!!! I have a bath on stand by for when I screw things up!!!!!

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Are you guys certain that alcohol will strip enamel?

That's one I haven't heard of myself, and the subject gets brought up a lot on forums, as model car guys seem utterly fascinated with stripping paint (I avoid it like the plague). I know that any lye-based cleaner, such as Easy Off oven cleaner, works wonders on hobby enamels. The purple cleaners/degreasers also work.

The reason I ask is that enamel and lacquer have different characteristics; lacquer can be "rejuvenated"; if it dries out in a bottle you can add thinner and it will be just fine again. Once enamel has dried, nothing will make it good again. I would think it would be impervious to alcohol...but haven't tried it. Alcohol works great on hobby lacquers, that's for sure.

[MPWR]

Originally Posted by ZoomZoomMX-5

Are you guys certain that alcohol will strip enamel?

I'm with Bob here. I can't say that alcohol will strip enamels (haven't ever tried it). But there are a good number of things that work on enamels quickly and safely.

Enamels are different than lacquers and aqueous acrylics, in that they cure instead of dry- so they won't necessarily dissolve in a solvent (like alcohol).

Caustic cleaner/degreasers like Purple Power and Castrol Super Clean are fantastic for stripping enamels and are completely safe on plastic. Don't know what brand name they'd be sold under in the UK, but I can't imagine they'd be hard to find.

You won't hurt anything by trying the alcohol. But if it doesn't work, there are other good options.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by MPWR

You won't hurt anything by trying the alcohol. But if it doesn't work, there are other good options.

The alcohol is certainly cheap enough; Wal Mart has pint bottles of 91% for well under $1, so it's useful for other things like cleaning the airbrush or mixing with some acrylics. I have a bottle next to my painting station, alongside all my other solvents. I got a gallon of 99% from the supermarket (ordered it from pharmacy), I use that in a sealed container to strip prepainted bodies, like the Polar Lights kits. About 30 mins. and it comes right off. It also stripped my Revell/Dragon BMW M Coupe of it's weird blue paint...

Whenever I've stripped enamel, I used Easy Off; it's pretty nasty but I spray the parts, put them in a plastic bag, and after 30 mins. or so most, if not all of it will scrub off w/an old toothbrush. Water neutralizes it immediately. I never had the patience to dip a body in the purple stuff and wait overnight or days...weeks...

Dawn Power Dissolve also is a good stripper for enamels and lacquers.

[jano11]

Already stripped Revell enamel with Isopropyl Alcohol. I supposed it works for Humbrol too. I orefer the alcohol as it is not dangerous (caustic) as other products used for stripping paint.

[nicecar]

I found some stuff called "reddish blink" that was sold to my parents on a holiday in florida. Its one of those *look how shiny i can make your ring* things, and its on a stand in the middle of a shopping centre.

I'm soaking a peice of sprue i used for mixing paint now, and hopefull it will remove the paint but not the plastic. If not, its off to boots to try the other solutions, or maplins becuase that is closer.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by jano11

Already stripped Revell enamel with Isopropyl Alcohol. I supposed it works for Humbrol too. I orefer the alcohol as it is not dangerous (caustic) as other products used for stripping paint.

That's good to know. No reason for over-powering chemicals if they can be avoided. Just remember the 91 and 99% alcohols are flammable, the regular 70% has too much water to be flammable.