Hard plastic body paint removal best pracitces - US products specificaly

[iluvmud]

Hi guys, so this is going to be my 1st thread in here and it's been brought up a lot but I need clarification.

What is the best way to remove paint of vintage plastic bodies??

Before you say "search" I did a search and ran through 4 threads on it and see that De solv it and model-strip and some other cleaners work great..................... in the UK as in those awesome products aren't available to me

So what can I use that is available in the US beside brake fluid? Only reason I want to exclude that is I tried it on a king blackfoot body and it ruined the plastic.

So any help would be greatly appreciated and if this could be a comprehensive list of what works if there isn't one already (i did a search on google and here)

If knowing the body/bodies I will be doing, it is an original Monster beetle, and a not nearly as cool World Engines Rock Buster body.

 

Thanks in advance!

MUD

[GregM]

Any product that contains 1-methoxy-2-propanol (also called Propylene glycol methyl ether, PGME) should do a fine job from my own experience, such as Dowanol PM (Dow), Solvenon PM (BASF), Methylproxitol (Shell) and Methoxypropanol PM (Kremer Pigmente). You can also find it in model kit building specific products such as Tamiya's paint remover as well as Carson's lexan paint killer, although for a much, much higher price per litre.

I guess there should be at least one product available in the US that containts that chemical formula?

[richb77]

I concur with GregM. He advised me on the same matter a while back and it worked like a dream on acrylic formulas. 

I had an original Sand Scorcher plastered in thick Hammerite (Hammer effect anti rust enamel paint) and "Oven pride" oven cleaner stripped that off easy peasy. I dont know if you get that state side but google it and you will find out the active ingredients for an equivalent.

[terragni]

Mud, I use this stuff, oven cleaner

Must have Sodium Hydroxide as an active ingredient, this has it at 42 g/l

I am in Australia, but I am sure something similar exists where you are

Use outdoors, wear a mask and gloves, leave it on for half an hour, rinse and repeat if needed

Works better on some paint than others, but any remainder can be sanded and primed over easily

Tamiya hardbodies are >PS< styrene (except the holiday buggy), I have used this with no problems on styrene

If you are not sure, buy some Evergreen styrene and spay it, see if it causes a problem

terragni

[iluvmud]

this the Oven Pride you are referring to?

 

I also found a Mr Muscle oven cleaner that contains
these ingredients

Monoethanolamine

1 - 5%

 

Diethylene glycol butyl ether

10 - 20%

Sodium hydroxide

1 - 5%

Will this work and not harm the plastic? my biggest concern is damage to the plastic itself.

 

full detals on the US version of Mr muscle

https://www.conncoll.edu/media/website-media/offices/ehs/envhealthdocs/MrMuscle.pdf

 

[khyzersoze]

I'm also looking into information for paint removal as well.

I think using brake fluid is for "lexan / polycarbonate" bodies correct?  (which is what I need to do)

Regardless.... I'd like to know what's appropriate and the best to use for both lexan/polycarbonate bodies and hard bodies.

 

[richb77]

17 hours ago, iluvmud said:

this the Oven Pride you are referring to?

 

I also found a Mr Muscle oven cleaner that contains
these ingredients

Monoethanolamine

1 - 5%

 

Diethylene glycol butyl ether

10 - 20%

Sodium hydroxide

1 - 5%

Will this work and not harm the plastic? my biggest concern is damage to the plastic itself.

 

full detals on the US version of Mr muscle

https://www.conncoll.edu/media/website-media/offices/ehs/envhealthdocs/MrMuscle.pdf

 

Yes. Thats the stuff.

 

[Shodog]

I've used easy off oven cleaner in the yellow can many times to strip paint from hard bodies.  

For lexan, never use oven cleaner or brake fluid.  It will destroy a lexan body.  I've had good luck using 20% nitro fuel to remove be paint from lexan. 

[iluvmud]

8 minutes ago, Shodog said:

I've used easy off oven cleaner in the yellow can many times to strip paint from hard bodies.  

For lexan, never use oven cleaner or brake fluid.  It will destroy a lexan body.  I've had good luck using 20% nitro fuel to remove be paint from lexan. 

So easy off will do the trick???? I've worried about it since I used it to remove the anodizing off of my Baja b5 aluminum parts and it pitted every one of them. I did notice that easy off doesn't have the ingredients mentioned above. I'll try the mr muscle stuff 1st the oven pride will cost about 30 shipped to get here  but it might be worth ordering if 1st option fails.

[Dangerseeker]

never used break fluid, oven cleaner or graffiti remover, as I use a "degreaser" fluid that is basically used to degrease things before painting. It is water-based and you can leave the body in the solution for weeks without any harm. Worked very good on most paints, but did not remove primer, just weakend it. Unfortunately the product seems to be limitedly available.

link: http://www.tiger.at/fileadmin/content/Tiger_DIY/Produktblaetter/Entfetter.pdf

thats the ingredients list:

AQUA

TETRASODIUM EDTA

BUTOXYETHANOL

FETTALKOHOLPOLYGLYKOLETHER

 

[khyzersoze]

4 hours ago, Dangerseeker said:

never used break fluid, oven cleaner or graffiti remover, as I use a "degreaser" fluid that is basically usded to decrease things before painting. It is water-based and you can leave the body in the solution for weeks without any harm. Worked very good on most paints, but did not remove primer, just weakend it. Unfortunately the product seems to be limitedly available.

link: http://www.tiger.at/fileadmin/content/Tiger_DIY/Produktblaetter/Entfetter.pdf

thats the ingredients list:

AQUA

TETRASODIUM EDTA

BUTOXYETHANOL

FETTALKOHOLPOLYGLYKOLETHER

 

Nice, that's useful info.

I've also heard that Zep Purple Degreaser works on lexan? http://www.homedepot.com/p/ZEP-128-oz-Industrial-Purple-Degreaser-ZU0856128/100047759

Anyone know for sure?

[racer1]

In the USA. Go to the auto parts store and buy a can of Aircraft Paint stripper.  Get the small can as it goes a long way or buy the spray version.

Take the body outside and use an old paint brush to brush the stripper on the body.  Come back in about 10 mins and reapply as necessary. Basically you don't want it to dry.

In 15 mins you'll see the paint is completely bubbled up and ready to scrape off.  Use a soft plastic scrapper and have at it.  Once done you can rinse it with soap and water and you'll be ready to go. 

Did a badly painted grasshopper and original black foot body back it the spring. Did them both un under an hour and they look great. 

 

http://www.eastwood.com/klean-strip-aircraft-paint-remover-aerosol.html?fee=7&fep=50393&SRCCODE=PLA00020&product_id=15277Z&adpos=1o6&creative=83580268260&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKEAjwhILABRDwo8mlqt6ug38SJACNSq_kec186G1f1OQ1KvOpdKtyKRQizpA4SCcDDQYhPlqGIxoCxibw_wcB

[iluvmud]

18 minutes ago, racer1 said:

In the USA. Go to the auto parts store and buy a can of Aircraft Paint stripper.  Get the small can as it goes a long way or buy the spray version.

Take the body outside and use an old paint brush to brush the stripper on the body.  Come back in about 10 mins and reapply as necessary. Basically you don't want it to dry.

In 15 mins you'll see the paint is completely bubbled up and ready to scrape off.  Use a soft plastic scrapper and have at it.  Once done you can rinse it with soap and water and you'll be ready to go. 

Did a badly painted grasshopper and original black foot body back it the spring. Did them both un under an hour and they look great. 

 

http://www.eastwood.com/klean-strip-aircraft-paint-remover-aerosol.html?fee=7&fep=50393&SRCCODE=PLA00020&product_id=15277Z&adpos=1o6&creative=83580268260&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKEAjwhILABRDwo8mlqt6ug38SJACNSq_kec186G1f1OQ1KvOpdKtyKRQizpA4SCcDDQYhPlqGIxoCxibw_wcB

Looks like I'm going to have to try this one.

 

Thanks!!

[chevelle]

Just as another reference, I have a blasting cabinet & media blast my bodies  I like this method as it also keys the bodies ready for paint 

Here Is a poorly painted Hilux body I did Yesterday 

[iluvmud]

show off........................ lol

[iluvmud]

On 10/14/2016 at 3:13 PM, racer1 said:

In the USA. Go to the auto parts store and buy a can of Aircraft Paint stripper.  Get the small can as it goes a long way or buy the spray version.

Take the body outside and use an old paint brush to brush the stripper on the body.  Come back in about 10 mins and reapply as necessary. Basically you don't want it to dry.

In 15 mins you'll see the paint is completely bubbled up and ready to scrape off.  Use a soft plastic scrapper and have at it.  Once done you can rinse it with soap and water and you'll be ready to go. 

Did a badly painted grasshopper and original black foot body back it the spring. Did them both un under an hour and they look great. 

 

http://www.eastwood.com/klean-strip-aircraft-paint-remover-aerosol.html?fee=7&fep=50393&SRCCODE=PLA00020&product_id=15277Z&adpos=1o6&creative=83580268260&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKEAjwhILABRDwo8mlqt6ug38SJACNSq_kec186G1f1OQ1KvOpdKtyKRQizpA4SCcDDQYhPlqGIxoCxibw_wcB

Ok, so I gave this a go...................... Figured i would try it on my rockbuster body vs my original monster beetle body..... glad I did as while it did strip off the paint, it also made the plastic soft......... so soft that when I tried scraping the paing off with the soft rubber scraper it started peeling off plastic as well..... no bueno. Looks like im going to try Mr Muscle now.

[67CamaroSS]

My vote is for easy off oven cleaner. the regular one in the yellow can, not the oderless blue version.  I sprayed the body liberally, put it in a hefty bag and left it outside overnight. then just hosed it off with water the next day and also lightly brushed off some paint with an old toothbrish.  I did this with an original Bruiser body and with an original Monster Beetle body with great success and no damage to the bodies.

As for lexan, I did an original Porsche 959 (before the repros) with 20% nitro fuel. Just soaked small sections at a time and eventually the paint just flaked off.  Then I finished it off with simple green to get the greasy film off.  Left the body clear, non-foggy and it painted just fine.

You can see it here

http://tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=1193&id=135

Hope this helps

[iluvmud]

2 hours ago, 67CamaroSS said:

My vote is for easy off oven cleaner. the regular one in the yellow can, not the oderless blue version.  I sprayed the body liberally, put it in a hefty bag and left it outside overnight. then just hosed it off with water the next day and also lightly brushed off some paint with an old toothbrish.  I did this with an original Bruiser body and with an original Monster Beetle body with great success and no damage to the bodies.

As for lexan, I did an original Porsche 959 (before the repros) with 20% nitro fuel. Just soaked small sections at a time and eventually the paint just flaked off.  Then I finished it off with simple green to get the greasy film off.  Left the body clear, non-foggy and it painted just fine.

You can see it here

http://tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=1193&id=135

Hope this helps

Ok I'll try this.... question about the bag thing. I'm assuming it's ok that the bag rests in the body??

[67CamaroSS]

I didn't wrap the bag around it tight, just put the body in it to keep the fumes in and prevent the eazy off from drying. i don't think it matters if there is some contact

Here are some pics, i only did the main body.

 

[iluvmud]

35 minutes ago, 67CamaroSS said:

I didn't wrap the bag around it tight, just put the body in it to keep the fumes in and prevent the eazy off from drying. i don't think it matters if there is some contact

I will take a picture of the beetle body too.

K cool, sprayed it and put in a plastic trash bag and wrapped the end to keep it closed and folded the top to the side (so the bag is just resting on the top of the car).

[iluvmud]

and just to update....... the rockbuster body was ruined

 

looks like Im going to have to find another one

[iluvmud]

On 10/11/2016 at 6:31 AM, Shodog said:

I've used easy off oven cleaner in the yellow can many times to strip paint from hard bodies.  

For lexan, never use oven cleaner or brake fluid.  It will destroy a lexan body.  I've had good luck using 20% nitro fuel to remove be paint from lexan. 

 

17 hours ago, 67CamaroSS said:

I didn't wrap the bag around it tight, just put the body in it to keep the fumes in and prevent the eazy off from drying. i don't think it matters if there is some contact

Here are some pics, i only did the main body.

 

SO it looks like EASY OFF is the winner!!!!!!!!!!!! Pulled the beetle body out of the bag and it looked like crap then I started hosing it off and man did it make a difference. It took off about 85% of all the paint i did the toothbrush and that helped some too but still some thick spots where the easy off didnt seem to absorb.... so I sprayed it again and will probably hose it down tonight and if anything it left at that point hose it down!!!

Shodog sorry I didnt listen to you on your initial post I was just so worried that if this stuff could pit aluminum how bad would it be for plastic......... apparently not at all.

[Shodog]

9 hours ago, iluvmud said:

SO it looks like EASY OFF is the winner!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shodog sorry I didnt listen to you on your initial post

I only recommend what I have actually used myself. This is a well discussed topic and all too often I've seen other list members recommend things that surely they couldn't have used because had they did, it would've destroyed their body. 

[iluvmud]

31 minutes ago, Shodog said:

I only recommend what I have actually used myself. This is a well discussed topic and all too often I've seen other list members recommend things that surely they couldn't have used because had they did, it would've destroyed their body. 

lol........... yeah, I think I needed the steps like camaro did, once i got that then it made sense. maybe the Rockbuster body is a different material.......... oh well lesson learned

 

PS anyone have a spare Rockbuster body lying around??

[iluvmud]

Done!! The lunchbox was also a project of mine as well... it took quite a bit of time sanding and spraying (lost of sanding lines in the paint) now it's done and contemplating buffing it to make it super smooth but on the fence about it as it really looks good and not sure a mirror like finish is needed (it has a slight orange peel to it)

 

Also, did we want to make this an official listing of what works/ doesn't so this thread could be used as a guide of sorts?