Any and all suggestions would be welcome as to how I might safely strip the paint from a plastic diesel model for repinting later into another scheme.
Oh. Wait. It’s plastic? [#oops]
I’ve always used brake fluid but I haven’t stripped body shells in many a year and there have been other means advocated here on the forum. You are going to get more answers than you would had you ask “How do I make a good Margarita?”
I started out using Scalecoat II on Athearn, Atlas and P2K bodies. It worked very well. I used a breakfast cake pan (not my wife’s). However, this stripper will destroy a Kato shell. I started using 91% alchohol which can be purchased at your local drugstore. It’s much less expensive and I don’t have to drive 25 miles to the LHS to buy more. I have found very few models that the alchohol will not strip. Soak your loco body for awhile then scrub it with a toothbrush, repeat until the plastic is clean. You should use rubber gloves during this process. Also you should only use strippers in ventilated areas, certainly not inside the house. There are other good strippers out there, but you should test them on the inside of a loco shell with a brush to see if they react with the plastic before you dunk it and melt your shell. I have heard of easy-off oven cleaner and brake fluid being used as strippers. As time moves on, the formulations of cleaners and even brake fluid have changed to the point that they may not work as they used to. They could have possible detrimental effects on your loco shell or simply not remove the paint.
Have fun, Mike
I’ve used Easy Off successfully on a couple of locos. It didn’t take the original paint off of a couple of Bachmann shells I stripped, but did take the repaint off.
I also had pretty good luck with Kresto Painters Hand Cleaner.
I haven’t tried 91% alky yet, but I have a couple bottles for future use.
Rotor
I have used Polly Scale ELO (easy lift off) for years , pricey but reusable forever. I have used the same jar full for 2 years. I use a small loaf pan (5x9) ?to hold it and I soak the loco or whatever in it overnight , a small toothbrush to brush it off. I strain it back into the jar for future use. And I’m sure you’ll hear a lot more techniques soon.
Not to divert from the main topic here too much, but will 91% alcohol work to strip Walthers passenger car paint? I have never stripped a Walthers car before and was wondering what works the best.
Tried that!