athern blue box rotary snow plow paint question

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

What is the fastest way to strip this model. I want to have it stripped and in paint all on monday b 3 pm. Would it be easy off or alcohol to do this job?

Thanks

Mike

2

I used easy-off to remove the paint from an Athearn SD9 a while ago and it worked very well! I’ve never tried alcohol so I can’t really comment on how well it works.

3

Easy Off will work. This is nasty stuff, so use with caution. Rubber gloves are a must. A safer alternative (not as caustic) is Castrol Super Clean. This works well to remove paint. Still need the rubber gloves though, as it can also leave nasty chemical burns. Doesn’t smell as bad though :slight_smile:

4

So! D’ja get it done in time? [swg]

I’m not sure about the newer Athearn paint, but the old stuff was easily removed with methyl hydrate. If you use it, work in a well-ventilated area (it doesn’t smell too much, but it’s very volatile and the fumes aren’t particularly good for you). Also, wear rubber or plastic gloves, as it is readily absorbed through the skin.

Wayne

5

I’ve used Pine Sol and an old tooth brush in the past with great results.

6

Yes monday was a very productive day on the railroad. I got the snow plow stripped in 2 hours, and while I was waiting for that I painted the walkways and worked on the chasis. I converted it to diesel power by adding an rs2 tank underneath(since my railroad has an abundance of second or third hand rs-2 the parts were readily available). I also added metal wheels to the back and I took the barrel looking front wheels and replaced them with regualr metal wheels. Alas the rotary spins a lot better now. After stripping the paint I scraped all the molded gran irons and added wire grabs. After that I sprayed it grey and weatherd it. Just finished the rear end weathering around the exhaust stack. I still have to put the numbers on it and the rest of the decals. But for the most part it is done along with the work caboose. I also preped and painted a 250 ton crane for the next project.

Thanks all for the advise on the stripping, easy off non toxic worked great.

I will post pictures when I get them up.

mike