Do NOT use brake fluid on your models; unless you want to turn your expensive shell into a glob of plastic.
There are many RPP SD45 shells riding around on Kato SD40 chassis because people attempted to strip the paint of the SD40 shell with brake fluid. The paint did not come off, but the plastic shell was turned into a glob.
The plastic used on models today is very similar to the plastic Kato used on the SD40. It is not like the stuff Athearn used thirty years ago.
There are several reasons for this change; amoung the reason are: environmental regulations, fineness of detail in the molding, cycle time and cost.
It appears that Kato modern prototype shells do not stand up to brake fluid even in N scale. I have used brake fluid on Kato N scale first generation prototypes with no trouble. I do not speak from experience on the modern protoypes, as I do not run them, but I have known more than one modeller who has ruined some Kato modern prototype shells when he used brake fluid to strip them.
The plastic used on LL N scale models will turn to powder if you use brake fluid.
The plastic used on most B-personn N scale models will not stand up to brake fluid.
The plastic used on Atlas N scale first generation prototypes does stand up to brake fluid.
A couple of things about brake fluid:
Whatever you use it on, do not leave it in the brake fluid for long.
Brake fluid is quite toxic. Wash and clean up well.
Brake fluid does not wash off of your hands with one washing. I learned this the hard way: fingerprints on a boxcar are a reminder of this. I always wash and rinse my hands several times after using it.
I try to use ninety-one per-cent alcohol and an old tooth brush where possible.
Right on Nigel.
Anything that will strip paint will probably find a plastic it likes to eat sooner or later, so if it matters to you, try to do a little test first.
I’m a PineSol fan, but if it’s something I haven’t stripped before, I test it first. So far so good.
Wow! Thanks for the information. One of our older model railroaders, an HO guy, said to use DOT3 brake fluid but now that I have been warned, I wont use it. What is the best thing to use? I noticed that the previous poster mentioned PineSol. Thanks, you guys may have saved me from a very upsetting catastrophe!
Pine Sol and its imitators aren’t necessarily safe for all plastics, either. I’ve had Pine Sol soften freight car bodies- it was more than a little startling to start scrubbing with a tooth brush and find that the bristles were taking plastic along with the paint, leaving gouges in the plastic…
I noticed this problem mostly with Walthers cars about ten years ago. Whoever was molding their cars for them at the time (possibly Heljan?) was using plastic that varied wildly from batch to batch.
no matter what, never use brake fluid without protective gloves as it leaches right through skin and it is poison. Spilled on the ground, it also leaches right through your pets paw pads as well just like antifreeze. J.R.
Brake Fluid was the way to go decades back, especially on Athearn BBs and Atlas locos.
With today’s tougher environmental regulations, where are you going to dispose of it?
No offense to those that use it, but I would never recommned it. Products like Pine Sol, 91% Alcohol, and ELO have their hazards as well, but are overall safer to work with.
As mentioned, ALWAYS test a small area first as plastics can vary within the same manufacturer.
This may sound stupid, but does it matter what brake fluid you use? I don’t mean brand, but the type…Is there a difference between the “older” DOT3 and the newer types like DOT5?
I’ve read that DOT3 and DOT4 eat paint, but DOT5 does not…It is “rubber compatible”…It also doesn’t absorb water.
I remember a letter to MR where the writer warned against using DOT 5
silicone brake fluid on models. He tried it; it didn’t work, and left a residue
he couldn’t remove.
DOT 3 brake fluid is not ‘quite toxic’. Read the MSDS. Don’t drink it,
don’t bathe in it, and wash your hands before eating or smoking, but there’s
no reason for chemophobia. If you read the MSDS, you will note that
the absorption of ‘large quantities’ through the skin may case drowsiness
or nausea. You are not going to absorb this getting in on your fingers, nor
will your pets go belly-up from stepping in a puddle of it.
Let’s not all be silly like the state of California, which puts that inane
warning on ANYTHING with even a trace amount of any substance ‘known
to cause birth defects or reproductive harm’…
Brake fluid is one of several options for stripping paint, none of which is effective on all paints and safe for all plastics:
I start with 99% isopropyl alcohol, which won’t dissolve any plastic but also won’t lift all factory paints. It will, however, lift Polly Scale and ModelFlex acrylics.
Next I try Pine-Sol, which won’t eat many plastics except that used on Life-Like’s trainset-grade cars and Kato locomotives.
Next I try brake fluid, which I have not tried on LifeLike shells, but is definitely not safe for Kato.
If I know an item is not safe for brake fluid, I sometimes use Polly S Easy-Lift-Off, but it’s hard to obtain here, so I use it sparingly. So far anything ELO will remove will also yield to one of the other chemicals above, all of which are easier to obtain locally and less expensive.
For all of these I recommend good ventilation and nitrile gloves as precaution against staining, irritation and possible toxicity.
Another alternative which I use for Kato and trainset-grade LifeLike shells, stubborn paint, brass, and irreplacable items of unknown material is my abrasive gun.
I also normally start with the 99 per cent alcohol, which usually takes off most paints, and has never damaged anything, even after long soaks.
But if that doesn’t work, then it’s on to the ELO - I’ve never had it eat anything either, but as mentioned previously, it’s much more expensive, and you can’t just walk in and buy it at your local Safeway. Between these two, one or the other gets the job done.
While PineSol works great for getting old paint out of glass airbrush jars and such, I’ve had problems with it etching plastic, especially Athearn BB.
And to echo other safety notes, be sure to wear gloves, as anything that will eat paint will eat the skin off your hands (this is especially true of the PineSol). Also, wear glasses when you’re scrubbing, so you don’t risk getting any spray into your eyes.
Another option I have never seen mentioned. Just yesterday, I stripped the
paint off a Stewart U25B model using Champ’s Decal-Set. It took the paint off
in minutes and did absolutely no harm to the shell at all. This was an accidental
discovery, as I was only trying to remove the lettering (at first). I tend to doubt
whether the product will work on other brands, but it certainly worked on this
locomotive.
Being redundant ( I have said this before about stripping ) I only use Polly S ELO these days, it’s safe on everything I’ve done, no experimenting needed. It doesn’t work fast but always works and doesn’t harm any plastic I’ve found. MY [2c]
Have you stripped P2K shells with ELO? If so, what were your results and did the paint come off easily?
I’m going to be stripping a P2K E7 shell soon and was going to use 91% alcohol, but I’m always willing to experiment and compare methods. I’ve never used it, but I’m willing to try ELO if it’s more effective than the alcohol.[swg]
FP45, I done it on everything but a BLI so far, The BLI is next. Most people don’t buy it because of cost, I believe you get what you pay for. It’s absolutly safe as far as I have found, slow but steady, every now and then I use a toothbrush on it to loosen the paint a little. And even though it change color and looks yucky, it’s reusable until gone. MY[2c]