Stripping the paint off car bodies

I have heard that using Pine Sol is a safe and easy way to strip the paint off car bodies. I am currently ready to strip down two Kato F units. Can someone tell me how long it should take to strip the paint off the shells? I would like to hear from anyone who has used Pine Sol in the past to strip car bodies. Thanks, Railroad Teacher

 

I have used Pine Sol on many occasions and it works fairly well but leaves a really bad odor (get the lemon kind, it smells better). Kato uses a very strong plastic so its OK to leave them in for a few hours. I would let them soak an hour or two then come back with a tooth brush and scrub a little, then at half hour intervals I would come back and scrub. Just be carefull that you don't leave the shells in two long, or your going to have two mushy peices of plastic if your not carefull.

I would suggest testing an old box car or something first, then have at the Kato shells.

Hope this helps you!

 

I still haven't tried Pine-Sol, but had some problems with chamilean recently. I tried to strip 2 KATO N SD45's. The ink stripes and lettering came off fairley quick, but the base coat of paint would not budge. I started to use a tooth brush with light preasure and the shell started to fall apart. The shell cracked vertically between the door and horizontally under the dynamic brake. Both shells cracked in exactly the same way. I immeadetly washed the shells in soap & water. It was all able to be glued but the paint was still there. Annoying. I painted them up any way.

Brian

 

The Polly S Easy Lift Off is what I swear by. I used to use 91% rubbing alchohol but since I tried the ELO I use it only. I never tried Pine Sol as a stripper. I can tell you that different manufacturers use different grades of plastic and each one strips a little differently. It's kind of like toasting a marshmallow. There's a fine line between a clean stripped body and "toast".

 

I have used Pinesol on several models with mixed results. I have never had the problem of damaging a shell. I have gone so far as to leave the shell submerged for several days. I guess that I am lucky as I have heard many horror stories of damaged shells. The biggest disappointment was to not be able to remove all of the paint. I did discover that it was not such a bad thing though. Remove what you can, stripes, numbers, letters and any secondary color that wants to come off. Some of the base colors just won't come off and some do. I found that by painting a primer color (I prefer Floquil SP Lettering Gray) that I am able to get very nice results.
I have used another brand called Chameleon (I may not have spelled it correctly) with good results. It is more aggresive than Pinesol although it doesn't have that pine fresh odor! I have never had it damage a shell yet. It is tuff to find but I think well worth the effort. One place to try is Allied Model Trains in Culver City, CA. I have gotten it there in the last couple of years. They are not the least expensive but are helpful and usually have what you need.
Hope this helps.
Dave Fowler

 

I haven't been able to find this fabled 91% alcohol here Germany. So what I use with great success is Heat. You know the stuff you mix with your gas in the winter to help your car start better. Not exactly cheap, but it works every time in about 1 hour or less.

Mark

[ 01 November 2001: Message edited by: Ratcals ]</p>

 

Wow Mark. My heart skipped a beat when I read that you used "Heat". Over here they sell an industrial drain cleaner called Heat. It has been known to dissolve pvc pipe if left in the drain for too long. Come to think of it, I think I have seen a fuel additive called Heat in automotive stores.

 

Hi guys!! I don't know of a lot of the products you are talking about. When I decided 2 years ago to model the Norfolk Southern I had 5 loco's of different roadnames to convert. All I used was simple Metheylated Spirits(Metho). I don't Know what you all call it in the states? It is very good at stipping paint no matter who manufacturer the model. You can leave your loco shell in this stuff for hours and it will not destroy even the finest of details or like you were saying making the plastic soggy or sticky. The other thing about metho it is inexpensive and easy to get. I've found the results I get after air brushing the new scheme are flawless. Of course this is just a suggestion I'd thought I'd make as I have Never heard of the products you were talking about.

 

Just so you know, the automotive HEAT is isopropal alcohol.

 

I needed to strip some Roundhouse 50' mechanical reefers and didn't have enough Easy Lift Off, So I tried brake fluid and it works!!! Had to scrub the nooks and crannys 5 or 6 times after soaking all morning then rinsed them off with the 91% rubbing alchohol. I will never buy ELO again.

 

Careful with brake fluid, Herman - it will turn some bodies into a weeping mess. Sometimes it goes only as far as melting/softening the finer detail! Some Bachmann are known for this phenomena.

Hemi, I would avoid using ELO with Kato for anything over about 15 mins at a hit and then only a couple of times. It leaches the oil out of Kato's plastic and the shells become brittle. Either cracks will appear along seams or across the body. Extreme cases the whole body has disintegrated into several parts requiring them to be glued back together.
ELO with Atlas (China - light grey, not the darker grey bodies which are Kato) and LL seems to work without the above problem I have noted with Kato bodies.

Gary.

[ 01 November 2001: Message edited by: Gats ]</p>

 

Roundhouse must use some pretty good plastic. Walthers too. I left two Roundhouse mechanical reefers and one Walthers Cryogenic Reefer in the brake fluid over night and they were fine. I do know that some plastics turn to mush with brake fluid. Funny though. Must newer cars have plastic master cylinder reserviors. Even plastic disc brake pistons too.