Chrome is not my favorite color!

your the best scott! thanks very much

QUOTE: thanks for all the help scott. i'm shifting to acrylics and i would not want my clear enamels to go to waste but is future the best clear coat for acrylic bases?

I don't know if Future is the "Best" or not, but it does work quite well. Some of the clear finishes aren't enamel but are laquer, and laquer over decals can sometimes cause problems. I know that Future is not going to harm anything so I prefer it personally.

thanks for all the help scott. i'm shifting to acrylics and i would not want my clear enamels to go to waste but is future the best clear coat for acrylic bases?

You can really paint anything over anything as long as you are careful. Laquer is "Hotter" than enamel or acrylic, and can cause problems. Enamel is also hotter than acrylic and can cause problems. The order (from mildest to hottest) is Aqueous (water based) Acrylics -> Enamel -> Laquer. Water-based acrylics can go over either of the others with no danger, but when going from a "Hot" medium to one below you need to make sure that:

1) The underlying paint has had PLENTY of time to cure (not just dry to the touch but fullt cure). I prefer to give it 24 to 48 hours.

2) The first couple of coats should be very light mist coats. This way the thinner evaporates rather quickly without having a lot of time to attack the paint underneath. Once you get a couple of mist coats down you can spray heavier.

thanks scott for all the help, great link too! could i ask another question? which paints are not supposed to go over the other? fro example i konw that acrylic can't go over enamels coz acrylics eat enamels, but enamels can go over acrylic base paints.. which other paint combinations are a no no? would you happen to know of a site that discusses this? just want to know all the tricks of the trade before experimenting. thanks bro

QUOTE: hey scott would you know if bleach or vinegar would remove enamels,acrylics or laquer? thanks bro

I've never tried it, so I don't know. I suspect that bleach might, but I don't know about vinegar. Some acrylics can be easily removed with household cleaners such as 409, Simple Green, Windex, etc. Enamels and laquers are more difficult. I personally prefer Castrol Super Clean since it will remove all acrylics, virtually all enamels, and some laquers. Brake fluid and oven cleaner also work well but they are pretty nasty to use.

Here is a good site that dicsusses several different methods for removing paint from models:
http://www.bonediggers.com/1-3/strip/strip.html

hey scott would you know if bleach or vinegar would remove enamels,acrylics or laquer? thanks bro

Thanks everyone! I went with the vinegar because I had some around the house and it worked great.

Bleach should strip as well but smells worse than vinegar, vinegar won't damage blue jeans etc if knocked over.

I've heard that plain old household bleach will take chrome off as well.

Ordinary vinegar will strip chrome easily without the fumes. Just plonk the item in and check it later. Doesn't take long overnight will do.

Thanks ryanpm, I will look into your suggestions. That's a lot of help!

Easy Off is an oven cleaner that can be used to remove paint. Stripping paint and stipping chrome are pretty much the same thing. Here are my comments from a paint stripping topic.

True engine degreasers contain Petroluem Distillates(Paint Thinner) which will melt right through plastic. Cleaner/Degreasers like Simple Green and Castrol Super Clean won't melt plastic no matter how long it sits. Castrol Super Clean use to be available in an aerosol can, but was recalled a couple of years ago and never reissued. I haven't been able to find any since. I believe that Castrol Super Wheel Cleaner is just a diluted from of CSC, but I'm not positive.

Brake cleaner is mildly effective, but highly toxic. Same with Easy Off.

My recommendation for stripping lacquers is Wesleys White Wall Cleaner can be found at all NAPA Auto Stores. My uncle told me this will strip paint very well without hurting the plastic and isn't as toxic as other options.

My other recommendations for stripping lacquer are items like Pollyscale ELO and Hangar's Strip-A-Kit. These are similar to paint thinner and are effective in stripping paint. They will not harm plastic.

Windex can also be used to strip paint, but ammonia fumes are more than I can handle. It doesn't work that well either.

No matter what you use, make sure to use solvent resistant gloves, only do it outside or in a barn, and don't inhale the fumes. I recommend a respirator for the more toxic and votalie ones. You can use a 3M ScothBrite plastic pad to scrub stubborn paint off. They are green and come in a 2-pack. They will not damage plastic no matter how hard you scrub.