327 replies to this topic

[evilone]

I use CSC. It's powerful stuff. I have used DOT 3 brake fluid as well.

The problem with CSC is:
1:it is costic so you need gloves brake fluid will only take the moisture away which can be fixed with lotion
2:if the paint has been on a while it takes months to strip brake fluid takes a week only
3:it only work on certain paint brake fluid takes it all off.
4:the strength only lasts about a month brake fluid is longer.

Now brake fluid has its flaws.Its been three months since i bought brake fluid and it isnt as strong as it was the first day.And it is kinda hard to find a place that will take the old stuff unless you take it to the fire house and ask them to get rid of it for you.

[B_rad88]

ok guys i went out and bought a gallon of purple power today. would be ok to drop in 4 bodies at once? or do i have to do it 1 at a time?

thank you everyone for your help!

Brandon

[38 Crush]

I have been trying to strip a body that was done with Tamiya spray, & nothing has worked yet, I was told about the 91 percent alcohol, but can't find it.. I was told by a pharmacist to try denatured alcohol, has any one tried this, I know it will take off just about anything, but haven't tried it on plastic, I kinda would like to still have a body left after getting the paint of ya know. LOL Thanks for the replies, Del.

What I need to know is where do you find this stuff?

Hey Horsepower,

Don't mess around with all these concocktions! I've been building and stripping models over 50 years and never had a problem with Easy Off oven cleaner. Sure depending on the paint some will take a little longer to get off. Sometimes you may have to do it twice. But it won't harm the body. Try ruffing up the paint a little but don't into the body. But it will eat any putty you've used in custom work etc. I've tried brake fluid and to me it leaves the body brittle and not as plyable as it was. Yes you can go buy alot of these products some costing a lot. Think about how many cans of Easy Off you can buy for 20-30 dollars and one can will strip several models. Also, you can pick it up easly at the local super market.

Trust Me!!!
38 Crush

PS We're going to be down in your neck of the woods next week. We're attending a 1:1 Rod run in McCloud put on by the Golden Valley St. Rods.

[cosmiccadillac]

Castrol Super Clean, $11-$12 at the parts store and it stripped my model in a weekend. Check in on it periodically and aggitate it with a tooth brush or something not too abrasive. By the end of the weekend, all you should have to do is carefully clean out door lines and corners where the paint is thicker. I used the X-Acto to get those spots. This was the first thing I ever used to strip paint, and I got excellent results without hurting the plastic at all. It's all I'll ever use. I also keep a cup full of it to strip out my airbrush paint jars and eye droppers.

[Ddms]

I have been trying to strip a body that was done with Tamiya spray, & nothing has worked yet, I was told about the 91 percent alcohol, but can't find it.. I was told by a pharmacist to try denatured alcohol...

Any "pharmacist" who does not know about 91% alcohol is a clueless clerk, not a trained pharmacist. You can buy 91% and 99% alcohols off the drugstore shelf, for Hoodie's sake! Both are denatured alcohols, but that's only important if you intend to drink them - not a good idea unless you want to make yourself very, very sick. Any of these products will strip fairly fresh synthetic lacquer (Tamiya TS spray), acrylic paint (Tamiya AS spray) or automotive urethane, but NOT enamel. Alcohol will not hurt plastic.

I don't believe Castrol makes Super Clean any more, but Purple Power and Purple Cleaner will do the same thing. It won't hurt plastic either, but it will remove just about kind of paint (except urethane) if you leave it in the bath long enough. If the paint is too cured to be affected by CSC or alcohol, try DOT brake fluid and Easy Off until you get results. None of this stuff will hurt plastic, but brake fluid will soften resin. AFAIK, the only "stripper" that damages plastic is lacquer thinner.

Edited by Ddms, 05 July 2009 - 09:01 AM.

[horsepower]

I have been trying to strip a body that was done with Tamiya spray, & nothing has worked yet, I was told about the 91 percent alcohol, but can't find it.. I was told by a pharmacist to try denatured alcohol, has any one tried this, I know it will take off just about anything, but haven't tried it on plastic, I kinda would like to still have a body left after getting the paint of ya know. LOL Thanks for the replies, Del.

What I need to know is where do you find this stuff?

Well, the denatured alcohol worked, it took off everything except the white primer very cleanly, the primer had to be sanded in the large areas anyway, I thought that this might work since years ago I found in a tips section of the old SAE that model airplane fuel would strip paint, but aleft an oily residue ( the Castor oil). And since denatured alcohol is methanol with an additive to keep some of us from drinking it with a good mixer, it should work well. BUT use this in a well ventilated area I was using it in a small closed room, & the next day I had the mother of all headaches, & non of the fun from the evening before.

[horsepower]

Hey Horsepower,

Don't mess around with all these concocktions! I've been building and stripping models over 50 years and never had a problem with Easy Off oven cleaner. Sure depending on the paint some will take a little longer to get off. Sometimes you may have to do it twice. But it won't harm the body. Try ruffing up the paint a little but don't into the body. But it will eat any putty you've used in custom work etc. I've tried brake fluid and to me it leaves the body brittle and not as plyable as it was. Yes you can go buy alot of these products some costing a lot. Think about how many cans of Easy Off you can buy for 20-30 dollars and one can will strip several models. Also, you can pick it up easly at the local super market.

Trust Me!!!
38 Crush

PS We're going to be down in your neck of the woods next week. We're attending a 1:1 Rod run in McCloud put on by the Golden Valley St. Rods.

Just got back on the forum, the wifes been in the hospital & in home recovery since a surgery in early May. Thanks for the replies, next year, instead of the Volcano Run, come down the rest of the way to Hotorama, it's the weekend after Kool April Nites, isn't quit as big, a lot better atmosphere, & allows anything in, & has a great Model Car show to boot.

Edited by horsepower, 09 July 2009 - 04:06 PM.

[cosmiccadillac]

I don't believe Castrol makes Super Clean any more, but Purple Power and Purple Cleaner will do the same thing. It won't hurt plastic either, but it will remove just about kind of paint (except urethane) if you leave it in the bath long enough. If the paint is too cured to be affected by CSC or alcohol, try DOT brake fluid and Easy Off until you get results. None of this stuff will hurt plastic, but brake fluid will soften resin. AFAIK, the only "stripper" that damages plastic is lacquer thinner.

Super Clean is still available but it doesn't say Castrol on it anywhere. As Ddms said, it will remove just about anything, you just have to have patience with it. I left a body in all weekend before it fully stripped. My way of thinking is if something strips paint off in a few minutes, there must be a trade-off somewhere...

[schoolbully]

My dad being the DIY kinda guy, he bought this Dawn Power something and it clearly removed all old paint, I can say it works wonders for me, he's just trying it out on my very old car, see if we can revive it.

[george 53]

Guy's, I think he was askin about paint removal of RESIN bodies. CSC will NOT remove the Revell painted 63 Chevy Lo-Rider. I soaked mine for 1 whole month! Finally got it semi-soft enough to scrape it off woth my thumbnail! WON'T waste my time on it,PLUS it WILL eat your skin. Simple Green has worked well for me in the past, as has Easy-Off. BUT which ones are safe to use on RESIN? I have a 71 Swinger body that I'd like to strip. SORRY, jus went back an RE-READ Milts question, BUT I'd STILL like ta know whats safe for resin, Anybody got some advice??????

Edited by george 53, 29 July 2009 - 02:27 AM.

[blue504life]

i now use the superclean stuff, i have it about half water half cleaner.
the paint started to come off as soon as i set it in the box, about a hour and a half later about 85% of the paint was gone

really really cool stuff

[Neonknight]

UNDILUTED PINE-SOL is all I have ever used and it works every time, all you have to do is rinse it off, no sanding required.

[ampythea]

You can try getting the Dawn Power Dissolver, works great for me.

[pibull63]

i've used the purple degreaser for years. even forgot parts in the bucket once or twice. never had a problem with it. cuts paint real good, and doesnt smell like oven cleaner..................steve

[charlzrocks]

Ok, now I got a gallon of the Simple Green and am not sure...should I dilute it or use it full strength??

[B-dub]

I plan to go to walmart and grab something that you guys have mentioned (probably brake cleaner)

my question is how safe is it to reuse? SAYYYY... I have a new model.. and I painted it and it ran.. and so I cleaned it in the cleaner and repainted it a couple days later only to have messed the paint up again.. still good to go for another cleaning or would it start eating up the plastic?

[CNDYBLU66SS]

I plan to go to walmart and grab something that you guys have mentioned (probably brake cleaner)

my question is how safe is it to reuse? SAYYYY... I have a new model.. and I painted it and it ran.. and so I cleaned it in the cleaner and repainted it a couple days later only to have messed the paint up again.. still good to go for another cleaning or would it start eating up the plastic?

YES! it is safe to reuse again, i once stripped the same car 3 times, still in tact!

[Car Crazy 81]

I agree with Clay heres the list of stuff i use and i'll describe it in details i've learned a lot from this forum so here goes:

Purple Power removes certain kind of finishes such as enamels but it wont strip acrylic enamels like Dupli-Color & Krylon i tried stripping Dupli-Color & Krylon it wouldnt budge. It does fantastic on chrome plating. You can buy this by the gallon for 5 bucks at Wal-Mart cheaper than Super Clean which works good.

Brake fluid strips off paints like Dupli-Color & Krylon with no problem it also strips off all acrylic paints.

91% Isopropyl Alcohol does wonders on those AMT pre-painted kits it takes like 15 minutes or less to strip off and you got yourself a new kit all over again it works just like brake fluid.

I hope this helps out i didnt come up with these ideas all by myself i learned these techniques from the forum and it pays off.