Paint Strippers - What to Use?

[1930fordpickup]

1 hour ago, crowe-t said:

I picked up the real Super Clean and I have the Monogram Jeep bodies soaking in it.

How long should they soak before the Tamiya Fine White primer will start coming off?

 

Normaly only overnight will remover most paint. Stubborn stuff maybe a few days. A reminder of what was typed earlier, keep it room temperature but not hot. If it is sitting out in the cold or in the basement the time is longer. If you have time in the morning pull it out and scrub away because something when you get a spot to start it goes faster. 

If you have to go to easy off read through the thread for the correct color cap, one works the other does not.

[crowe-t]

The Easy Off with the yellow cap seems to be the correct one to use to remove paint.  I have the Jeep bodies soaking in the Super Clean and the Tamiya Fine White Primer is loosening a bit.  I've had to scrape the paint with a toothpick to scrape off the primer but it's taking a lot of time.

Will the Easy Off work faster and loosen the paint/primer more?

[foxbat426]

I use 91% rubbing alcohol.  works for me and doesn't damage plastic. you'll have to fight it a little. i submerse the whole model, use a tooth brush, toothpicks, both wood and plastic, old credit cards for scraping etc etc.  and slowly chip away at it. you're not going to get it all off in one shot. when it starts not coming off easy, re submerse it and come back to it later. Don't skimp on the strength.  50 and 70 % alcohol wont work.

[aurfalien]

Hi,

My building endeavors are mediocre at best and I end up stripping the body and chassis about half a dozen times or so.

Hence I consider myself a stripping king.  And what I use are both SuperClean and 99% alcohol.

Of course I do end up marring the plastic a bit after half a dozen strips or so, the paint and primer are gone.

Incidentally and to veer a bit off topic, the most friendly primer I have used which fills in the damaged plastic is Alclad micro filler/primer.  It has a most wonderful sheen to it and repairs my scarring.

[Belugawrx]

I have always used Dot3 brake fluid, and it has stripped everything from the plastic over night. It does soften any filler as well, but if your at the point of dipping to remove paint, maybe a little filler practise is needed too.

[Hermann Kersten]

For me the "mr musscle" oven cleaner works the best on car paint from spray cans.

I always use acrylic car paint, but it's hard to remove, oven cleaner gives the best result for this kind of paint.

It is advisable to wear latex gloves and avoid inhalation of the vapors, after 20 minutes you clean all the parts with with lukewarm water and a small brush.

For de-chroming it's also very effective.

The other remover i use is a indoor floor cleaner "Blue Wonder" what i use for the Tamiya, Revell or Vallejo paints.

This cleaner is friendlier for your skin and lungs.

Hermann.

[magicmustang]

On ‎4‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 9:47 AM, foxbat426 said:

I use 91% rubbing alcohol.  works for me and doesn't damage plastic. you'll have to fight it a little. i submerse the whole model, use a tooth brush, toothpicks, both wood and plastic, old credit cards for scraping etc etc.  and slowly chip away at it. you're not going to get it all off in one shot. when it starts not coming off easy, re submerse it and come back to it later. Don't skimp on the strength.  50 and 70 % alcohol wont work.

Boy, were you right. I tried Super clean on my '71 Monte Carlo black vinyl roof laquer paint. Nothing! Then I read what you said about 91% Alcohol (tried 70% on other models before). It came right off. Good advice.

[foxbat426]

Glad it worked for you Magic! Its amazing the difference between 70% and 91% strengths. Like night and day. 70% doesn't budge, but that extra 21% concentration really does the trick. for enamel and lacquer alcohol is my go to stripper and I've tried them all. for Acrylic i like Simple Green. Happy Building!!  John

 

[peteski]

I purchase 99% Isopropanol (another name for Isopropyl Alcohol) in my local Tru-Value hardware store, in a gallon size tin can.  It is located in the paint thinners section of the store.  If they don't have it in stock, they can special-order it for you. Another name is 99IPA.  That gives it that 8% extra kick.

I just did a google search for 99ipa and it seems to be available from other sources too.

And for some educational value, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol

[BMXNBULLDOG]

Ok I have searched but don't seem to come up with anything. But what would I use to try to get the white paint off of old tires? Does the Super clean hurt tires or does the purple power? What does everyone use to get paint off tires?

[rcended]

Best paint stripper for Acrylics is Dettol. Works magically and non toxic.

[Farmboy]

Isopropyl alcohol works!!!  It easily removed(s) primer/color and clear coat paints on a recent  paint job gone wrong.  I used plain old 70% Isopropyl, poured it in to a sandwich bag with the body and related parts.  A couple of hours later the coats just slid off.  No plastic damage.  After some minor cleanup in corners and stuff, a wet sand/reprime and I was back in business! 

[peteski]

1 hour ago, Farmboy said:

Isopropyl alcohol works!!!  It easily removed(s) primer/color and clear coat paints on a recent  paint job gone wrong.  I used plain old 70% Isopropyl, poured it in to a sandwich bag with the body and related parts.  A couple of hours later the coats just slid off.  No plastic damage.  After some minor cleanup in corners and stuff, a wet sand/reprime and I was back in business! 

Great, but what brand/type were the paint and the primer?  There are many different combinations - some work well, others do not.

Edited February 20, 2019 by peteski

[Farmboy]

 

7 hours ago, peteski said:

Great, but what brand/type were the paint and the primer?  There are many different combinations - some work well, others do not.

Peter, on this car I used a  Rustoleum primer, Krylon colors and Excel Craft clear.  All spray bombs.  I don't ever plan on stripping paint jobs and have only had to do it a few times with varying degrees of success, but I think the more important part is A: the Iso doesn't harm the plastic and B: did what I wanted it to do.  Isopropyl gave me the A and B with  minimal fuss and cleanup at a cup 'o coffee price.  Nothing about it I don't like so far and a suggestion I'm glad I followed.   Incidentally I used the 70% strength from the drug store....I didn't see the 90%, I think you have to ask for it.  Anyway, for 3 bucks it quickly and easily solved a heartbreaker problem. 

[peteski]

Thanks for the info Mike.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I know that there have been individuals on the forum that have questioned the effectiveness of Super Clean for stripping lacquer paints, so I thought that this post might help.

This '65 Plymouth has been painted twice and this is the second time it will have been stripped, so first of all, you will see that there is zero damage to the plastic even after a couple of relatively long soaks in Super Clean.

Both times that this Plymouth was painted, it received multiple coats of primer, paint and clear, probably in excess of 12 coats in each instance.

The paints used were a coat of Testors primer, 4 to 5 coats of Duplicolor primer/sealer, 3 or 4 coats of MCW lacquer color, and about 5 coats of Duplicolor clear lacquer.

This is the result after just letting it sit in Super Clean for several days. (probably 4 or 5 days)

As you can see, the clear and paint peels off easily in large sheets after the Super Clean has begun to dissolve the primer.

Entire panels of the body peel off in one large piece with very little effort under warm running water.

Now it will go back in the pond for a period of time to help remove the remainder of the primer.

Anything that the Super Clean will not remove should be easily removed with some alcohol and possibly a little light sanding.

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

This is almost the entire trunk lid and half of the driver's side rear quarter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost the entire remainder of the driver's side of the body!

 

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

After another half an hour or so, the primer is basically gone.

 

 

Steve

 

[Bainford]

Thanks for this, Steve. Unfortunately I can't see your photos, but I am one who has questioned Super Clean's effectiveness on lacquer, though I am aware that others have had success. I painted a Chaparral in Tamiya racing white from the spray can, over Tamiya primer. The paint was only about 3 weeks old when I decided to strip it in Super Clean. After a two week soak I could not remove the paint. There are many variables that can effect the stripping abilities of any paint remover, but I have come to accept that Super Clean is generally good for stripping lacquer. I usually don't paint with lacquer so haven't had much opportunity to strip it, but I seem to be using lacquers more lately.

I have wondered if Super Clean loses some of its power over years. My bottle of Super Clean is over 15 years old so it may be time to replace it.

One stripper I haven't tried is 91-99% alcohol. I know many have had success stripping lacquer with it as well.

Edited March 12, 2019 by Bainford

[Vince66]

Good stuff moved and forgot I had a Monogram Camaro in the dip was in the Super Clean purple for almost 2 months with no I'll effects on the body. 

And like you stated paint was in sheets. 

[Bainford]

1 minute ago, NothingAsFineAsaW9 said:

I had a Monogram Camaro in the dip was in the Super Clean purple for almost 2 months with no I'll effects on the body. 

. 

I had a Monogram Mustang chassis forgotten in Super Clean for close to two years, with no ill effects except for a crust of crystalised Super Clean on some parts, which could be easily scraped away after soaking in water for an hour or so.

[Vince66]

Agreed B. 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

40 minutes ago, Bainford said:

Thanks for this, Steve. Unfortunately I can't see your photos, but I am one who has questioned Super Clean's effectiveness on lacquer, though I am aware that others have had success. I painted a Chaparral in Tamiya racing white from the spray can, over Tamiya primer. The paint was only about 3 weeks old when I decided to strip it in Super Clean. After a two week soak I could not remove the paint. There are many variables that can effect the stripping abilities of any paint remover, but I have come to accept that Super Clean is generally good for stripping lacquer. I usually don't paint with lacquer so haven't had much opportunity to strip it, but I seem to be using lacquers more lately.

I have wondered if Super Clean loses some of its power over years. My bottle of Super Clean is over 15 years old so it may be time to replace it.

One stripper I haven't tried is 91-99% alcohol. I know many have had success stripping lacquer with it as well.

Granted, there are no silver bullets.

I don't use Tamiya paints so I have no idea how it works for stripping them, but if it works this well for automotive lacquers, it should work for the majority of other paints.

It removes most enamels and chrome in a matter of minutes, but there are always those circumstances where almost nothing will work.

I suspect that the issue with stripping Tamiya paint is not the paint itself, it's the formulation of the primer.

As you can see by the above photos, the paint is virtually unaffected by the Super Clean.

It's the primer that is quickly dissolved.

A couple of tips that I'm sure that most have heard is to keep the solution in a warm place.

It virtually doubles the effectiveness.

Likewise, it doesn't hurt to put a few scratches in various places on the body, through the paint down to the primer.

This will facilitate the super Clean getting under the paint to do it's work on the primer.

 

I don't know for certain if Super Clean has any sort of "shelf life", but after 15 years?.......Yeah, I think I would replace it.

 

As far as using alcohol for stripping paint goes, I know that a lot of guys say it is safe, but I'm not thoroughly convinced.

I will use alcohol wipes for certain applications and will occasionally soak something for a short period, but I have also heard others say that it will dry out the plastic and render it brittle.

I don't need to take that chance.

 

 

Steve

[Mr. Metallic]

Steve, it appears that CSC will work for Duplicolor, which is good to know. However, in my experience, it has little to no effect on Tamiya and Testors lacquers, even when sprayed over Duplicolor primer. So when I need to strip those I use 91% alcohol. I have left parts in there for a long time trying to remove some stubborn paint or primer with no ill effect. But others may have different experiences.

As far as a shelf life for CSC, I would say unused stuff sitting in jug should last indefinitely. I had a partial bottle that I didn't use for about 5 years after opening it. Poured it into a container and it worked as good as new.

Used CSC on the other hand, definitely weakens over time. What i believe happens, is that even though you may have removed the parts you are stripping, it continues to work on the paint that is left in the container.  So, to get it to last longer you can run it through a strainer used for paint to remove the fine particulates of paint left behind, and that should help the CSC last longer. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

However, in my experience, it has little to no effect on Tamiya and Testors lacquers, even when sprayed over Duplicolor primer.

That doesn't compute in my opinion.

It's the primer that is affected, not the paint, as evidenced by the photos above.

If the Super clean is able to get under the paint to the primer, the paint has nothing to adhere to in any case, regardless of the paint used.

Ways to allow the Super Clean to find it's way to the primer need to be found, like scratching the paint down to the primer in places.

If the solution can find it's way under the paint and begins to dissolve the primer, the paint will inevitably come off.

I suspect that in cases where it has no affect, the primer was applied thin enough to allow the paint to dissolve it's way through the primer, adhering itself to the plastic.

Another reason, in my opinion, to use plenty of primer

I have used it on Testors lacquers with the same effect as with the Duplicolor and MCW paints.

 

Steve

 

Edited March 12, 2019 by StevenGuthmiller

[Snake45]

I recently stripped my first two bodies with Super Clean. The second, an AMT '67 Comet hand-brushed with Testor Purple Metallic, was so clean after 48 hours in the SC that I'm seriously considering just polishing up the beautiful white plastic. 

The other was a JoHan Rambler with MANY coats of various unknown paint that had already been through about four treatments with Easy-Off which had thus far taken about half the paint off. SC took the rest of it off in 48 hours except for some thin gray primer, which must be lacquer--but rubbing alcohol takes it right off. 

I once tried to strip a body painted with AMT lacquer that just laughed at Easy Off. But rubbing alcohol took it off almost immediately. 

Easy Off and Super Clean are basically the same thing--lye. EO works much faster, but with a lot more effort and mess. SC does just as well on enamel with no mess, but it takes more time. I like them both but will probably using mostly the SC from now on, unless I'm in a big hurry.