Is it?[%-)]
Worked for me. Got the paint softened up enough to remove with a toothbrush. Did not eat the plastic. I think I used the 91% stuff. Been a while.
Ok, I’ll try.
91%, yep. Works great and I have never had it damage a shell.
Also good: Castrol Super Clean. Doesn’t harm plastic, either.
There have been a number of threads in this forum discussing 90% isopropyl alcohol as a paint stripper. 70% does not work at all. The 90% is friendly to most plastics; but remember that it is highly flammible - about the same flash point as gasoline, so use good ventilation and keep away from hot surfaces like incandescent lightbulbs and cigarettes.
I have used the 90% with good results, and am no longer using brake fluid, my former favorite paint stripper.
I had a stubborn ahm switcher that would not soften paint. Might have been the top paint job that the other person did but it came off easily. The santa fe did not. Left it in the alcohol overnight and it melted the plastic in a few places. Well not gooey melty but after it dried it came off in chunks and almost ruined the shell. Also take care with goo gone for long periods.
Just my 2 cents. Also stay away from mr. hobby paint remover!!!
mike
Click on this link: Thread with photos of an HO E7 and an HO RDC being paint stripped with 91% Isopropyl alcohol [;)]
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/146219/1623493.aspx#1623493
I forgot to say, only leave it in the alcohol, (or other strippers for that matter) just long enough to soften the paint. If you think about it, the chemistry of paint isn’t all that different from plastic. Anything that will soften paint will most likely start in on the plastic if you give it enough time.
I once tried isopropyl alcohol 70% because I was out of 91% on two bachmann trolley shells. Not strong enough to remove paint with a toothbrush, but enough to scrap it from relatively flat surfaces with a more rigid tool. Not a very concluant experiment though. Better keep good old 91%.
I once left a Bachman caboose body in a jar of 91% Iso Alcohol for two months because I forgot about it.
No ill effects, and the paint fell right off!
Somewhere I have seen a video of someone using 90% as a stripper. It looked like it worked fine but do be careful about the fumes.
90% makes a good stripper. Takes time and a bit of scrubbing. Use in well ventilated area. Do not smoke around this stuff.
It doesn’t work with some paints, It worked for me on proto 2000 cars, didn’t work too well on athearn. It didn’t work for a loco painted with scalecoat 2.
I haven’t priced denatured alcohol in a while, but it might be cheaper to get a quart of denatured alcohol than to buy a few bottles of 90% Isopropyl.
I’ve used it for years. Only problem was an old Varney caboose which warped.