Acrylic Striping Question

Sure, it'll work on some acrylics, not as well as others. But there are three problems:

1. It's flammable and easily ignited.
2. The vapors are bad for you. (You can get drunk, and if it's methylated, much worse!)
3. Skin contact is bad for you, especially if it is methylated, as methyl alcohol (the stuff that makes you blind and kills kidneys) can be absorbed through the skin.

I second the brake fluid method. I have just experienced a major "masking castastrohe" that require a completed redo. A cake-pan full of brake fluid for about 24-48 hours and everything just fell off, with no damage what-so-ever to the plastic or any of the adhesives. A good warm water rinse, followed by a good blow-job, and we were ready for a new coat of primer and another shot.

Works like a charm!!!!!

I found a bottle of LESTOIL in my grocery store worked great! I let the figure soak for about 30 minutes and then brushed of the paint with an old toothbrush. It came off very easily and did not affect the glued limbs at all. LESTOIL is made by the Clorox Company and is advertized as a household grease and stain remover. It is some what thick and brown in color. I'm even thinking you could use it to wash off parts before painting to de-grease you model.

Ross,

Great point!  I used a cotton swab and was very careful not to overdue it.  Also I used the the special Model Master Metalizer thinner witch I think is a little less aggressive.  I would not soak any parts in any kind of Lacquer based thinner.

Travis

I just had a situation when I need to strip some Model Master Metalizer.  MM Metalizer is Laquer based so I used some laquer thinner.  All I had to do was dip the part in the thinner for a few seconds and then wip the paint off with a cotton swab.  Keep in mind the paint was only about 12 hours old.  I am not sure if that will work as good with an older paint job.  I hope this helps.

 Travis

jtilley wrote:

I think Windex contains ammonia, which is a mild solvent for many plastics.  In most cases the effect probably is so slight that it wouldn't matter, but I'd be a little nervous about using Windex on clear plastic.  (I used to work in a museum, where we had an ironclad rule:  never use Windex to clean a plexiglas case.  It may take months of daily applications, but eventually the stuff will start looking grey and blurry.)

Yes, it contains ammonia. However, ammonia is not a "solvent" for plastic. What it is, is a highly aggessive chemical that will attack almost anything. And if it will attack acrylic paint, it will also attack acrylic plastic, albeit much more slowly. Your experience with plexiglass museum cases is indicative—but there are other factors at work, too. Styrene is not an acrylic, neither is butyrate. However, see below!

For modeling applications, any damage to clear parts (you would probably have to soak them) can be repaired the same way minor scratches are. (Polish and dip in Future.)

However, remember what I said about "attack almost anything"? Long exposure to higher concentrations of ammonia will embrittle styrene (and other polymers), and will alter the surface on a microscopic level. Fine sanding is recommended in such cases. This will remove the altered surface plastic. 

My favorite paint stripper for years has been automotive brake fluid.  Pour enough of it in an appropriate container (the cheap aluminum baking pans sold in groceries are great for the purpose) to cover the object you're stripping, and let it soak for an hour or so.  Then hold the object under running water, and watch most of the paint fall off.  Tough spots may need some help from an old toothbrush.  But so far I haven't run across a part, or a type of paint, that brake fluid couldn't handle.

I think Windex contains ammonia, which is a mild solvent for many plastics.  In most cases the effect probably is so slight that it wouldn't matter, but I'd be a little nervous about using Windex on clear plastic.  (I used to work in a museum, where we had an ironclad rule:  never use Windex to clean a plexiglas case.  It may take months of daily applications, but eventually the stuff will start looking grey and blurry.)

Applications that thick will take more time. Also, some of the paint you have used may not be as susceptible to Windex, particularly the craft paints.

As I don't use much MM metalizer, I don't know if it will work on those.