Removing enamel paint

Cool!  I'm glad that worked for you Bob.  I'm about to start an old AMT Indy car kit and I don't like the chrome parts that came with the kit.  I was thinking about using oven cleaner to remove it.   Maybe the brake fluid is the way to go.  

Isopropyl alcohol and an electric toothbrush work too...right down to the bare plastic. 

It worked! Until today, I had enjoyed virtually no success in stripping paint off plastic models. Purple Power (a Canadian version?) didn't touch it, and oven cleaner was scarcely better.

Yesterday, as a result of this thread (and others I've seen in the past), I bought a 350ml container of Unival "disc drum & ABS Brake Fluid". Before bed last night, I placed a tail fin from from a stillborn Airfix Hampden bomber model that was headed to the model cemetery into a small bowl of brake fluid and let it sit overnight.

This morning, the brake fluid was cloudy but most of the paint (one coat each of Tamiya acrylic spray primer and RAF green) seemed to be intact. But an old toothbrush removed most of the old paint in about 10 seconds, and another 15 seconds, using an electric toothbrush with an after-market brush, it was stripped down to the original dark-grey plastic. I'm impressed! I wonder how well it will clean my teeth? 

Bob

Thank you Baron that helps a lot when removing paint in  such a small area.  

Very interesting stuff, Baron. The pics help. Thanks for the further info.

Think I'm getting dragged to Wally World anyway, they seem to carry the stuff.

I got the idea to use SuperClean, from a thread at AgapeModels, in which someone demonstrated using it to remove the chrome from the Tamiya chromed P-51D kit.  I was building the Monogram Red Baron hot rod at the time, and I wanted to strip the chrome from all of the chromed sprues.  Yes, insane, but AMS kicked in, and I needed to be able to clean up seams and sprue gates, so, I was going to repaint everything anyway.

I used an old glass baking dish, round, about 9 inches across.  I poured some SC into the dish and placed one of the sprues in the bath.  Within seconds, the chrome began to dissolve into the solution.  In two minutes, the chrome was gone, and what was left was the styrene, literally squeaky-clean.

From there, I tried it on some old metal figures that I bought for repainting.  I found that paint took a little longer to soften and dissolve than the thin layer of chrome plating did, but still, in about 5 minutes, paint had dissolved into the solution, and I removed the piece.  The paint rubbed off, and rinsed off under a faucet.  I used an old toothbrush to scrub away more stubborn spots.  I needed to do a little picking at relief areas to remove the paint embedded there, and I have since found that I'll do a couple of passes when removing paint.  But when I used oven cleaner, I had the same experience, and that required good ventilation and gloves.  It's a good idea to work in a well-ventilated environment, anyway, but SC is not nearly as caustic or volatile.  I use glass jars of various sizes and keep several batches going at any given time.

As far as spot-removal goes, removing paint from a specific spot, while preserving the surrounding painted area, here is a figure on which I had to do that.  I messed up her one eye:

and I didn't want to strip the whole figure.  So I used an old paint brush to apply some SC and I was able to remove the paint just from her face:

It took a couple of passes, and I had to be careful, but it worked pretty well.  Here's where that figure is now, by the way:

I just find it particularly easy to work with, and since a batch can be used over and over, it's cost-effective, at arond eight bucks a gallon at WalMart.  And since it's a de-greaser, it has household cleaning uses, even.....cleaning the oven.

I haven't abandoned other solvents completely.  I still use mineral spirits and lacquer thinner, or water or isopropyl, as appropriate.  But for stripping paint, this is what I now use.

Nick, that pic really is worth a thousand words. Thanks for posting it.

bugman9317

I use brake fluid all of the time on styrene. I started out using Super Clean, but for me it took way too long. I had a few bodies sitting in Super Clean for two weeks and it hardly touched it. I then put them into brake fluid and within a few days the paint just fell off. So now I just grab the brake fluid.

 

Hmmmm, slightly conflicting info on "how fast is SuperClean?". But there are so many variables. Thanks for your input.

the Baron

 

 

Greg

How quickly does the SuperClean work?

 

 

 

Immediately.  In the case of removing all of the paint from a painted piece, you can soak the piece in a bath of SC, and the paint begins to soften and dissolve at once.  The longer you soak it, of course, the more the paint dissolves.  I usually let a piece sit for at least 5 minutes, before I remove it and use an old toothbrush to scrub away the paint away gently.

In the case of removing paint from a small, specific area, it also works immediately, but it might take a couple of passes to apply some SC to the area and wipe it away.

I use it with styrene, resin, and white metal, to remove acrylic, enamel, lacquer, and oil paints.

 

the Baron

 

 

Greg

How quickly does the SuperClean work?

 

 

 

Immediately.  In the case of removing all of the paint from a painted piece, you can soak the piece in a bath of SC, and the paint begins to soften and dissolve at once.  The longer you soak it, of course, the more the paint dissolves.  I usually let a piece sit for at least 5 minutes, before I remove it and use an old toothbrush to scrub away the paint away gently.

In the case of removing paint from a small, specific area, it also works immediately, but it might take a couple of passes to apply some SC to the area and wipe it away.

I use it with styrene, resin, and white metal, to remove acrylic, enamel, lacquer, and oil paints.

 

That's great information. Thanks, Baron! I think I'm sold.

yes you have to wear gloves. This is the meteor that is FUBR untill ....

after 1hr 20min soaking in brake fluid paint came off even in the pannel lines with light brush strokes. well Im sold.. for what is worth. thats my opinion thanks for all your inputs my friends.

the Baron

 

 

Don Stauffer

I have used Purple Power.  Works much slower, but it works.  I have friends that swear by oven cleaner.

 

 

 

Oven cleaner will remove paint, to be sure.  I used to use it.  But I abandoned it, after I first tried SuperClean.  The drawbacks to oven cleaner are its causticity (a new word?), and that it's a once-and-done product.  One batch sprayed from the can is gone, whereas SC, or Simple Green, or Purple Power, can be poured into a jar and used over and over.

I don't know how easy it would be to remove paint from a specific area, using oven cleaner, either.  You'd have to decant it and then apply it to the area.

 

While not as caustic as oven cleaner, one must be careful with Purple Power too. It is a very strong detergent.  I have to be sure to wash it off thoroughly when I get any on my hands, or it will start itching or burning.  I am starting to use plastic gloves when I work with the stuff. I think almost any really strong detergent is similar.

I use brake fluid all of the time on styrene. I started out using Super Clean, but for me it took way too long. I had a few bodies sitting in Super Clean for two weeks and it hardly touched it. I then put them into brake fluid and within a few days the paint just fell off. So now I just grab the brake fluid.

Greg

How quickly does the SuperClean work?

Immediately.  In the case of removing all of the paint from a painted piece, you can soak the piece in a bath of SC, and the paint begins to soften and dissolve at once.  The longer you soak it, of course, the more the paint dissolves.  I usually let a piece sit for at least 5 minutes, before I remove it and use an old toothbrush to scrub away the paint away gently.

In the case of removing paint from a small, specific area, it also works immediately, but it might take a couple of passes to apply some SC to the area and wipe it away.

I use it with styrene, resin, and white metal, to remove acrylic, enamel, lacquer, and oil paints.

crown r n7

Greg I've used purple power it's good but it takes a while . I had my meteor f.1 in purple power for a week the paint came off but the pannel lines what a mess . When I used it on my buffalo,s cowling it was bare plastic .2 coats of enamel primer and 2 coats of testors gloss blue in minutes .

mustang thanks for the tip on  resin .

 

Thanks, Nick.

I have less and less patience with waiting for stuff re modelling, so maybe I should have some brake fluid on hand.

I remember younger days when a fast strip might have meant something completely different.

Greg I've used purple power it's good but it takes a while . I had my meteor f.1 in purple power for a week the paint came off but the pannel lines what a mess . When I used it on my buffalo,s cowling it was bare plastic .2 coats of enamel primer and 2 coats of testors gloss blue in minutes .

mustang thanks for the tip on  resin .

crown r n7

was going to remove the paint with a degreaser but I tried 3dot brake fluid instead removed the paint in minutes!!! with light brushing and cleaned the recessed pannel lines now to try it on some old very old car bodies.

How quickly does the SuperClean work?

Would you recommend it over Purple Power and the others you mentioned?

Sounds like a smart thing to have on my shelf.....

Don Stauffer

I have used Purple Power.  Works much slower, but it works.  I have friends that swear by oven cleaner.

Oven cleaner will remove paint, to be sure.  I used to use it.  But I abandoned it, after I first tried SuperClean.  The drawbacks to oven cleaner are its causticity (a new word?), and that it's a once-and-done product.  One batch sprayed from the can is gone, whereas SC, or Simple Green, or Purple Power, can be poured into a jar and used over and over.

I don't know how easy it would be to remove paint from a specific area, using oven cleaner, either.  You'd have to decant it and then apply it to the area.

I have used Purple Power.  Works much slower, but it works.  I have friends that swear by oven cleaner.

I was surprised how fast it works I should of used it on my 1st meteor! Oh well something else to use thanks Baron for your info .

I've done that with a degreaser, SuperClean.  I've used it to remove paint from specific spots, by applying it with an old paint brush.  That let me remove paint without damaging the surrounding area.  For example, I had painted the face on a figure, and messed up an eye.  Instead of stripping the whole face and painting it all over again, I removed the paint from the eye, with this technique.

I'll have to remember that.