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 Posted - December 29 2006 : 2:43:55 PM
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I've heard you can do plastic shells and I'm assuming die cast also with Brake Fluid. If so, what's the procedure? Brush it on, soak it in a "tub" of it, how do you get it off?
Inquiring minds want to know.
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Posted - December 29 2006 : 3:56:48 PM
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| hi new york central,as with everything you strip and any advice you get regarding it,make sure you do it on a sample piece first,yes brake fluid does strip,as my car will testify to,but regards plastic thats a new one ken
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Posted - December 30 2006 : 12:59:50 PM
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Hi NYC,
I've stripped quite a few things with several different solvents, and like everything else in the hobby, it sometimes seems to be a an "inexact" science.
The first thing you need to notice is the type of plastic you are trying to strip. Older plastics (the kind that are hard, brittle, and generally "snap" when they break) are generally OK, but the newer, softer "engineering" plastics (which are usually Gray and of the type used by Kato, atlas, etc, especially on newer RTR Diesels, and seem to flex, bend, and tear when they break) can be fragile. More on that in a minute.
Brake fluid does strip paint. How quckly, depends on the finish - the type of paint used, if there is primer, how well it was done, etc. I have had to let items soak for 24 hours to get the paint to start to bubble; sometimes a 5 minute slop job is enough. And that pretty much applies to everything, not just brake fluid.
I prefer Pine-Sol, myself. It works about the same as brake fluid, but isn't quite as hazardous, and smells better. Cheaper too. Will cut right through th baked enamel finish used on die-cast cars, too.
Both of those agents are too strong if you just want to remove a few graphics. For that I like to use rubbing alcohol, or Scale-Coat Wash-away. 91% alcohol is GREAT for removing tampo-printed graphics applied to baked-enamel finishes (diecast cars)... with plastic models you have to be a liitle more careful, but it's generally the best thing to start with. I have used Pine-sol and brake fluid successfully, but I can't really describe how I knew they were "safe" to use on just graphics - that came with experience and a willingness to accept the risk.
Now... the softer plastics can and will "melt" if you soak them too long. No more than 24 hours to be safe. The ScaleCoat Wash-away, or 91% alcohol is safer. I stripped a Bachmann N-scale SD40 with brake fluid once, and even after 20 minutes I could feel the plastic gtting softer. But that paint came off instantly, so it was OK.
As ken said, it's best to practice on a few sacrificial items to get the hang of it.
And be prepared for the occasional disaster. Despite about a dozen succesfull strip jobs, I had one recently. It was the classic Athearn airplane load - someone had repainted the plane FOUR times. And I had NO IDEA what kinds of paint were under there - but it reacted with the pine-sol and became a sticky, goopy mess that even ruined that old black brittle plastic. It was horrible, and became a total loss. I think it was oil paint that was used in a previous coat that caused the problem.. so that was a rare, nasty exception you probably won't run into.
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Posted - December 30 2006 : 1:17:32 PM
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| 1 other material i use is ladies nail varnish remover for tampo prints,but in some cases fresh paint as well so be careful and as g i c states its not an exact sience,get some scrap items and practice ken
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Posted - December 30 2006 : 1:32:16 PM
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Ah yes, how could I forget?!
Nail Polish remover - also known and sold (cheaper) as pure Acetone - is even BETTER than alcohol for removing tampo's. Good catch, Ken.
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Posted - December 30 2006 : 3:52:43 PM
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Thanks all. If I don't find acetone readily the PineSol solution seems to be a good one. Do you scrub it with a toothbrush then? I would imagine most of the trains I want to strip (tyco, bachmann, life-like, etc.) are the harder non-engineering plastic and are more tolerant of the stripping solution. Is that a correct statement?
I clean my shells in a hot soapy solution with a soft brush and it works real well. I discovered the Tyco DOTS car isn't really painted, it uses decals, I now have a very clean OT car.  On that same note all the marvel cars are decaled.
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Posted - December 30 2006 : 11:06:49 PM
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| Have you asked at your local hobby shop? There are several plastic safe paint strippers available. All come with printed, detailed instructions. I personally like Polly Scale Easy Lift Off. It has eaten 1 Tyco GP20 shell, but did just fine on 2 Tyco C630 shells. I have also tried Scale Coat II and am about to try Chameleon. I have had considerable trouble getting the Easy Lift Off as of late. Nobody can get it here and no one seems to know if it is even being made at this time.
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Posted - February 22 2008 : 6:45:44 PM
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Sort of inspired by Rays custom Alcos and thanks to an extra shell I decided Wednesday to strip the paint only from a Silver Steak. I used Pine-sol and all was going well untill I left the shell in the solution over night and it started through the chrome. Now after 2 days I'm having trouble getting the snout and the roof to come clean. Like it said earlier, it's an inexact science.
Alco Fan
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Posted - February 23 2008 : 12:21:25 AM
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I used to use Pine-Sol until I stripped the rivit detail off a Tyco F7 shell by leaving it soak to long.
I have used brake fluid ever since. I have let shells soake in brake fluid for a few days with no bad side effects. Over night is usually all the longer I soak them now. Then scrub the shell with soapy water and rince.
Dispose of any stripping solution properly. Do not dump it down the drain.
Ray
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Posted - February 23 2008 : 01:34:12 AM
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| Have used Scale-coat II on several Tyco shells with good results. Soft bristled toothbrush after about 20 minutes or so of soaking. Price ranges form $7.95 to $8.95 a bottle.
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ABE
Switcher
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Posted - February 25 2008 : 10:31:53 AM
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Hi Todd,
Nice talking to you at Allentown show on Saturday, in doing custom painting I have tried all kinds of different ways to remove paint & lettering from plastic shells & all of these guys are correct about brake fluids, pine sol, paint removers & etc & what they say has all worked for me but I have found that glassbeading works the best for me as it seems that any chemical has its way of finding small little corners & etc & finding its way out after paint is applied & ruining a paint job, not on each & every item but on some it happens no matter how careful yo uwash in warm soapy water afterwards, in glassbeading a plastic item I keep the air pressure way down , use the finest beads you can find & what works best is to very carefully remove the lettering only & just go over the entire shell by beading which seems to prepare ther shell for a primer, you have to careful not to keep the nozzel at one spot to long that you gouge the paint into the plastic as if you do this you have either a ruined area that shows up in painting or a time consuminmg job filling in with puddy, This is what works for me & I am not saying its the best & the other ways dont work because they do, to each his own,
I saw lots of Tyco on the tables at the show but some way high , especially the red box stuff,
I saw where Bob Beers found a Tyco Tropicianna boxed set ,
Have a nice day,..................................Abe
Abe Schwartz
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Posted - February 17 2009 : 10:07:50 PM
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I have gotten into the habit of stripping my bodies and I have noticed that the oven cleaner works good on decals. Some paints are not bothered by it and some just melt off. Depending on the manufacturer and the type of paint they used, tells if it going to work or not.
I have done Life Like bodies and their paint comes off easy. Bachmann uses a good paint and it will not budge it. Most of the Tyco's I have picked up, the color is embedded in the plastic (colored plastic) and a primer is needed to repaint.
I tried to use a "low strength" stripper on one old Athearn Dummy and I stripped off the paint and RUINED the plastic, which literally melted.
I take the body and put it in a one gallon zip lock storage bag and spray the heck out of the car till it is covered completely and then seal the bag. In about 2 hours, 50% has come off and then I wash it in hot water and dry it and spray it again. Decals wash off in the first rinse. If you still see the mark from the decals on the body after they have been stripped, a very fine grade of sandpaper smooths out the high spots.
Hope this helps!
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Posted - February 17 2009 : 10:27:30 PM
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Don't soak anything in acetone except metal parts! It will turn styrene into goo. It might be good for removing tampo printing as Ken suggested, but you would have to rub gently with a Q-tip or brush.
I like Chameleon paint stripper. It's more expensive than brake fluid, but it does the job and doesn't damage anything.
http://www.chameleonproductsonline.com/
The Tyco Depot
Edited by - NickelPlate759 on February 17 2009 10:29:59 PM
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Posted - February 18 2009 : 07:14:00 AM
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| hi NickelPlate759,whole heartly agree,no soaking with nail varnish,as suggested q tips and gentle movements do not get impatient,if its a new model they come off quite easy,but ones that have been sitting around awhile take time,and like most things every make has different proportions of incredients cheap ones are not always as pure as their dearer counterparts always test on a smaller hidden part first to check for reactions ken
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