De solv it grafitti remover no longer available

[Avante2001R 305]

De solve it is not like brake cleaner. Trust me I tried just about everything to remove pactra paint and the only thing that worked was de solve it. I managed to paint strip my dynastorm shell. 

[junkmunki 846]

8 hours ago, rich_f said:

I always used to use brake fluid to remove paint from plastic models (polystyrene) with no ill effects but never tried it on polycarbonate. 

I did try and use brake cleaner on a poly body once. The paint came off just fine, but when the body dried, the once clear plastic had turned completely white, and also it had started to deform. The cleaner chemical was just too harsh for it.

J

[rich_f 233]

5 hours ago, Avante2001R said:

De solve it is not like brake cleaner. Trust me I tried just about everything to remove pactra paint and the only thing that worked was de solve it. I managed to paint strip my dynastorm shell. 

 

51 minutes ago, junkmunki said:

I did try and use brake cleaner on a poly body once. The paint came off just fine, but when the body dried, the once clear plastic had turned completely white, and also it had started to deform. The cleaner chemical was just too harsh for it.

J

Not brake cleaner, brake fluid. As in the hydraulic fluid used to transfer the force from the pedal to the brakes. It has a very particular feel when it gets on your hands and De solv it graffiti remover feels the same. 

(Brake cleaner is entirely different and based solely on volatile solvents so I'm not surprised it ruins clear plastics.)

It obviously isn't exactly the same composition as brake fluid, but I would hazard a guess than the main paint removing ingredient is the same, given than brake fluid does such a good job of removing paint from other things. 

[Avante2001R 305]

More stock in B&Q not sure how long they will be available for but I picked up 4 of them today. Shows stock in most stores. 

[SuperChamp82 743]

It’s still available in the UK 

Happy to help anyone if they cover costs no uplift ? 

[Avante2001R 305]

37 minutes ago, SuperChamp82 said:

It’s still available in the UK 

Happy to help anyone if they cover costs no uplift ? 

Yes loads in B&Q

[nowinaminute 2815]

I've not tried the Revell stuff. 

I've had good experiences and bad experiences with de-solv-it. Sometimes I get a lovely clear finish like this

Other times, the lexan gets a white residue. Sometimes it's easy to remove, other times it's near impossible.

Note on this shell how the clear window parts didn't react to the the cleaner at all, only the parts that actually had paint on turned white so the cleaner itself is not effecting the raw lexan.

It's possible to remove it on this shell but very hard work and would take forever in the nooks and crannies.

I think tamiya do a paint remover too in a bigger bottle than the cleaner but I dont think it's easy to get in the UK.

[rich_f 233]

I wonder why it totally disappeared from uk shops for several months. Is it possible that they recalled it due to a ban on one of its ingredients and the formula is now different?

Can someone with a new can compare the label to an old can to see if anything has changed?

It would be a shame if everyone goes out to stock up on a lifetime supply only to find that they changed the formula and it is no longer safe to use on polycarbonate...

[Avante2001R 305]

Still safe for use on polycarbonate as per the notice on the top of the can. 

[rich_f 233]

4 minutes ago, Avante2001R said:

Still safe for use on polycarbonate as per the notice on the top of the can. 

Ah good. Reading on my phone and didn't zoom in so didn't notice the notice.

[junkmunki 846]

2 hours ago, rich_f said:

I wonder why it totally disappeared from uk shops for several months. Is it possible that they recalled it due to a ban on one of its ingredients and the formula is now different?

Can someone with a new can compare the label to an old can to see if anything has changed?

It would be a shame if everyone goes out to stock up on a lifetime supply only to find that they changed the formula and it is no longer safe to use on polycarbonate...

I actually contacted the manufacturer who are in the UK after the stuff disapeared off the shelves, and although they said they werent really suposed to talk to me directly, they gave me the number of the distributer, who told me it was more of a logistical problem they were having rather than it being withdrawn.

Anyway, all is well again, i can get on with stripping the paint from the next resto.

J

[Alwb68 125]

I’ve had some success with a product called Grafitti Go from Tool Station in the UK.

Mixed results, but then I found the same with Desolv-it.

I do find the plastic feels like it softens slightly while the substance is in contact. But then gardens up once cleaned off and left to dry.

[nowinaminute 2815]

On 8/1/2020 at 5:15 PM, nowinaminute said:

Other times, the lexan gets a white residue. Sometimes it's easy to remove, other times it's near impossible.

Note on this shell how the clear window parts didn't react to the the cleaner at all, only the parts that actually had paint on turned white so the cleaner itself is not effecting the raw lexan.

Ok so this is the same type of body shell, same de-solv-it and different paint. And look what happened:







Zero residue. I am 100% confident that it's the type of paint that is responsible for the end result being good or bad. It's just a lucky dip.

[Yalson 514]

I recently bought a polycarb body covered with paint of indeterminate origin and thought I'd try cleaning it out with De-Solv-It, but it seems B&Q won't send it mail order and nobody else has it in stock, which is annoying when I am immuno-suppressed and I am not supposed to be going out. To be fair, this may just be B&Q deciding to follow the rules, as the Royal Mail say you're not really supposed to send aerosols though the mail anyway. Looks like they have changed the can design, too.

[Yalson 514]

21 minutes ago, Yalson said:

I recently bought a polycarb body covered with paint of indeterminate origin and thought I'd try cleaning it out with De-Solv-It, but it seems B&Q won't send it mail order and nobody else has it in stock, which is annoying when I am immuno-suppressed and I am not supposed to be going out. To be fair, this may just be B&Q deciding to follow the rules, as the Royal Mail say you're not really supposed to send aerosols though the mail anyway. Looks like they have changed the can design, too.

 

De-Solv-It seems to be prohibited by at least six different categories ("Aerosols", "Corrosives", "Environmentally hazardous substances", "Flammable liquids/solids" (depending on how it is classified), and probably also "Paints, wood varnishes and enamels" and "Poisons, toxic liquids, solids and gases"), making it extremely illegal indeed to send through the UK mail.

I used to run a post room at a large company many years ago and the list of prohibited items always fascinated me. It always seemed there were certain items that had a story behind them that we were not being told. For example:
 

• Frozen water (One of those things that should be obvious, but which someone has obviously tried. Dry Ice is also verboten.)
• Goods made in foreign prisons (But how would you know?)
• Hoverboards (Wait, what?)
• Waste, dirt, filth or refuse (I love how 'filth' gets its own category here, presumably for substances that are so unbelievably awful that they defy any other description. Note that it does not include obscene material, which gets its own category elsewhere.)

https://www.postoffice.co.uk/mail/what-can-i-send

[alvinlwh 5895]

Try this. 

https://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/product/40ml-mr-paint-remover-r-mr-hobby-t-114/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2NaNBhDvARIsAEw55hgStV3-zmlzjwjifbqeMLX0oWe_ualW-1nB9p2B2utBZmuCiPxds2gaAgwWEALw_wcB

 

[whahooo 465]

Did anyone tried this Stuff?

https://multigelremover.eu/store/Multi-Gel-Remover®-500-ml-Maximum-1x-250ml-MGR®-for-Free-per-order-p159947033

[SupraChrgd82 1425]

I suggest checking the Safety Data Sheets (section 3) for these products to confirm compatibility with polycarbonate or any other substrate before use.