Jump to content
alexmcc

remove old paint

Recommended Posts

How do yous remove old paint of plastic bodies thanks

Hi Alex and welcome to the club. Brake fluid does the trick. It isn't an instant thing, you have to leave the fluid to soften the enamel and then remove it. Takes time, but works excellent and it won't harm the plastic. ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I use dettol anti-septic (but not the hand wash). I don't like brake fluid myself as I have seen it dry out plastics in some cases but many people have had good luck with it. Oven cleaner can be another good one as well many hardware stores sell graffiti remover that can work wonders. Whatever method you choose, always try a small test area first,

best of luck.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You didn't specify but if you are working with a body shell be careful with brake fluid. It works well to get off paint that is not very old and does work quite quick but older paint may require soaking over several days and in my case did cloud the shell quite a bit. Just this week I removed paint without damage to the shell using lacquer thinner. The shell was HPI and there were no ill effects. Much faster too. Like mentioned though it's a good idea to test especially if the parts you are cleaning are hard to find or out of production.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Alex,

for small parts I use Carson Paint-Killer. Last week I used it on a Monster Beetle body, it took me 15 hrs. to get the paint of....but it worked very good.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This stuff is excellent on hard bodies, definitely not to be used on lexan though (ignore the polycarbonate safe warning, it will melt lexan).

http://www.screwfix.com/p/de-solv-it-graffiti-remover-1ltr/45293?cm_sp=Search-_-SearchRec-_-Area1&_requestid=237451

For lexan, this stuff is equally as good:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201016431159

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It's the white hard plastic body, don't want to damage it coz there hard to get n shell is perfect

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've done several vintage bodies including a 35 year old one using the Desolvit with no adverse effects. Just don't leave it on for longer than 10 mins.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I just used brake fluid on the wing for the Taisan Porsche today and it destroyed it. Paint came right off bit the plastic got brittle very quickly. It even ate through the glue I used to cement the parts of the wing together

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good old Dettol, works perfect and you can use the wifes toothbrush to get last bits off, wash it up and put it back, she won't know and it'll be hygenic clean. I've used my lot stacks of times on hard bodies, never tried it on PC.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good old Dettol, works perfect and you can use the wifes toothbrush to get last bits off, wash it up and put it back, she won't know and it'll be hygenic clean. I've used my lot stacks of times on hard bodies, never tried it on PC.

Had to search for that name, have never heard of it.

Is this it? http://www.amazon.com/DETTOL-First-Aid-Antiseptic-Liquid/dp/B000GCRX6G

Does it really work?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Had to search for that name, have never heard of it.

Is this it? http://www.amazon.com/DETTOL-First-Aid-Antiseptic-Liquid/dp/B000GCRX6G

Does it really work?

thats the stuff, it works great, but its not the cheapest, and too much on the hands that leave smell for awhile that will spoil relations with the missus for a bit.

You can see some examples here >> http://tamiyabase.com/forum/forum/11-technical/17789-dettol.html

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

thats the stuff, it works great, but its not the cheapest, and too much on the hands that leave smell for awhile that will spoil relations with the missus for a bit.

You can see some examples here >> http://tamiyabase.com/forum/forum/11-technical/17789-dettol.html

You have to use the 'original' unscented version. I just bought it at chemist wholesaler, you could try discount chemist. they do sell the small bottles in super markets but works out too exy. I use a 5ltr ice cream container with a sealed lid, you could use a suitable Tupperware container. When you've finished with the job, put lid back on and leave overnight. In the morning you'll notice the paint has settled to bottom, using a funnel with fine cloth in it, slowly tip Dettol back into your storing container, the last little bit get's 'filtered' through material. Ready for next time.

It's weird how it works, it sort of gets under the paint and floats it off. You can even save some types of decals, they just come off too. I don't know how you'd put the 'sticky' back on them but.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You have to use the 'original' unscented version. I just bought it at chemist wholesaler, you could try discount chemist. they do sell the small bottles in super markets but works out too exy. I use a 5ltr ice cream container with a sealed lid, you could use a suitable Tupperware container. When you've finished with the job, put lid back on and leave overnight. In the morning you'll notice the paint has settled to bottom, using a funnel with fine cloth in it, slowly tip Dettol back into your storing container, the last little bit get's 'filtered' through material. Ready for next time.

It's weird how it works, it sort of gets under the paint and floats it off. You can even save some types of decals, they just come off too. I don't know how you'd put the 'sticky' back on them but.

Cool I didn't realise there was an unscented version. Which chemist wholesaler do you buy from? The best price I've seen is $10 for 750m.

I've removed large areas of paint in little as 1 hour, it is great stuff. I use to fill plastic bags and try and shape the bag around the car body to minimise the amount of dettol I would need. It worked but was awkward. I also use the wife's old panty hose to filter afterwards, as that is a very fine filter and gets rid of a lot of the old paint.

To get the sticky back is pretty easy, I use rolls of optically clear adhesive, its very thin and bonds extremely well. Just need to make sure the underside of the decal is clean.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't really bother with chemicals or Brake fluid. If its a hard body sand it back as much as you can, re-prime it and paint. If it's lexan, paint it on the outside. seems to work okay for me. Cheers

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yogi, chemist warehouse is good place, if you're after say, 4 bottles, ask for extra discount. You'll probably get another $1 off. I think it's reasonable value as it lasts ages, just gets a bit thickish after a while, just top up with more. Also, make sure your wife's not wearing p/h at the same time.

Alex, nail polish remover is just acetone but some have oil added which is not good under paint. You can buy acetone from paint shops, fiberglass supply shops etc. Doesn't it eat into plastic?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yogi, chemist warehouse is good place, if you're after say, 4 bottles, ask for extra discount. You'll probably get another $1 off. I think it's reasonable value as it lasts ages, just gets a bit thickish after a while, just top up with more. Also, make sure your wife's not wearing p/h at the same time.

Alex, nail polish remover is just acetone but some have oil added which is not good under paint. You can buy acetone from paint shops, fiberglass supply shops etc. Doesn't it eat into plastic?

yeah, Acetone eats Styrene, there is a great science trick in that you can make a styrene foam cut disappear into a small pool of acetone and it appears to sink into the liquid and magically disappear. Some newer polish removers use ethyl acetate, which is probably safe on styrene.

nodtec - thanks for the tip on Chemist warehouse, I'll check them out, although last time I looked Coles seemed the best (that was about 1.5 yrs ago though), they seem to average $9.95 for the 750 ml bottles and once in a blue moon would have about 10% off. Unforntunately Dettol don't seem to sell it in larger quantities.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Here's a few pictures of an old WW1 that I'm doing just a tidy up on. Not a full resto, just to make a tidy runner. Firstly, appologies for crap photos, i'm no expert.

rcwilly012_zps2a18cca1.jpg

This is it exactly as I got it, just stripped down and decals peeled off. You don't even have to wash it.

rcwilly013_zps2081181f.jpg

A 30 odd year old thick enamel job. Not picking on job done originally, could have just been kid. Actually, as you'll see, the paint has protected the plastic's surface.

rcwilly014_zps12c997e2.jpg

If you're doing a larger item, whole body, you can do this and get it done with minimal quantity of Detoll. First put body in a zip lock bag, put it in container, I use an old washed out 5 liter oil bottle. Pour in the detoll, in bag with car that is, then zip bag up all but a tiny bit, to let air out. Then using just tap water, pour into container, slowly to allow air to escape from zip lock bag.

rcwilly015_zps5c3c5da0.jpg

It's bit hard to see in picture but the container's full and you'll notice the detoll has risen to cover body shell. You might need a weight of some sort as it'll tend to float. I did this tonight and if I don't get called out with my job, I'll remove it tomorrow night. Usually take about 12hrs but you can leave it in longer if required, it won't harm the plastic. I left the roll bars in for a week.

rcwilly010_zps4b90bd3f.jpg

Here's bits I did already, you can see where paint was, it's the as new looking sections. They had painted it after assembling using a brush.

rcwilly011_zpsff454f68.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For lexan, this stuff is equally as good:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201016431159

I was very disappointed by Tardis. I bought a 5l can, so I used it quite generously and left bodies in it for ages without much luck. Didn't remove paint from factory-painted Carrera- and Kyosho-bodies at all and removed Tamiya PS just slightly better, although I scrubbed like mad too. Maybe there are big variations in the mixture?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

I was very disappointed by Tardis. I bought a 5l can, so I used it quite generously and left bodies in it for ages without much luck. Didn't remove paint from factory-painted Carrera- and Kyosho-bodies at all and removed Tamiya PS just slightly better, although I scrubbed like mad too. Maybe there are big variations in the mixture?

Hmm, very odd that as Percymon swears by it and I've had excellent results with it too (on a lesser scale)?!?

Was the stuff you bought UK sourced?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...