Yet Another Question About Paint Stripping

[mobias]

Hi folks

I've done a lot of searching through the forums and I've found a lot of useful info on paint stripping hard bodies but I've got a problem I've yet to find an answer for. I've started stripping the paint off my F350. I found a strong paint stripper at work called 'Polyclens' I started using it this afternoon and it dissolved the paint off the body fairly rapidly. However it did turn the surface of the body into a kind of gluey state. Is this normal when stripping hard plastic bodies? Or is the paint stripper eating into the plastic a bit to much? I realize from reading other threads that you always need to sand the body after stripping the paint off but how much sanding is really needed? By the looks of things I'm going to need a fair amount but is that normal?

Cheers for any help

Toby

[Bluefoot]

No, That's not good. The body should remain hard. If you use a "proper " paint stripper you will probably dissolve the body - sounds like this is what has happened. If you managed to wash it off quickly enough it will only have damaged the surface slightly and not removed any detail. You might be able to sand it out when (if) it hardens up again.

If you use brake fluid or caustic oven-cleaner the plastic will not be damaged. I used brake fluid on my King Hauler and it needed no sanding except where I used filler to fill a few small dings:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...020&id=2193

Same with my Sand Rover where I used oven-cleaner:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...413&id=2193

[Shodog]

What Bluefoot said is correct. The stripper should never eat the body. In the future stick to oven cleaner or brake fluid

[WillyChang]

sounds like its solvent based - its dissolving the paint and the plastic

you want something caustic which breaksdown the paint, but plastic is immune to it

[Shodog]

fortunetly it's a cheap mistake. A replacement can be bought for about $22

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti00...=LXPMC5&P=Z

[mobias]

Thanks for the repiles folks. Shodog you're a genius for finding that! I might as well just buy a whole new one for that price. F350 bodies always seem to be so expensive when they turn up on Ebay so I've never really looked elsewhere for them as I've just assumed they're expensive everywhere. Thanks again