How to strip old paint?

I have always used brake fluid with no problems. Just dip straight in and about one day later all the paint is gone. Haven't tried any of the other things, but I just might. It's amazing to see the things we use to get the job done.

I use Oderless Mineral Spirits. I leave the parts in a bucket (or whatever) of the stuff for a couple of days. After that I can pretty much peel the paint off. I have a Lotus Europa Special I'm finishing. I needed to strip the old paint off. The old paint was from a testors Black spray that was no good. The Mineral Spirits worked really well. Well, maybe it'll only work on enamel base paints.

All right i tried the Purple Power [from Walmart at less than $4 a gal. Sweet price. Cheaper than the other stuff.]. It works. i tested it on a piece of clear spru first with no ill effects. I then let my parts soak in it all day and i was able to remove the acrylic paint with a small tooth brush. It is not a fast process if you are in a hurry but I like it and it works. I wore gloves as the bottle suggested and also goggles because whe you get to scrubbing with a tooth brush droplest fly everywhere. i would Have tried the Simple Green first [and i still will] if i had noticed that the Simple Green is a non-toxic bio degradable product and the Purple Power is only biodegradable. the Simple Green should be easier to work with since you won't need the gloves.
I learned a hard lesson about goggles today. I took off my goggles [thinking I no longer needed them since i had set aside the purple power] so i could dip some clear parts in some Future and i accidently dropped a part into the Future and a drop flew into my leaft eye. I ran some water over it and it's cool i'm okay but it was for lack of a better term "an eye opener".LOL Funny thing is the Future didn't seem to burn but the cold water did!
Oh and be aware that the clear parts were made of a semi-opaque thick plastic from a Ziod model/toy. It is a lot tougher and a lot thicker than the styrene that we usually work with. I'm not sure what kind of plastic it is. I'll test some regular clear peices with it tomorrow.

I would like to know if Simple Green works myself, I can atest to the fact that Brake fluid will fog and eat into clear plastic. I don't wish to repeat the sandind and polishing out of a windshield ever again.

Rob

Thanks! I'd hate to ruin this kit since all of the parts are clear.

I have never used it for clear parts. I will try it with a scrap part this weekend, and post the results next week.
Lee

Is simple green safe for clear parts?

I use Simple Green to strip paint, simply submerge in Simple Green, leave for a few days, and most of paint will fall off. You may need to scrub door lines, etc a bit, but works great. and safe too.
Lee

QUOTE: Originally posted by parfectputter I never knew that bbrake fluid would take paint off. Do you just put in on strait up or add water to it

Yeah, brake fluid will take the paint straight off your real car! So be carefull when pouring it in your master cylinder, dont let it drip on the fender un-noticed.
Just use the brake fluid full-strength, don't dilute it with anything.
It takes about a day or so for it to strip loose the paint on a model. I have used it on both Testor's enamels, and Dupli-color's laquers both. I'm sure it will attack acrylics too. It wont harm clear parts.
I usually use an old, soft toothbrush near the end of the stripping process to loosen stubborn paint in recesses such as cowl louvers, door and trunk lines, window frames, and such.
This is where the protective gloves come in handy. An apron comes in handy too to keep it off of your clothes. Dont use it anywhere near furniture that could be damaged by it either.
And since brake fluid is water soluible, it washes right up with warm water, and mild dtergent such as Ivory liquid.
Thanks for listening!

How long do you let it soak [approx.] in brake fluid?
How long in Castrol Super clean?

Do these work on acrylics and will they harm clear parts?

I never knew that bbrake fluid would take paint off.
Do you just put in on strait up or add water to it

Wow Thanks Guys, Thats all I needed. Pardon my typo, it was an "old lincoln continental kit" I needed to strip. not a "cold". Gotta check that spelling better. Peace T.L.

I've found that the best thing for stipping off the paint has beent he generic version of Castrol Super-Clean.
Over at Wal-Mart you can get a gallon jug of this purple stuff that works just as good for a couple bucks less.
Just don't toss any chrome parts in there!! (Strips that too!!)

Brake fluid works on almost any kind of paint, won't harm the plastic, and is water-soluble. I keep sealed, covered pan with 1 quart of brake fluid in it. I just dip the parts I need stripped, and let them soak.

It's a little slow, but there is absolutely NO damage to the styrene parts, and when all the old paint is loose, I simply wash them with warm water and Ivory liquid.

Just be sure to wear protective gloves and avoid prolonged skin contact with brake fluid.

Wesley's Bleech-White, Easy-Off oven cleaner, Castrol Super-Clean, Brake fluid, Polly Scale Easy Lift Off, Sodium Hydroxide solution.....Take your pick. I'm sure there are many others I'm forgetting too!

I;m sure that you didn't really mean a cold that was painted! However for plastic I use oven cleaner - very carefully or wipe on paint remover and wipe off again quickly, depends upon the number of layers and the detail underneath but generally I revert to sanding with wet & dry . For resin or white metal any ordinary paint stripper works although again leave it too long on resin and some resins soften. Brake fluid is also supposed to be good for resin and whire metal.