Removing Paint from Plastic

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Can anyone give me a few suggestions for removing the paint off of a plastic steam engine without damaging the plastic?

Thanks,
Kevin

2

Well, I’ve used 90% isopropyl alchohol on diesel shells with great success to remove the factory finish. Should work on any plastic, I would guess. Be sure to use the 90% variant and let it soak for a while, use an old toothbru***o remove.

Good Luck,
smyers

3

I use 96% and have the same success…

As higher the alcoholic level is, as faster does the paint come down…

4

I’ve used 91 Percent alcohol on an Athearn Desiel, and all the paint came off, but the problem is that the lettering stayed on. On the next shell I will use Polly Scale Easy Lift Off(ELO) on the letter first, then put it in the Alcohol bath.

Noah

5

A friend of mine who has been modeling for several years says brake fluid will remove paint without hurt the plastic. It will also take off the decals.

6

I strongly recommend using Chameleon Stripper…just DON’T leave a shell in it for 13 months! It works great and removes paint and decal work quickly.

7

I just got a new used engine from a friend so this whole thread is very helpful, but darth, did you mean 13 minutes…I can’t wait over 1 year.

Tim

8

Brake fluid is defintely not recommended although it will work in some cases. It is however hazardous material so disposal is a problem and it will definitely wreck some shells, especially Kato. Pinesol has been suggested in the past, and some of the newer waterbased can be removed with Windex (it’s the ammonia). Safest thing is one of the commercial removers recommended for plastic and be cautious as there is always the possibility of wrecking a shell.

9

Pine Sol. Works great. If you don’t like the smell, wash it in hot water and blue Dawn when you’re through. It’s the ONLY thing I have found that will even remove Rivarossi paint.

10

Good suggestions.

I’ve used the 91% alcohol with good results.

But remember, whether using Alcohol, Pine Sol, or any other product, test a small area first! This could be as simple as inserting only the front end or rear of a unit or a removable section.

Earlier this year, a poster stated he lost 3 Kato locomotive shells when he put them in the “bath” and they were warped. As always, never use Alcohol on Kato units.

Hope this helps!

11

Be very careful using this. Not all plastics are the same and some removers (like brake fluid) will make the plastic very brittle.

Safest thing to do is use alcohol first. That will not harm anything and it’s cheap. If that doesn’t work, move on to something else, but be careful with what you use. Cameleon and ELO are both pretty safe.

12

i’ve used brake fluid on 3 athearn diesel engines with no troubles at all, but always just to be safe test some on the inside of the shell.

13

I’ve used Pine Sol on model cars before with great results.

14

Thanks for the advice. I bought some 91% alcohol to try first. If that does not take it off I will move on to some of the other suggestions.

Thanks again to all of you.
Kevin

15

Although I’m new to model railroading and I’m not familiar with the plastic on trains, I have removed many labels, paint, etc. from plastic bottles by spraying them with WD40. This lubricant is an excellent penetrant and should work handily. Just a thought.

16

Pine Sol and then wipe with WD40. Soak the part 10 Min in the Pine Sol

17

A follow up question… I have some old ‘dummy’ engines from Athearn that I would use as MU consists, but when I bought them, Athearn offered the dummies with the same road numbers as the powered. Is there any good way to remove JUST the numbers without removing a whole lot of paint and having to repaint?

18

I talked with my friend about the brakefluid attacking the plastic. He has been modeling 30 + years and said he has not had any trouble. But most of the time he is working with aircraft models, then cars, and some trains (he says he never has detailed Kato). He has Athearn and Varney locomotives.

19

My bad… it was suppose to read, “just DON’T leave a shell…” Sorry…

20

Hmmm…I tried soaking a painted brass Birney in 91% ispropyl alcohol for several days and the paint didn’t seem to be affected at all. I think that it was enamel paint (it was a very old paintjob) rather than acrylic–would that make a difference?