Removing enamel paint from plastic model parts?

QUOTE: Originally posted by Banjopicker Anyone know a good way to remove enamel paint from a plastic model? It's a Tamiya motorcycle kit and I spray painted the pieces which went on too thick. I Would like to remove the old paint and use an air brush this time.

check the painting and airbrushing section, they have a lot on this... but easy off works oven cleaner works... but I would think any chrome would go the same way as the paint with this one..., as well as castrol super clean I htink the name is...

with easy off (oven cleaner) coat it real good then seal the whole thing up in a ziplock bag overnite... better read about it first in the painting section they have detailed instructions...

QUOTE: Originally posted by tho9900 QUOTE: Originally posted by Banjopicker Anyone know a good way to remove enamel paint from a plastic model? It's a Tamiya motorcycle kit and I spray painted the pieces which went on too thick. I Would like to remove the old paint and use an air brush this time. check the painting and airbrushing section, they have a lot on this... but easy off works oven cleaner works... but I would think any chrome would go the same way as the paint with this one..., as well as castrol super clean I htink the name is... with easy off (oven cleaner) coat it real good then seal the whole thing up in a ziplock bag overnite... better read about it first in the painting section they have detailed instructions...

Thanks for the info.

simple green works awesome when it comes to stripping paint too

While some people swear by simple green, I had never heard of it being used for paint removal until recently.

However, I can tell you Castrol Super Clean(CSC), available from local auto parts houses, walmart and other places works great for me and a lot of others. It seems to take the least amount of time to get paint off (Of course the longer the paint has been on the plastic, the longer it might have to sit). It also seems to be one of the most economical solutions I've found. I pay $3.95 (local Auto Parts store) for a gallon of the stuff and it lasts along time if kept in the original container. It can/will evaporate if left exposed to air. CSC comes in a large purple jug, kinda like a bottle of anti-freeze.

Here's how I use CSC...
I fill a Sterilite Container(You can use RubberMaid,Tupperware,Gladware, etc..) (Mine's about the size of a shoebox) that has a lid about 1/2 full with CSC, then I just place the parts in it and let them soak. Generally about 15 minutes to 30 minutes for recently painted pieces (painted within the last week or 2). I then take the parts out and give them a light scrubbing with a toothbrush while running water in the tap(This is to rinse away the old paint, as well as the CSC). Once I have the paint removed I then thouroghly rinse the part in water. I then let the part to thouroghly dry before re-painting. The longest I have ever had to leave parts in CSC was for 3 days while stripping a model which had paint on it for over 3 yrs.

I hope this is off some help! Good luck and let us know what you use and how it turned out.

QUOTE: Originally posted by HistoryinScale While some people swear by simple green, I had never heard of it being used for paint removal until recently. However, I can tell you Castrol Super Clean(CSC), available from local auto parts houses, walmart and other places works great for me and a lot of others. It seems to take the least amount of time to get paint off (Of course the longer the paint has been on the plastic, the longer it might have to sit). It also seems to be one of the most economical solutions I've found. I pay $3.95 (local Auto Parts store) for a gallon of the stuff and it lasts along time if kept in the original container. It can/will evaporate if left exposed to air. CSC comes in a large purple jug, kinda like a bottle of anti-freeze. Here's how I use CSC... I fill a Sterilite Container(You can use RubberMaid,Tupperware,Gladware, etc..) (Mine's about the size of a shoebox) that has a lid about 1/2 full with CSC, then I just place the parts in it and let them soak. Generally about 15 minutes to 30 minutes for recently painted pieces (painted within the last week or 2). I then take the parts out and give them a light scrubbing with a toothbrush while running water in the tap(This is to rinse away the old paint, as well as the CSC). Once I have the paint removed I then thouroghly rinse the part in water. I then let the part to thouroghly dry before re-painting. The longest I have ever had to leave parts in CSC was for 3 days while stripping a model which had paint on it for over 3 yrs. I hope this is off some help! Good luck and let us know what you use and how it turned out.

...and nothing happens to the plastic huh??

QUOTE: Originally posted by blunce ...and nothing happens to the plastic huh??

No, other than the paint being removed which was the intended goal...but you don't have to take my word for it. There are quite a few other forum members who use this method, you can try it and find out for yourself...That's what I did.

My wife, mrs madmike has been using Pollyscale Easy Lift Off recently and it stripped the enamels and acrylics off a vinyl figure kit easiliy, leaving the vinyl undamaged.

Recommended!

cheers

Mike

Trying using a dot 3 or 4 brake fluid. Mine works. I used a caltex dot 4 brake fluid.

Good luck