Is the Badger Sandblaster (Aluminum Oxide) the best way to remove paint from Kato shells? What are the drawbacks of this method? If it is not the best way, then what is? It seems like the chemical paint strippers are all for the most part harmful and don’t work too well. I really don’t want to mess with them. Thanks.
Here’s what the Kato website says about paint stripping their models:
How can I strip the paint off of one of your models?
First of all, we would strongly encourage you NOT to do it!
Undecorated models are generally included in every model production for this purpose. If your local or regular dealer does not have any undec models, get on the phone and begin to call around. (Please see related FAQ of “where to look.”) If an undecorated model is not obtainable, please consider the separate purchase of an undecorated bodyshell, either through your local dealer or from KATO Parts Direct. Both of these avenues will allow you to paint a model in your home road without the task of stripping the factory-applied colors and markings.
Some hobbyists, however, may say the above comments do not address the question, and they may, for whatever reasons, still want to undertake this paint stripping project. If so, we can NOT make a recommendation of a specific material or process to remove the “paint” from our shell. While we have heard of some hobbyists having great success with a particular fluid or method, we have also heard stories of disastrous results for other modelers using the same product or process!
Please understand that the critical factor here, and one over which we have absolutely no control or influence, is “the human factor.” Exactly how long was the shell immersed in the stripping solution? What was the exact concentration or dilution of the solution? Was the model shell fully cleaned before being immersed? Are you immersing one shell at a time or more than one? Was the solution container clean and free of contaminants? Do you wear rubber gloves or work with bare hands? These are only a few of the questions that only the individual modeler has control over, and any of them or combination of them can greatly effect the outcome of the procedure. A blind re
I have not tried sandblasting plastic bodies to remove paint, however I have had good results with Kato’s ABS plastic bodies using Scalecoat’s Easy Lift Off.
The trick is to not let the shell soak for too long. I usually let it soak for about 10 minutes initially, give it a good scrub with a cheap toothbrush, (4 for a dollar at the local dollar store, not an old used one with all the old germs!). Then re-imerse it for 5 minutes and scrub again. Repeat until all the paint is gone.
Then soak it in water (with a little detergent) for about the same amount of time it was in the stripper to leach out and neutralize the chemicals, then give it a good scrub with detergent and water and rinse very thoroughly and let dry.
Modelers Trick for painting Delrin and acetal haindrails: Prime with Napa # 7223 Polypropelene Clear Primer (for flexible auto parts). It’s available from your local Napa Auto parts store in a spray can. You can spray some in a container and hand brush it on too. Do not get it on any styrene or ABS plastic as it does contain laquer thinner and can attack (craze) these plastics. After priming, just paint as usual and you’ll be amazed how much you can bend the handrails without any paint flaking off!
Good Luck!
I used a similar primer at a previous job, though it was a PPG product. Is it compatible with acrylic paints? I would romove the handrails entirely before applying, because as Jay said, lacquer and ABS don’t mix.
Nelson
Getting back onto topic, I use the abrasive method and love it. I do have one of the Badger guns but, do not use it as often as I have access to a cabinet at work that has 220 grit Al-oxide grit in it. This takes all of the paint off and does not damage the plastic. One word of caution, some plastics will “stain” when they are painted. Do not try to remove this or you will do damage to the plastic. I have had several shell in the past that once the paint layer was off i still saw the paint color in the plastic in some areas. This will not hurt anything. Lately, I have not even tried to remove all of the paint on Kato’s. I just try to remove any stripes and lettering that will “ghost” thru a paint job. I rough up all of the paint to achieve an uniform surface to paint over.
Dan Pikulski