I recently acquired a Stewart RS-3 kit, and have been trying to remove the factory paint job so I can paint and decal it for the Flint Hills Northern. In my 55+ years of model railroading I have never come across a paint as tough to remove as this stuff. I started out with isopropyl alcohol - 2 days soaking - didn’t touch it. Though I was leery of using it on this plastic, I next tried DOT3 brake fluid. After 14 hours of soaking, the lettering came off, and the base coat had softened slightly, but not enough to completely remove.
Is there a powerful paint stripper out there that is safe for plastics? Chameleon, ELO, or something similar? I want to get it down to bare plastic…
The Chameleon stripper works really well for plastics but I am fairly sure that it is no longer available.
I think that the next stripper in line with what you have already tried may be the Citrus stripper that you can buy from Wal-Mart. I am not certain if it is safe for plastics, but it is not a strong paint stripper. I would advise if you try it, test it on an old plastic model first.
Use ELO or Wash Away - like others have mentioned, Chameleon does not seen to be available anymore. I still have a couple bottles left, but will need to look at Wash Away after that is gone.
Brake fluid is the worst for plastic - it sucks the oils out of the plastic and makes it very brittle.
Thanks, Jim. However, I’ve not found brake fluid to be that bad. From what I hear, the only plastic that it really affects badly is the plastic used by Kato. I don’t have any Kato products, so it’s not been an issue with me. And I strip a LOT of models, since I need to repaint most of them - especially locomotives. I’ll have to look into the Wash Away…
The plastic in Kato engines really gets affected by brake fluid. Athearn shells seem to fare better. The ‘leach-out’ of the oils in the plastic can be seen by the white residue/dust that sometimes appears. With Kato shells going for $35 and up, using Wash Away is a no-brainer.
To be quite honest, I have not done a lot of stripping loco shells for a number of years. The plethora of correctly painted models has resulted in adding road specific details and minor paint touch-ups. The major kit-bashing/painting/decaling/weathering has really slowed down(at least for me). I have even converted to acrylic air brush paints unless the only correct color is a solvent based paint. I have some BNSF GP38/39 engines that still need ditch lights(if DW ever gets them out again), but the paint jobs are quite good. I enjoy adding the engine specific details(like the ex-ATSF roof top details).
I do have some freight car projects that will involve entire rebuilding/metal stirrup steps/grabs/details and of course painting/lettering. It’s not like the 70/80’s where everything was a complete bottom to top project!
Believe me, Jim, if I could get locos painted in FHN colors, I’d grab 'em in a heartbeat. However, since it’s a freelance road, I’m pretty well stuck. And I have already initiated inquiries at my LHS for Wash Away.
Athearn, Rivarossi (AHM) MDC and others are very tolerant of DOT3 brake fluid. The new DOT-4 stuff, however, is deadly, from what I’ve heard and read…
Thanks to all who replied - I have obtained and tested the Scalecoat II Wash Away, and it looks like it’ll do the trick. I learn more from these forums than from anywhere else, and it goes to show you’re never too old to learn. [:D]
Been there recently with an old swap meet shell. Get Super Clean in a purple bottle at Walmart. I get the gallon size (purple bottle), but a smaller spray bottle is also available. This stuff you use by soaking the shell for 24 hrs, although it works quicker usually. I then scrub crevices with a toothbrush, although a recent suggestion on this forum is to also use a toothbrush where the bristles are cut down to make it stiffer as a scrubbing tool. I wear household cleaning gloves when handling the already soaked shell and scrub into the continer, to rewet areas where needed. I recommend this specifically if you did not get results from a 91% alcohol soak bath and still have the paint untouched or unaffected. Cedarwoodron