paint removal?

QUOTE: Gip, Is NaOH the lye that is in Easy-Off or is it a different chemical? I thought the lye was what made Easy-Off clean so well. Mike

Mike,
You're absolutely correct. Same stuff, although lye is a rather generic term that could be applied to both sodium and potassium hydroxide.

Gip Winecoff

When I do strip, I use automotive brake fluid. Its cheap, easy to find and if I happen to get some on me, won't harm me. When I want to dispose of it, not problem. I have a friend who runs a garage and who has to get rid of several gallons chemicals each month. When I want to dispose of the brake fluid, I pour it back into the can and take it to him. No more than I get rid of (maybe a quart every 2 years) he doesn't charge me, just puts it with his stuff to be picked up at the end of the month.

Jedi Mike,

For enamels and acrylics you can use bleach (chlorox). Immerse the whole kit into the solution and in 3 days you can brush off the paint using an old toothbrush and some detergent. It doesnt affect the clear parts. Plus, most plastic cement are crystalized and the parts come off easily.

Nice find on that article! I found out about "the purple stuff" from car modelers years ago. I used it and it was great, but I couldn't find where I put it anymore. I didn't want to get a whole gallon of the stuff for some stripping so got a small bottle of break fluid. Man was it messy and greasy, and it didn't work too well. Then I got oven cleaner and it worked great but left a slimy film that was very difficult to wash off, and the fumes were terrible. I shoulda just saved myself all the trouble and gotten another gallon Castro Super Clean.

Gip,

Is NaOH the lye that is in Easy-Off or is it a different chemical?
I thought the lye was what made Easy-Off clean so well.

Mike

NaOH is the primary ingredient in Easy-Off oven cleaner. The United Nations (UN) shipping number only deals with transportation and the identity of the product being shipped.

Easy-Off works great, but there are serious safety concerns with this stuff. There are safer materials that will do as good a job without the additional hazards.

MikeV has it nailed with the link he has provided above.


Gip Winecoff

What I use is, Sodium Hydroxide NaOH, we call it here (Soda Cáustica). IMO 8 UN 1824 (these are family or number given by IMO and the UN for transportation matters, but could help you find a producer or stockpiler. It is very cheap, have to use in a tupperware like container, it will etch metal, specially alluminum, put about two litres of water and 250 grams of the NaOH, if the water is warm it will act faster. it is a very agressive stuff, so be carefull, with your eyes, clothes, use rubber gloves, and take any precaution like if you are working with acid. if the paint is not removed completelly repeat, use a soft brush, even a toothbrush, and rinse fully.

Try this link.
It contains all you need to know:

http://www.bonediggers.com/1-3/strip/strip.html

Mike

I've had limited success with acrylics. I can only tell you to try it out.

thanks, i used acrylic paint does it mean I can no longer remove the paints. it was a 1/35 figures which I bought last year and the first time I painted and since I dont have enough knowledge that time it didnt turn out well. I bought a new one same model figures only this December and painted it and already turned out well.

Oven cleaner is something you can try. Put the model in a metal container, spray the stuff all over and wait. Do that outside. After a while (hours), wash the model under a tap and you should see some results. A bit of scrubbing with an old toothbrush might help in getting extra paint off. You may have to start again. Works well with enamels. Acrylics are harder to get rid off...