How to remove paint off of a lexan body?

[OldSchoolRunner]

I am sure this has been covered before. I have an old lexan body that was painted by a drunk guy or a 10 year old (I like the drunk guy story better) lolol and I was wondering how to remove the paint without destroying the clear plastic lexan body.

Thanks

OSR

[VagabondStarJXF]

Yep. This has been covered before. I'd post up links to the threads but I've had to reboot my PC so I've lost the links that I had in my favorites tab. Anyways, if you can find a 'polycarbonate safe' graffiti remover then that should be safe to use. Other ones will eat through the lexan shells. I've used the DeSolvIt one and it worked well although you will need a lot of elbow grease, patience and time. Just don't use a jet wash to clean off the excess like I did. That'll damage the shell aswell.

[OldSchoolRunner]

Thanks VagabondStarJXF! Will it actually say 'polycarbonate safe' ? Does anyone else have the link?

OSR

[nosthevamp]

Got mine from B&Q, used it on styrene shell with no problems just smells. Says Polycarbonate safe on the tin.

[mr crispy]

I use Cellulose Thinners to remove acrylic or Tamiya's PC paint. Just damp a cloth with it and start wiping. I havent tried leaving it soaking in the stuff for a long time but with the wiping method it hasnt harmed or discoloured my polycarb / lexan bodies and I've been using the stuff for years. It will dissolve acrylic paint if left soaking in it which is where I discovered it, stripping down metal wargamming figures.

You can get it in small bottles from hobby shops but I get mine from Halfords (a car accessory shop in the UK) where they sell it in half litre bottles for less than £7 here. Im sure you can get similar in the US.

Make sure you give the shell a good clean in soapy water afterwards to remove all traces of the stuff, it'll ruin your new paint job otherwise.

Be aware that this stuff will melt styrene type plastics so keep it well away from them, it also does smell quite a bit but its not unpleasent.

[VagabondStarJXF]

Will it actually say 'polycarbonate safe' ?

Yep. I got mine online but, again, I lost the link I'd saved for the site when I rebooted my PC. Back then I just did a google search for it, if I recall correctly, and just picked the best price with shipping.

[simondo]

I`ll get a can of that and try it on an old Vanquish bodyshell that I have got. Thaks for the tip

[nckmat]

OK I had to ask the same question and went to every forum and collector worth their salt and got all their suggestions, there was one common option from them all and that was engine degreaser. I have done 5 bodies now by soaking them in neat degreaser and have found it to be very successful, with ABS bodies I was able to soak them for weeks without any ill effects so it is pretty safe and works really well.

[OldSchoolRunner]

OK I had to ask the same question and went to every forum and collector worth their salt and got all their suggestions, there was one common option from them all and that was engine degreaser. I have done 5 bodies now by soaking them in neat degreaser and have found it to be very successful, with ABS bodies I was able to soak them for weeks without any ill effects so it is pretty safe and works really well.

Does engine degreaser work with Lexan Bodies too?

OSR

[nckmat]

Does engine degreaser work with Lexan Bodies too?

OSR

I used it on a modern mini PC body and there were no isuues. You just need to do a test patch and make sure you check it every now and then, but in my experience it is fine.

[HunterZero]

Nitro fuel is the accepted way to remove non-fuel proof polycarbonate paint from polycarbonate bodies, and it won't harm the polycarbonate. However, it doesn't do squat to Tamiya PS rattle can spray paints, which are fuel proof.

I've seen people use DOT3 and DOT4 brake fluid on polycarbonate with varying degrees of success, but with these substances you risk destroying the polycarbonate if you leave them in contact for too long.

That's the main issue with polycarbonate bodies, there are many common products such as hydroxides (caustic soda = sodium hydroxide), MEK and acetone that will destroy the body almost instantly on contact.

Tamiya do a product called Polycarbonate Body Cleaner which will remove PS paint. It appears to be the same/similar thinner that they use in the PS paints, but it's very slow going to remove PS paint with it. You can do a small area about an inch in diameter at a time, and it will take 2-3 bottles to remove all the paint from one body, depending how thick the paint is. I have also heard that the Tamiya brand lacquer thinner works, but haven't tried it.

I haven't personally tested a degreaser like Castrol Super Clean, but it might be ineffective on stubborn PS paints.

- James

[OldSchoolRunner]

Thanks for the info! I will try a couple little test spots and see what happens. I have a couple products that have been mentioned. Hopefully it works!

OSR

[DooBeDooBeDo]

I've used the tamiya paint remover on an ansmann printed body and about 1/2 a bottle removed all the paint. It does take a lot of rubbing though.

And yes it does have the same smell as the rattle can paints - subtle pear-drops.

[Percymon]

Tamiya own polycarbonate cleaner , item 87118 works but it relies on you rubbing away with a soft cloth soaked in it.

I've got a Durga shell to strip - i had a little bit of Autosmart Tardis in the garage so i tried that - and it worked a treat Put some on microfibre cloth and rubbed away. The shell was painted a metallic translucent orange, overlaid with white. The white came off at the first wipe of the cloth, the orange was a bit more stubborn. I poured a small amount of Tardis into an area of the shell and left it to soak for 4-5 minutes, then went back and with the same cloth it all wiped away in a couple of rubs. Sadly that was the end of my Tardis supply, so i've just bought some more from eBay - £5 delivered for half a litre which should be good for at least 5 shells, maybe 10 or more.

For those not familiar with Tardis, its used in the 1:1 car detailing world to remove tar from paintwork, it dissolves / softens tar so much it actually runs off the car after a few minutes.

And what about the shell ? - so far its unmarked, clear and as flexible as it should be - no clouding, no brittleness. Will update next week when i get some more Tardis.

So far so good

[nosthevamp]

Did a search for Tardis and all I got was results for T.A.R.D.I.S. or rather the Doctor's Police Telephone box.

[Percymon]

Did a search for Tardis and all I got was results for T.A.R.D.I.S. or rather the Doctor's Police Telephone box.

Me too, then i searched ebay for "autosmart tardis" and i got several results

Before you all rush off to get some let me finish my Durga shell and report back. If i can get some video / photos of the process i'll post them up too.

[Origineelreclamebord]

I've also got a paint problem with two lexan shells, so instead of a new topic, I think I'll post it here:

Shell No.1:

Kyosho Nostalgic shell ('67 Vette), painted in red. I don't know the brand of paint, all I do know is that the paint is flaking very bad! However, it's not flaking badly enough to get all the paint off - 'only' about half of it is off currently. The decals are on the car already.

Shell No.2:

Subaru Impreza Mk.I German Champion shell. From the seller I acquired that the shell is painted with PS-7 Orange, but he didn't have enough of it. He tried to source PS-7 but couldn't find a store that had it in stock, and went for Pactra Polycarbonate paint, Code RC256. When it was applied it gave a rather speckled effect. He thought the coat had given enough coverage though to spray the PS-30 Brilliant Blue on, but when he removed the masking after painting the blue, he found out it still bled through, and in kind of a speckled way too, pretty much like the surface of the orange.

Both shells really deserve to be salvaged - Neither of them has cracks or splits, not even major scratches. The Impreza shell wasn't even ever finished, the decals aren't on yet (luckily), so the shell is actually new. I've read here above that the Tamiya PS Paints are Nitro fuel proof, which rules out using that for at least one of the shells.

So I was wondering, does someone know of a method or a method for each shell that will 100% guarantee that the shells are not damaged, the decals of the Vette are kept on (as they will be impossible to find), yet the paint will be removed? Is the PC safe graffiti remover really safe enough? (I always doubt those claims a bit, it's still a chemical )

[Percymon]

OK then, update as promised..

Autosmart Tardis arrived via ebay seller yesterday, not had much chance to try it out but here's the results of a 5-6 minute play around.

Microfibre cloth, applied a small amount to the cloth and rubbed away..

as previous the white paint dissolved after a couple fo rubs back n forth, the orange a lot more stubborn. I poured some of the tardis chemical (20ml) into the shell and left it 2-3 minutes, before rubbing away with the cloth again. Orange paint slowly rubbed away. Probably needed to leave the chemical soak a bit longer as it was definitely easier after the soak period. And the effect on the lexan ?? - looks pristine (bar the external battle scars!)

Pictures (poor quality phone i'm afraid)..

Top down..

Underside (note complete removal of white from the lower side panels in a few rubs)..

[DooBeDooBeDo]

Looking good. How much rubbing did that take? The Tamiya solvent needs loads. But if it's even the same 1L from ebay costs the same as 40ml from Tamiya...

[Percymon]

I don't know what brand if paints was used but if the white is typical of tamiya paint then 10 minutes gentle rubbing would have the whole shell done. Conversely if orange is typical then I'd say an hour to get it all off. The orange did need a bit of pressure, butnothing excessive and not enough to produce heat in the lexan.

[OldSchoolRunner]

Me too, then i searched ebay for "autosmart tardis" and i got several results

Before you all rush off to get some let me finish my Durga shell and report back. If i can get some video / photos of the process i'll post them up too.

Percymon!

So you have a link so that people can see the can and label of the actual product that you purchased?

OSR

[Percymon]

Percymon!

So you have a link so that people can see the can and label of the actual product that you purchased?

OSR

Its sold in the UK as a trade only product to car valetting companies and franchsie car dealerships. This si the main website, although it says very very little about the product (its listed under exterior cleaning products) on www.autosmart.co.uk

From a picture i found via google suggests it might also be called solvbitume but perhaps thats just the french name for it as its listed on www.autosmart.fr as that. Via a UK car valetting site i found the H&S data sheet..

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pd...mart-tardis.pdf

... which suggests its pretty much a mix of white spirit and xylene !

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/au...ardis-cat6.html

It does have a sweet 'pear drop' type smell to it, suggesting its not a million miles away from the Tamiya product ?

[sscheitel@yahoo.com]

I just used denatured Alcohol and it worked like a charm

I would not suggest soaking...but as soon as I put it on...it turned lighter in color and lifted right....

I rinsed it in soapy water....will wait for it to dry....and hit it with a q-tip dipped on the denatured alcohol for the tight spots I missed...there were not many.

Denatured alcohol can be gotten at The H0m3 D3p0t...cheap!