My dad purchased an Athearn RTR undecorated covered hopper in hopes to paint it up and decal it for some co-op somewhere. Unfortunately (for him anyway) the orange paint he was using didn’t adhere properly to his primer, so he was nice enough to allow me to practice some modeling skills on it.
My question is will soaking the covered hopper in turpentine (probably overnight) be safe for the plastic? Is there any other way to get large amounts of paint off if the turpentine would hurt the plastic?
Take your time and use Pine-sol. But only for a short period of time as the solvent will soften the plastic after a period of time. Start off with a paint brush and see how much will come off after some light scrubbing. This is a time consuming process and will require patience and a gentle touch.
PollyScale ELO would be your best bet. Safe for plastics but DO NOT SOAK AT ALL!
I have used the pine soll and it works but use caution. The ELO is a better choice if you can find some.
Well thank goodness I don’t have school on monday, so I’ll have plenty of time to strip the paint. Is the Pine Sol abbrasive enough that I need to scrub the minute I apply it to an area?
Thanks guys, I’m glad I decided to get your advice before just doing it! That would’ve been a disaster.
I’ve always used brake fluid to remove the paint from decorated models. Some paints start to flake off very quickly, while others take several hours of soaking to loosen. Use an old toothbruo remove the paint once it has softened and when done, wahe model well in warm, soapy water. Air dry it and you’re ready to repaint it.
I use Chamelion gel stripper. It’s plastic safe and mostly non-toxic. It’s always worked well for me. Interestingly, I’ve also had good luck with 90% Isoprol Alcohol.
I have has good success with DOT 2 brake fluid. This is the cheaper version, and I understand that DOT 3 brake fluid should not be used. I soaked the plastic model in the brake fluid overnight or longer. As has already been mentioned, be very sure to scrubb the model clean in detergent and rinse well to remove all the brake fluid before repainting.
I, too also use Dot 2 brake fluid. Do not let the model soak without periodic checking. If the brake fluid is fresh it will often start working in 15 - 30 minutes. Scrub a bit with a tooth or plastic bristle brush and then let it soak a bit more then scrub again and repeat until the paint is gone. Use water to neutralize the brakefluid (that’s why you don’t want moisture in your brake lines!). I soak a model in water to neutralize for an equal amount of time it spent in the brake fluid and then wash it with soap and water.
Don’t use “old” tooth brushes with their bent worn bristles and all those old germs, I buy the cheap multipacks at Walmart so I have my own supply in the workshop.
Caution: Do not use brake fluid on any Kato or Atlas/Kato products. They are made of ABS plastic which is not compatible with brake fluid. Use the comercial strippers mentioned in the previous posts. Newer Atlas products (made in China) can be stripped with brake fluid, they are now made with polystyrene.
Tip #1: Get yourself a pair of rubber gloves rated for solvents (usually green or blue) at your local hardware store.Your hands will thank you. If you do get some on your hands rinse them in water to neutralize the fluid.
Tip #2 : Get a couple of plastic (polyproylene) Tupperware-like tubs with lids, big enuff to hold your models. Brake fluid weakens as it is exposed to the humidity in the air. Keep water in one tub for neutralizing and rinsing. You can also use the lid to carry the stripped models to the sink to wa***hem and avoid dripping fluid on the floor.
Don’t use the Polly ELO on katos either… My NW2 is missing the mullions on the front windows and the ELO wasn’t on there very long… Whatever you use, watch the action… With brake fluid (and the ELO) the paint will begin to wrinkle within minutes. When it does, begin the scrub and re-strip process… I’ve found that a cheapo electric toothbrush works great for cleaning models before painting. One of these…
modelmaker51 makes a good point about using gloves with the PineSol, or any paint stripper for that matter - it will strip the skin off your hands even faster than it will strip the paint.
Also wear some safety glasses while you’re scrubing away, so any stray droplets don’t get in your eyes[:0]
i use brake fluid, works like a charm, you just have to look at your model every so often and scrub it later on with a medium bristle tooth brush until all of the paint comes off