329 replies to this topic

[Big Daddy]

Well i used LA'S totally awesome to strip tamiya semi gloss black and after 1 hour soak it was gone,, also i had a body painted in duplicolor cardinal red and cleared i tried every thing i had with no luck so mixed 1 litre(quart) brake fluid and 500ml (16oz) of 99% isoprpyl alcohol and with a 2 hour soak just rubbing with my finger over the body and all was gone yaaaa

[Ddms]

I try to use the mildest products that will do the job. Ordinary isopropyl alcohol will strip most chrome, and for paint, just about any strong degreaser - like Simple Green - will get 'er done. If I have to leave a part in the stuff overnight, that's no big deal. Sometimes it takes a brass brush to get residue out of the crevices; that's okay too.

Edited by Ddms, 21 July 2012 - 01:26 PM.

[hotrodblder]

I have used both Super Clean AND Purple Power and the under coating is still on my parts. I usually let them sit for about 12 to 24 hrs just for general principal even if it's not needed. I've just not had much luck with this in general I guess.

[jeffb]

another product down the drain .......

[JamesW]

another product down the drain .......

I don't care who ya are, that's funny right there.

[Danno]

I don't know ... using Liquid Plumr ... even oven cleaner ... seems a little over the top when much safer products do the job ... safer. They're too caustic ... even volatile.


It's a little like saying dynamite is good for removing paint. Really good. I mean, it completely removes it.



Maybe so, but do you really want to use it?

[martinfan5]

I don't know ... using Liquid Plumr ... even oven cleaner ... seems a little over the top when much safer products do the job ... safer. They're too caustic ... even volatile.


It's a little like saying dynamite is good for removing paint. Really good. I mean, it completely removes it.



Maybe so, but do you really want to use it?

Well , that all depends on, well, lets just leave it that ................................

[Art Anderson]

Uhhhhhhh ... i'd be REALLY careful here. Drain clearing/cleaning products are EXTREMELY caustic. Far more than oven cleaners or Super Clean and its ilk.

My Haz-Mat training tells me the extra health risk just wouldn't be worth it.

Stick with the safer stuff, it's hot enough.

Besides, what are you going to save? Ten or fifteen minutes?

OK, I've said this so many times, it's burned into my memory banks: "Chrome" plating on model car parts is actually vacuum-metalized ALUMINUM. Now, anything that will dissolve aluminum will dissolve that plating in a NY Second (it's only a few molecules thick).

Oven cleaners and drain openers almost universally contain LYE (Chemical name: Sodium Hydroxide), which is death to aluminum. In addition, Sodium Hydroxide will lift most air-dry paints in a matter of minutes, and considering that the clear coat used before the vacuum metalizing process (that gives the wet look finish which makes your plated parts sparkle) and the clear top coat which is necessary to protect and preserve the plating is almost always an airdry non-penetrating lacquer, LYE works very quickly, and it's less expensive to buy than say, LYE containing products such as Easy Off or Liquid Plumr.

Look for Lewis Red Devil Lye at your favorite supermarket, it will be in the cleaning supplies section. It's in crystal form, you add it to water (never add water to lye crystals, nasty things can happen).

Now, anything that will strip "chrome" from plastic model parts is hazardous--ALWAYS use PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) which in this case means protective gloves (Nitrile exam gloves are in virtually every pharmacy in the US, and are both non-allergenic and inexpensive) and eye protection (beyond even eyeglasses (every product mentioned in threads such as this one will damage your eyes irreparably if splashed into them).

But in the end, my experience has been, LYE works the best, and the quickest, and will remove not only the plating, but all clear coats as well, leaving the original highly detailed parts.

Art

[hotrodblder]

Thanks Mr. A. I will look for it when I go to the store tomorrow. I have some pesky parts that I want to get down to the bare plastic for this particular project so they look better painted. Would virtually any type of crystal lye work then I'm assuming?

[1930fordpickup]

How long can the plastic sit in the stripper, Art ? Sometimes I forget my parts are in the purple stuff for a few days .

[MrObsessive]

I've used Easy Off (Yellow Can) in the past for many a stripping session, and sometimes the parts were coated for days with no ill effects to the plastic. Easy Off does contain Lye, so the other product that Art mention should pose no problem as well to plastic.

As the others have said------if you're going to use this stuff, MAKE SURE you're wearing rubber gloves! Either that, or very quickly wash your hands with running water if you touch it at all!

[Ace-Garageguy]

As everyone says, use gloves and EYE protection, and don't forget and absent-mindedly scratch your face or other un-protected areas.

It's perfectly safe to use slightly hazardous chemicals AS LONG AS YOU KEEP YOUR BRAIN IN GEAR, and take the necessary precautions. If you elect to use dissolved lye crystals, keep the container covered and re-use it indefinitely. As it's sold as a drain opener, proper disposal of small quantities isn't really an issue, but as with all toxic materials, try to maintain a respect for our environment and minimize what you use, and dispose of.

Lye has been commonly used in hot-tanks to strip paint and grunge from ferrous (iron-based) parts for many many years. I have a vat of the stuff here, and just keep it tightly sealed when not in use.

HOWEVER, if you have CHILDREN, keep the stuff locked up, PLEASE.

[hotrodblder]

ok, Now the real question, Where can I find it to buy it? I have got to two doaler stores and the gorcery store and can not find anything that says "lye crystals" or "lye powder".

[Art Anderson]

ok, Now the real question, Where can I find it to buy it? I have got to two doaler stores and the gorcery store and can not find anything that says "lye crystals" or "lye powder".

Look for "Lewis Red Devil Lye". It will be in a small (about pint size) plastic cannister, white, with red and blue lettering on it. I always find it at my supermarket here, right in with laundry detergent, dishwashing liquids; you know, cleaning supplies.

Art

[Mike Kucaba]

I've used several stripping products to remove vacuum metallizing(chrome). I've settled on ammonia as I believe the clear coat underneath is an aqueous acrylic,and very safe to use. As an aside,I also use some very fine steel wool to polish the plastic before and after.

[hotrodblder]

I had to go to Menards today and buy a dog collar. So while I was there I looked for lye crystals. After walking right past them 4 times I asked someone and they took me right to them.

Long story short. I got home, mixed 3 tbs of crystals in warm tap water so they dissolved and then set my parts to soak. I had already stripped the 'chrome' off, just had the clear left. After about 15 min or so I scrubbed with a tooth brush and what was left came right off. A wash with soap and water and they're set to air dry.

I think this is one of the better solutions to stripping chrome that I've learned yet, even if it's caustic. It'll defiantly make my painted parts look better now.

Thanks Mr. Anderson.

Edited by hotrodblder, 14 August 2012 - 02:35 PM.

[sjordan2]

I assume this is how it looks on the shelf. Just so you know what you're looking for.

[retroguy]

I've been using drain cleaner,drano/liquid plumber with great results,what I've observed is the length of time it takes to desolve the chrome really depends on the quality of the plating...

[Michigan Madman]

Just bought some of this today, and immediately plunked a set of '52 Hudson steel wheels into it. Within 15 minutes, the chrome was disappearing. Moebius doesn't seem to have such a thick enamel undercoat for their plating, so I'll check tomorrow and see if it's gone.

[blueoval92]

i bought some of this today to strip the chrome from an engine kit and was wondering how you guys mix it. do you go by the instructions on the bottle or do you just use it straight.