Horrible paint stripping stories...

I remember about 10 or so years ago I was going to paint a LifeLike F40PH for a friend. This was when I was in my Pine-Sol stripping stage. I let the shell soak in it but I forgot about it and it stayed in straight Pine-Sol overnight. By the time I remembered it the next day, I had a nice, almost flat, piece of plastic. Funny though, the horns that I left on it came out without a problem. I did get a good laugh seeing that really nice set of horns on a plastic lump!

I did end up buying my friend a new F40PH.

 

Also, don't use Pine-Sol or brake fluid on Kato shells. It'll make 'em brittle and crack. Please don't ask how I know this!

 

I used Pine Sol on some Concor passenger cars and had no problem except for one shell. It had been dark blue plastic. It turned very light blue, was as flexible as rubber and even after washing, it reeked of Pine Sol. I figured it was a total loss but decided to try to salvage it. I let it soak in water and changed the water every day, gradually leaching out the Pine Sol. After about three weeks it no longer reeked, and it was back to acting like plastic instead of rubber. Except for the color change it was as good as new.

 

I've never soaked shells in anything--not after dissolving the handle of my first airbrush. Some of my early efforts, after scrubbing with brake fluid and then not cleaning it off thoroughly enough, were kinda "flakey."

I never used Barrier with Floquil, figuring I could spray thinly enough not to eat the plastic. Three shells ended up looking like they were coated with housepaint, applied with a real four-inch brush.

 

I have 3 Micro-Trains hopper bodys that were painted with Badger Modelflex paint that absoloutely will not strip. I've tried 91% alchohol, brake fluid, ELO... Nothing gets to this stuff.
I have an old orbiting electric toothbrush that will normally "melt" the paint off anything after immersion but Modelflex is just some bad stuff.

On a side note. I wonder if the methods mentioned above could be used to replicate that prototypical "sag" that old gondola cars get...

 

The Arnold Rapido plastic FP9 and shorty passenger car shells from the 1960's and early 1970's are notorious for developing a hump back already.

I got rid of bunch of the early powered units and cars, but thought I would keep the dummy B units for passenger loco lashups.

I dropped them in "Unpaint" which I was using on almost everything else at that time, and they all developed hump backs as they dried. From "impossible to find" to "impossible to use" in ten minutes.

Seems like I melted a few other things in Unpaint back then, but I was doing O Scale and N Scale both. It is that bunch of ruined, irreplacible B units I remember.

 

I ruined a Proto 2000 GP30 nose stripping the paint off of it with ELO. I was going to add some details and a Gyraight. Had to buy a new shell from LifeLike. Cost me another 20 bucks just to get the nose since cannon doesen't make one for the GP30.
I recently stripped 3 Kato F40Ph's and used a badger grit blaster with baking soda. At 35 bucks a pop I was scared to dip them in any kind of stripper or brake fluid. I was also worried about using baking soda and what it might take off along with the paint. I had never tried this before The only advice I had was that other guys had tried it. I turned my air presure down put on a respirator and some safety glasses and headed outside. The paint came off easily even though I was careful and used low air pressure. Took me 3 boxes of soda, But the stuff is cheap. They came out looking factory new. I even checked them out under a strong magnifier. Not a single rivet or detail was ruined. No more liquid strippers for me.
It was a messy job. I looked like I had gotten flour bombed. I was white with soda from head to toe. Find a windy day outside where the stuff can blow away from you. Wear a mask or automotive respirator you will be glad you did.

 

Resin shells do not go into Chameleon stripper...

 

I striped kato shells with pine-sol that are 20yrs old and the shells are fine. no problem at all

 

Im also into vintage RC cars, and we often use EZY OFF Oven cleaner to strip the old paint off the ABS plastic body shells and wheels with no ill effect on the plastic..

Has anyone tried oven cleaner on their model trains??

Mark.

 

Ahh yes the brake fluid thing. Something which along with Pinesol I will not try again ever. And while the 91% alcohol does work on some paints it does leave some of the plastics dry and brittle. Chameleon has been my long favorite but getting it has been like waiting outside Fort Knox for the daily defective gold bar disposal. Neither of which has been successful. My back-up is ELO.

 

After reading the article in the last issue of MRH online, I've started using a nylon 405 bristle brush in my dremel to help wisk away the paint. I've been using Scalecoat Wash Away because I can't get my normal 91% alcohol over here in Europe (can't find an equivilent version either), but can get the Scalecoat shipped via air. I let it soak for about an hour and then go in with the dremel while it's still in the solution. Haven't had a loco fight back with stubborn paint yet. Just use a lower rpm setting and keep the brush wet so it won't damage the shell. I've done 5 so far this way with no lose of details or injuries to the shell...

Brian

 

I remember years ago when I first started to strip and repaint. The only thing I knew that worked was UnPaint, but also knew it was very harsh and that it could destroy the shells. I learned the hard way by loosing a new [at the time] KATO GP38/38-2
I friend said it always worked great on his stuff and never had any problems. Of course I said "Prove it"

He took an N scale Atlas GP9 [from Yugoslavia] and dunked it in a jar of UnPaint. A week later, he took it out and and as he stated......NO PROBLEMS! Of course this was a long time ago and I'm sure it was a different type of plastic, but didn't know that at the time.

After reading this I went downstairs and dug out that shell and it's still as pliable a it was back then. Ha! You sure wouldn't want to do that with today's plastic.

I have used brake fluid, Pine-Sol and I even found another off brand of Pine cleaner once called "REAL PINE" It had 25% pine oil as compared with Pine-Sol's 15%. That was the best stuff I have ever used and of course, I have never found it again. I dropped a shell in there and went back an hour or so later to check on it, the paint had completely let loose from the shell in almost one piece! It looked as if it was a one giant 3D decal hovering around the shell! The shell was completely clean with only a few specs of paint in the grills.

It's been a long time since I've had the need to strip and repaint anything, but I have heard of guys having good luck with the 91% Alcohol. I have also heard of using Castrol Super Clean with decent results.

Allen...

 

The first time I stripped a shell I used brake fluid. This was an HO Atlas/Roco sd35. I rinsed it and started handling it with my bare hands and the plastic was still soft so I left fingerprints in it.
I still painted it up after I got done cursing. Enough weathering and nobody will notice.

 

I've stripped about 5000 shells,tried Pinesol ONCE,NEVER use it again,turned a Rivarossi E-8 into tar,and couldn't get the smell off my hands for three days...Purple cleaners,Simple Green, or 93% alcohol work a lot better,are safer,and when you're done,it doesn't make your train room STINK for five months..And you guys using Chameleon at what? 8-10 bucks a quart? Look at the ingredients..It's about 50% brake fluid...