Removing old Paint

[nosthevamp]

Hi all, Just looked through the tutorials but could not find answer.

I have got a good second hand Brat body from ebay, I have mounted it to my MB chassis. The body is complete with little damage just that it is sprayed red. Is it possible to remonve the old paint so I can give it a new coat or would I be better off just rubbing the old paint down?

I would rather get the old paint off, as too much paint can start to hide detail, but do not want to damage the ABS (I think that is what it is called, it is the same material as my original MB), or is it polystyrene?

Many years ago whe I used to make model kits (we're talking back in the 1970s) I ruined a few buy trying to paint them with car paint spray, I do not want to mess up this body as it took me ages to find a complete one.

I saw a tutorial for getting paint off wheels (are these made of the same kind of plastic?), suggesting brake fluid, but some of the answers said not to as it makes the plastic brittle, and it should be oven cleaner.

Ideas greatfuly received.

Cheers

[oldie]

do a forum search for paint stripping, brake fluid will usually do it and won't harm a brat hardshell, sometimes a paint type can be quite resistant though then you will need caustic soda-comes in crystal form from ebay to add to a bucket of water-only outside with eye protection and rubber gloves,be very very careful with it you do NOT want any on your skin or in your eyes.

[KEV THE REV]

I usually use brake fluid on hard bodies , I've also just started using De-solvit graffiti remover (from Screwfix) this also works well on hard bodies (just stripped a Mardave Mini body with it - worked very fast and came out great)

[nosthevamp]

Cheers folks, I'll look down my garage to see if I have some old brake fluid. Just that I was worried it might melt it like it used to my old polystyrene kits not sure if it was the same stuff they used to use back in the 70s. If not I may getsome of that Graffiti stuff.

I know back in the day I used to use some pretty vicious stuff to strip paint of old Motorbike parts, had to be carefull there where no plastic parts as they would also be "removed" along with any filler, in fact anything that was not solid metal was "removed" including skin if you where not careful.

[OrangeSport]

I've used the Graffiti remover on a Lexan body, and was surprised how well it worked. But it is horrible stuff - use in a well aired area!

[nosthevamp]

My wife will be getting some oven pride with the next shop so I think I'll give that a go. I've got an old driver with half a head, he'll do well as a test subject.

[nosthevamp]

Sucess, the Oven pride worked great.

Put the old driver in a small dish last night. Not much seemed to be hapening, other that the silver paint none of the other paint seemed effected, but I took it out and used an old toothbrush and running water and all the paint came off. Did not touch the glue or plastic, in fact even the glossy parts of the plastic have remained so. This paint had been on there for a quater of a centruy and was a mixture of Humbrol Enamel and Tamiya model paint, I did not think it was going to come off without a lot of trouble as this stuff does not touch the enamel on our stove.

All I have to do now is strip my Brat body down (the original ower had not used any glue, just screws) remove the paint and I'll effectivily have a new Mud Blaster to paint up.

[Percymon]

I've had the tailgate of an old Clod shell sat in new brake fluid for 10 days and its only taken off about 15% of the paint ! Previously had tried oven cleaner (although not the thick oven pride stuff that comes in a box with bags).

Going to try half a dozen dish washer tables in a pint of very hot water next !

May have to resort to paint stripper - this tailgate is costing me more in chemicals than buying a new one lol!!

[nosthevamp]

I'll be putting the tailgate, grill and driver from the brat body in oven pride later today (the thick stuff with the bag and gloves, and don't forget to wear glasses/eye protection). Not sure what kind of paint was used but it has been sprayed so either model paint or acrilic car paint. Would not have been celulose as that disolves styrene. Will post back and let you know if it works.

[nosthevamp]

The paint from the driver figure is all gone, so that looks like a brand new part. Unfortunatly the red paint on the bodywork was untouched by the Oven pride, although the silver paint that had been put on the headlamps and reversing lights was taken off. Not sure what kind of red paint was used but even the sheen has not been affected. Pity had it been a nice hight gloss I may have settled with it even though it not quite the shade I want. As it is it has a few scratches and a little bit of orange peel that even the stikcers woulf not hide.

I'll order some of that Graffiti remover, but I don't want to spend too much more on chemicals that i won't be using again as it would have been cheaper to by a new re-re body. If the graffiti remover does not work I'll just get some wet 'n' dry paper and do it the old way and put up with the lost detail.

[Davecul]

I'll add another "yes" to the pile for the DeSolvIt stuff.

I've used it on Kyosho Lexan and Tamiya hard white plastic and it hasn't damaged either.

I will say that break fluid seemed to work better on the hard plastic but it's not nice stuff to deal with.

That said, the DeSolvIt does stink, outdoor use only unless you have a very well ventilated room and an understanding wife/partner/housemate!

Cheers,

Dave

[nosthevamp]

Got a can of De-Solv-It Graffiti Cleanup from B&Q this am.

Had some success. It managed to shift the paint, but it was very messy. It turned the paint into a liquid that could be wipped off but if left to long it dried again and putting it in water did not wash it all off and what was left hardened again. Everything was covered in red emusion, my hands, the bucket, scrubbing brush, toothbrush, table, brat body which then dried. On the body it left lots of pink patches.

Scrubbing with detergent got everything except the body cleaned, in fact the bucket and brushes have not looked that clean since new. I used all the spray can getting it like this. Before I buy some more Graffiti Cleaner I may try the oven Pride again as that did a very good job on all the other paint removing it completly with a lot less mess. I am hoping the what paint is left has been softened enough for the Oven pride to work.

[nosthevamp]

No joy with more Oven Pride so that has gone back in the bottle to be used on........... the........... oven, so no waste of money involved there. Will get some more Graffiti Cleanup to finish the job. I'll give the body a good scrub in a detergenat bathe afterwards, so any stains left after that shouln't effect the new paint.

[Percymon]

5 dishwasher tables in half a pint fo boiling water didn't touch my Clod tailgate !

Think i'm just going to have to resort to paint stripper now

[ozace]

i am in the process of restoring a srb f150 and the hard shell was caked in many coats of paint. Down here in Au some of the products (strong oven cleaner) are hard to come by so i decided to try Drano (caustic soda). So far it works a treat removing all

[waterbok]

i am in the process of restoring a srb f150 and the hard shell was caked in many coats of paint. Down here in Au some of the products (strong oven cleaner) are hard to come by so i decided to try Drano (caustic soda). So far it works a treat removing all

I had some good results on a Willy m38 body with Drano too.

Ozace how much do you mix in the water, I used 100gr on 1 Liter and left it in a bucket for 2-3 hours.

[ozace]

I had some good results on a Willy m38 body with Drano too.

Ozace how much do you mix in the water, I used 100gr on 1 Liter and left it in a bucket for 2-3 hours.

I used a whole drano pack to about 10 lt of water in a rectangular bucket that took the body shell.

It was an interesting process, as the paint softened i could see the layers lift. I had red, blue, yellow, silver and an undercoat/primer.

The only downer was the drano lifted the chrome off the bumpers along with the paint covering it. No damage to the plastics, which was the most important bit.

[waterbok]

yeh caustic soda kind of does that to chrome (and aluminium)

how much is in a package (overhere its 500gr)

thx

[ozace]

yeh caustic soda kind of does that to chrome (and aluminium)

how much is in a package (overhere its 500gr)

thx

500grams sounds about right, i threw away the container but it was a round tub and thank goodness for these forums (couldnt imagine i would have contemplated such a product as a paint stripper.

[nosthevamp]

Well I don't know what kind of paint my Mub Blaster shell had on it but it ain't comming off. Plus the sums do not add up, to say nothing of the time and effort involved. At the time I started this I did not know the re-re brat did not have the original brat shell but a re-run of the Mud Blaster shell. I thought it had the Brat body and glass so was quite thrilled when I got hold of an old red painted Mud Blaster shell with a cracked windscreen.

I actually wanted a Mud Blaster shell (not a brat), the one with the more heavily tinted windows and aerial mount on the load bed. In hindsite I should have gone for a new Re-Re Brat shell (the molded white one) as this isn't actually a brat but a Mud Blaster shell; I had to get the glass anyway, and it was not untill with the cost of the glass second hand shell, oven cleaner and grafetti remover that i'd spent more than the price of a new shell did I realise the re-re brat used the re-re brat used.

It was too late to cut my losses now so I persevered, most of th epaint has come off, I now have a pink Mud Blaster, the second can of Grafitti remover did nothing to lessen this pink. I'll just give it a light rub over with w&d paper and spray it up, this is going to be blasted about in the mud so it should be fine. I small consolation I have all the fittings and screws that would have had to be found if I'd gone for a new shell, and i managed to get some repro stickers before tamiya pulled the plug.

The moral of this is if you can get the shell you want need new do not bother with getting a tatty s'hand one. May be OK with lexan shells, I hope so as i think the model paint my local model shop sold me for my golf shell seems to be comming off so will need to be replaced with the proper stuff.

[Fixit]

Modelstrip plastic model stripper, used it many times and it works a treat, about £4.50 a tub.

[matman]

I have a super saber shock tower rear that has been painted , can i use brake fluid on it with out screwing it up ? .

Thanks .

[nosthevamp]

Trouble is its a fiver for this stripper, tenner for a couple of cans of that spray, another tenner for the oven cleaner, 15 for the brake fluid plus about 15 for a second hand body, by the time you add it all up you'd be able to buy a new one and the paint needed to spray it, and have more than enough left to buy some stickers.

For now I'll live with a pink shell, and if the paint doesn't take, I'll cut my losses and buy a new Re-Re Brat, after all it is really a Mud Blaster and I've already got all the fittings and screws.

Rusty will ride again.

[mongoose1983]

When restoring old goats, brake fluid always worked fine!

Here's my Brat: Click to see my Brat

And here's my FAV. Yes, you really don't need too much fluid. Thin layers and wrapping plastic worked real nice!: Click to see my FAV

Best of luck with your project (And don't forget to share pictures!).

Have a great Tuesday!

[nosthevamp]

Trouble is that is a Mud Blaster shell, you can still get them brand new. How much did the brake fluid cost you? I suspect the combined cost of the brake fluid (which cannot be used form a previously opened container) and 2nd hand shell was more than a new one. Had it been an original Brat body its a different situation.

Just my view.

Also its many years since I used to do up cars but from what I can remember one kind of brake fluid attacked paint but was replaced by a better type that not only did not attack paint but was less hygroscopic, not sure but i think the former was Dot 3 and the latter dot 4 or 5. I presume Dot 3 is the stuff you need and you can still get hold of it.