The final solution to lexan paint stripping

[Singapore_959]

 

During the past 3 weeks I have had the joyful opportunity to try all the methods mentioned in the past. The final solution is:

 

Don't do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Buying a new shell is ultimately a better experience (regardless of cost).

If it is a very old painted shell, SOME of the paint will come off.

If it is a newish (from '99 say) painted shell, forget it.

 

Nothing removed the paint from my '94 painted Daytona thunder.

 

Older painted shells:

Last two days have had slightly more progress on a Wild One shell. But the result still leaves lots of paint sporadically over the shell.

Nitro - some effect but not alot

Citrus 'Jiff' brand bathroom/house cleaning cream - better than nitro. Scrubbed in with a skitchen scratchy sponge. Better than nitro at getting paint of wheels (why o WHY do people paint wheels??!)

Brake fluid -  soaking over night. As good at citrus/house cleaning cream but you still need to take it out and scrub it off. So may as well just do this to begin with, with the citrus cleaner, rather than buying new brake fluid, bucketing it, waiting all night and smelling it around the house.

Oven cleaner - best option.  In fact the one I used was out of date by 2 years but it still did the better job. However it's horrible to work with and burns and invariably splashed on you, clothes, ktichen counter etc.

 

Use gloves!  I thought I was smart using a nose and mouth mask. But with oven cleaner this backfired. The fumes go thru the mask and then recirculate! Burning throat for two days and still continuing... [:@]

 

So I still have paint marks all over which I need to scrub out with steel wool. Gloves or no gloves, finger skin takes a battering.  For 25 UK Pounds I could have bought a new body with sticker on ebay.  A much better solution!

 Hope this helps others.

 

[kontemax]

Hi Singapore,

 

you didn't try the automatic car washing soap. This is a liquid looking similar to water and smells good. It's really really concetrate. You can use a very little bit in a tank of water and deep the lexan inside. It will not touch the lexan and the decals but the paint will be solved away. It works but is very difficoult to find in little quantities. Try to ask a little bit of it at your local car washing.

 

Cheers

Max 

[john45677]

kontemax ,is there any way you could post a pic of this product are a link?

thx john

[cardesigner]

Hi Singapore,

 

you didn't try the automatic car washing soap. This is a liquid looking similar to water and smells good. It's really really concetrate. You can use a very little bit in a tank of water and deep the lexan inside. It will not touch the lexan and the decals but the paint will be solved away. It works but is very difficoult to find in little quantities. Try to ask a little bit of it at your local car washing.

 

Cheers

Max 

 

I'm never taking my truck to an automated car wash again!  []

[cardesigner]

argh double post

[kontemax]

I'm sorry, I cannot give a pict of the product because I have it in a generic bottle. This product isn't sold to the public and you must ask at some car washer if he gives you a little bit. My product has been a present from a friend of mine.

Cheers

Max 

[Stefan(2)]

Slightly off topic, but when asking for the car wash cleaner,

(and it is located on a petrol station)

Also ask for a little bit of petrol/gas remover for the floors. Impossible to buy "in person"

but amazing stuff to clean up metal parts.

(DO NOT USE ON ANYTHING PLASTIC!!!) and, wear at least gloves.

Don't ask the owner , as the stuff is quite expencive.

 

Stefan

[Voltar]

If it was painted properly, it will not come off. Period.

[WILD WILLY]

If it was painted properly, it will not come off. Period.

 

^^^^^^^^^^ Very Good Point ^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[^o)]

[hellwheels]

Well my advice is to use Nail Polish Remover with Acetone.

 

I have succesfully removed paint from RTR cars, that is factory painted shells.

 

The only heads up is not to inhale it to much, and to wipe of the "fluid" instant when applying it to the paint.

 

1. Take NPR on a cue tip for instance.

2. Rubb the cue tip in the part that need removing.

3. Take a wet paper and remove the remains of NPR on the shell.

If you dont remove the remains, the lexan will "fade/fogg" due to the acetone attacks the lexan.

 

If this is done correctly it will remove all the paint and leave the body unharmed.

If you are hard core, you can use pure Acetone, but then you have to be ......  extremely quick to remove the acetone or the whole lexan body will either fade/fogg or melt.

 

/tobias

 

[Rabiedmushroom]

Going back to the oven cleaner method, and subsequent inhalation problems...

Well it just shows that you lazy boys obviously don't clean your kitchen appliances, cus us poor ladies have to suffer all the time, using the same products !!!

[][][] 

[Singapore_959]

[]  []  []

 

LAZY?!! I lost my voice last night as a result of all these shananigans and want to burn the wretched wild one now!!! All this for the 10 and 12 year old kids of my grilfriend. I knew I should have waited for a good FOX on ebay instead.

 

I see your point; but you normally spray and come back a few hours later right?  I sprayed scrubbed and sprayed etc. A  disaster!

 

I am about to give up and  by a modern RTR for the kids. And get your lover to by you a new oven every 2 years [] I'll support that from now!

[DeeMiller]

Well my advice is to use Nail Polish Remover with Acetone.

 

I have succesfully removed paint from RTR cars, that is factory painted shells.

 

The only heads up is not to inhale it to much, and to wipe of the "fluid" instant when applying it to the paint.

1. Take NPR on a cue tip for instance.

2. Rubb the cue tip in the part that need removing.

3. Take a wet paper and remove the remains of NPR on the shell.

If you dont remove the remains, the lexan will "fade/fogg" due to the acetone attacks the lexan.

If this is done correctly it will remove all the paint and leave the body unharmed.

If you are hard core, you can use pure Acetone, but then you have to be ......  extremely quick to remove the acetone or the whole lexan body will either fade/fogg or melt.

 

/tobias

 

Doesn't work for old (vintage) Lexan bodies.

If it would, the price wouldn't be that high...

 

Grtz Dee.

[Crash Cramer]

Okay, I just went out to the garage, sprayed my VINTAGE HotShot 2 wing that some moron painted on the OUTSIDE ONLY(never painted on the underside) with Easy Off Lemon scented Heavy Duty Oven cleaner. I  have walked back indoors and will promptly check on the paint peeling process tomorrow sometime.  I didn't use any gloves, mask, or scraping brushes,sponges or anything. I will let you know what happens to the black paint.

[WillyChang]

umm DON'T use caustic oven cleaner on lexan - it don't show up straightaway but the lexan goes very brittle. []

Oven cleaner will remove any paint on ABS (styrene white plastic) bodies without damaging the plastic, but lexan is a goner.

[sgt.barnes]

Actually never had a problem removing paint from many hundreds of shell I have stripped. There is NO universal stripping solution. Its true that if a shell is correctly prepared its impossible to totally purge all the paints influence as a correct preperation enables the paint to bond with the plastic on a molecular level although most shells have been painted in a excited flurry like most did with your first car [] to get the car running and full preparation may have been overlooked [] . BUT it will if correctly stripped just leave a tint of shade to the plastic (not a problem on a styrene hard shell but on a lexan shows through obviously. The solution is to use a colour of the same frequency roughly Eg tinge of yellow then use a red, orange or darker yellow and this usually masks the tinge. The trick is to identify the type of paint used eg 2 pack, celulose etc and use the approprate solvant to the paint and one that does not affect the material the shell is made from. This is somthing I learned from trial and error on old beat shells. One thing you must remember is that some solvants have effects on the plastics that are not immediatly apparent Eg as willy chang says about caustic cleaners will destroy lexan, its goes brittal and fogs the lexan. Somtimes the correct solution can take weeks of soaking and gentle scrubbing with low abrasive sponges to get to a final conclusion its all about patience,and somtimes like the brush-on lexan tamiya paints it can drop off in the fluid tank in one night. Its not possible to expect one solution to work on all types of paint and all types of shell, all types have different chemisty. A lot of what I learned was from stripping 1:1 aircraft and respraying them, we had about 4 different types of stripper, using the incorrect one could result in the alloy airframe stripping nicley and the windshields (lexan polycarbonate on some acrylic on others) wingtips etc turning to gloop on the hangar floor [:'(] I will be posting a trio of shells I have retored into my showroom shortly with details pics and description of what technique I have used if you need any further ideas.

[Crash Cramer]

Toooo late Willy. In order to settle a bet and see what happens [:-*] I have gone out and seen what it did since I haven't done it to Lexan before. It didn't phase the paint only cracked up the Lexan to bits!!!! Any hole in the surface served as a point for breakage when I picked up the wing 12 hours later. I will now be looking at Sgt Barnes' report on what to do before the body is trashed. [:@] It is a good thing that I was able to get a NEW Bodyset, but I don't see that happening anytime soon on a Fox body. I do want to try to spruce one up for running in a few months.

 Oh, Sgt Barnes.........Will you reveal ANY AND ALL temperature requirements for your....experiments LOL. I live in Houston Texas where it doesn't get toooooo cold, but the **** humidity is out of this world ALLLL YEAR ROUND.

 

Cheers,

Chris

[mr_pushrod]

My best results have come from using Delta Activator graffiti remover. This isn't 100% effective however not even touching most Tamiya sprays. Delta do sell a product called eliminator for polycarbonates though......

[sgt.barnes]

 

 Oh, Sgt Barnes.........Will you reveal ANY AND ALL temperature requirements for your....experiments LOL. I live in Houston Texas where it doesn't get toooooo cold, but the **** humidity is out of this world ALLLL YEAR ROUND.

 

Cheers,

Chris

 

Yes any info I can share to help anyone please just ask. Temp depends again to a degree an what process you are involved in, Stripping in brake fluid for example requires warmth, as does the spraying phase also with spraying, the humidity also has a major influence on the reaction of the paint finish, although with certain types of paint in certain conditions a slightly higher humidity can help. You would have to specify a particular set of conditions and task for me to be more specific.