Removing paint from a brass model (G scale)?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I’m wondering what would be the best approach to remove paint from a brass model, G scale or roughly 1/24 for this particular model. It is a tank car.

I’d like to strip the factory paint and start over with Scalecoat I paint (Scalecoat I since this is a metal model) and Microscale decals. If I can find enough, I’d like to do three of these cars.

I’ve read some posts in the archives here that mention lacquer thinner, MEK, brake fluid, etc… But this was for HO or smaller models. It is a lot easier to strip smaller scale models since they usually fit in bins and don’t need much liquid to fully immerse.

But G scale needs a lot of liquid to fully immerse. And rarely will the model fit in a bin to strip.

So maybe a “sand” blaster might be be better? I think MicroMark has a small blaster. But again maybe it is too small for G scale sized trains.

Any suggestions?

2

Perhaps this question should be posted in the Garden Railways magazine forums instead of here.

If your tank car is anything like the brass G-scale live steam locomotive I have, the paint used is a hard baked enamel. An industrial sand blaster may be necessary instead of one made for hobby use.