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mongoose1983

Safely removing enamel from chrome parts?

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I'm working on bringing back to life a Kyosho car crusher from 1989. Thing comes with a mock engine. Problem is the original owner thought it was a good idea to paint the blower and the tip of the pipes with thick red enamel <_< Now the question is, how can I remove the enamel and leave the original chrome untouched? I have tested on the base of it Graffiti remover and thinner. The remover not only took away the chrome but it also sort of melt the plastic, while the thinner removed the chrome. What can I do to solve this? I mean anything except buying another body and mock engine! :( Any ideas?

Kyosho 1989 Hi Rider Corvette mock v8 engine photo IMG_9222_zps4n19p8h5.jpg

Kyosho 1989 Hi Rider Corvette mock v8 engine photo IMG_9223_zpshywmkokz.jpg

 

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Have you tried enamel thinner ?

I doubt very much you will be able to get the paint off and leave the chrome finish undamaged.

You can get chrome finish spray paint - may not be quite as good as the original plating but maybe worth a try.

 

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depends on the type of (enamel) paint. if none of the above methods works, I'd try ( on an inconspicuous area ) acetone / nail polish remover. 

If all else fails strip it with sodium hydroxide / dish washer tablet and hit it with chrome paint. ( yeah, i know that stuff is not so good, so how about flat black???).

anyhow, i've felt your pain, good luck.  

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1 hour ago, oz-trash-cowboy said:

depends on the type of (enamel) paint. if none of the above methods works, I'd try ( on an inconspicuous area ) acetone / nail polish remover. 

If all else fails strip it with sodium hydroxide / dish washer tablet and hit it with chrome paint. ( yeah, i know that stuff is not so good, so how about flat black???).

anyhow, i've felt your pain, good luck.  

Nail polish remover was the 1st thing that crossed my mind would work... but it didn't. That when I started wondering what else would do? Graffiti remover not only took the chrome off but it also kind of melt the plastic, enamel thinner also took the chrome off of it. I'm starting to believe the battle is lost.

Under that red paint the blower is not even scratched, why on earth somebody would think it was going to look good in red is mind-boggling to say the least. Dang! I won't be able to make the monster truck look good. A painted blower will never look good on a 1:10 model engine :(

 

 

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The other thing you could try is if you have to strip the entire engine block is a modelling product called bare metal foil. It's basically very thin self adhesive metal foil that you cut to size and burnish down. It's a bit of a pain to do but with a little patience you can get awesome results. 

The monster beetle in my gallery has it around the windows and door handles if you want to see what it looks like. 

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I don't know anything strong enough to remove the paint but gentle enough to save the chome. Generally chrome is so darn delicate that it's hard to save even when it hasn't been painted. 

With a smooth surface and a shiny coat of black paint, a light layer of chrome paint would have that looking like new. I used alclad chrome paint on the roll bars of this rough rider roof. 

40F8735E-75EA-4359-B195-D37EA5AA0777_zps

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14 hours ago, Shodog said:

I don't know anything strong enough to remove the paint but gentle enough to save the chome. Generally chrome is so darn delicate that it's hard to save even when it hasn't been painted. 

With a smooth surface and a shiny coat of black paint, a light layer of chrome paint would have that looking like new. I used alclad chrome paint on the roll bars of this rough rider roof.

Thanks Jim. Hopefully I'll find a way to solve this. And if I don't I know your idea is pretty much what I will try. Black, and then chrome paint. Better than red for a blower!

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22 hours ago, Shodog said:

I don't know anything strong enough to remove the paint but gentle enough to save the chome. Generally chrome is so darn delicate that it's hard to save even when it hasn't been painted. 

With a smooth surface and a shiny coat of black paint, a light layer of chrome paint would have that looking like new. I used alclad chrome paint on the roll bars of this rough rider roof. 

40F8735E-75EA-4359-B195-D37EA5AA0777_zps

Dude, the detail on your driver is insane! Easily one of the best I've seen. Nice job on the bar work too, looks great.

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