Moebius model in Purple Power

[Brutalform]

I located a 65 Belvedere body for my Black Arrow build, that will need to be stripped. Not sure, but I recall someone stating that the Moebius styrene could crack if soaked in PP. Can anyone shed some light on this? 

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Brutalform said:

I located a 65 Belvedere body for my Black Arrow build, that will need to be stripped. Not sure, but I recall someone stating that the Moebius styrene could crack if soaked in PP. Can anyone shed some light on this? 

That sounds suspect to me.

If Moebius uses polystyrene plastic for their models, as I would certainly think that they would, Purple Power should have no adverse affect on it.

By the way, I would suggest graduating to Super Clean.

It works much better for stripping paint than Purple Power.

 

 

 

Steve

[Brutalform]

48 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

That sounds suspect to me.

If Moebius uses polystyrene plastic for their models, as I would certainly think that they would, Purple Power should have no adverse affect on it.

By the way, I would suggest graduating to Super Clean.

It works much better for stripping paint than Purple Power.

 

 

 

Steve

Thanks Steve. Yes, that’s what I have… super clean. Don’t know why I mix the two names up. I made sure when I bought it, to stay clear of the Purple Power. I guess them both being in a purple jug? Now that I think about it, I think I saw it on an old Donn Yost video, but not totally certain. Thanks for your help Steve, much appreciated. 

[peteski]

Yes, both Castrol Super Clean (CSC) and Purple Power use purple color containers.  Purple Power is simply a knockoff of CSC, so they try to make it look like the "real" stuff.  Just like the packaging and names of  generic (or store brand) foot items often look similar to the brand name packaging and names.

[NOBLNG]

I have heard that brake fluid can make styrene brittle.

[peteski]

3 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

I have heard that brake fluid can make styrene brittle.

Yes, that is true. Some formulations of polystyrene seem to be affected more than others. 

[Brutalform]

Thanks for all the input everyone. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

I have heard that brake fluid can make styrene brittle.

I’ve heard that as well.

I only remember using brake fluid once many years ago, and I wasn’t particularly impressed with it’s performance.

Plus, I realized that disposing of it after it’s useful life was over was kind of a PITA.

On the same note, I’ve also had concerns about IPA drying out the plastic and making it brittle.

I have little experience with that claim though as I’ve only used alcohol on a limited basis as well. (also with very limited success)

 

 

 

Steve

[Brutalform]

43 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I’ve heard that as well.

I only remember using brake fluid once many years ago, and I wasn’t particularly impressed with it’s performance.

Plus, I realized that disposing of it after it’s useful life was over was kind of a PITA.

On the same note, I’ve also had concerns about IPA drying out the plastic and making it brittle.

I have little experience with that claim though as I’ve only used alcohol on a limited basis as well. (also with very limited success)

 

 

 

Steve

Maybe I shouldn’t have put the cart before the horse. I did not get the body yet, and it very well could be painted with lacquer. In that case 91% alcohol should do a decent job, as it always had in the past for me with lacquer jobs. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

27 minutes ago, Brutalform said:

Maybe I shouldn’t have put the cart before the horse. I did not get the body yet, and it very well could be painted with lacquer. In that case 91% alcohol should do a decent job, as it always had in the past for me with lacquer jobs. 

Super Clean will work quite well with lacquer as well, as long as the primer used is affected by it.

I’ve had very good luck stripping multiple coats of automotive lacquer color and clear with Duplicolor primer underneath.

A good soak for a couple of days and it comes right off in sheets.

 

 

 

Steve

[R. Thorne]

The Donn Yost video of 2018 comments on the problems he had with Moebius Plymouth models after they were dunked in brake fluid.

[Brutalform]

10 hours ago, R. Thorne said:

The Donn Yost video of 2018 comments on the problems he had with Moebius Plymouth models after they were dunked in brake fluid.

There it is. My bad. It was brake fluid. I knew I saw something where soaking a model ruined it. Sorry guys. Thanks for all the replies 

[Dave G.]

In another thread I'm one who mentioned 91% IPA for stripping. I want to clarify, that was for model branded lacquers and for Tamiya acrylic. In either case using Mr Surfacer primer. I was done stripping using a full submersion method after about 30 minutes wait period. The paint literally melted off. And the plastic untouched. I just used an old soft toothbrush to wipe the paint out of crevices and such. And to take any remnant film off.

In the case of Purple Power, I've found that to be very mild, after a few days of soaking, I needed a plastic utensil to scrape the paint off. Bushes were doing next to nothing. But it did scrape easily and the utensil did not mar the plastic. I think I used the back side of a knife. That was for waterborne acrylic paint with Stynylrez primer.

Edited October 26, 2024 by Dave G.

[StevenGuthmiller]

It’s good to remember that there are no silver bullets when it comes to stripping paint, (or at least very few)

I’ve heard that some products such as Testors ELO and the like will strip virtually everything, but in those circumstances, the products are not designed for a soaking process and can damage the plastic if left on too long.

Of course this is second hand information as I don’t use those products.

In any event, which products will work is entirely dependent on a number of factors, not the least of which is the type of paint to be stripped, and how it was applied.

Your painting procedure and the materials used will determine what will work, and what won’t.

What works perfectly for one type, or even brand of paint, might be a complete and utter failure for another.

The best approach for settling upon a successful paint removal system is to settle upon a painting regimen that is constant and consistent.

In other words, once you find a regimen that gives you the results that you desire, stay within those parameters, and then find the products that work best for removing those materials and you will be successful every time that stripping is necessary.

Bouncing back and forth between a number of different types and brands of paint and the procedures for applying them will all but guarantee that you will run into circumstances where your preferred removal process will fail.

 

 

 

Steve

Edited October 26, 2024 by StevenGuthmiller

[stitchdup]

if its enamel paint oven cleaner works well. i put the parts in a ziploc baggie spray to cover the parts then come back in half an hour. it can struggle with some blacks and metallics but you can use ipa then. if its a resin body i use las totally awesome cleaner. its not fast but it wont damage the resin. it also works on most paints

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, stitchdup said:

if its enamel paint oven cleaner works well. i put the parts in a ziploc baggie spray to cover the parts then come back in half an hour. it can struggle with some blacks and metallics but you can use ipa then. if its a resin body i use las totally awesome cleaner. its not fast but it wont damage the resin. it also works on most paints

If Easy Off works, Super Clean will work just as well.

Both products rely on lye as the active ingredient that is instrumental in the removal of the paint, and they both contain roughly the same amount of that ingredient.

There are however advantages in using Super Clean versus Easy Off.

Easy Off pumps out a LOT of noxious fumes when sprayed, so I would certainly suggest wearing some form of protection when using it.

Super Clean has a fairly pleasant smell, and as you’re soaking and not spraying, you’re not pumping a lot of fumes into the air.

Another advantage of Super Clean is that it’s able to be used over and over again, unlike Easy Off which is a one shot deal.

I’ve been using the same tub of Super Clean for at least of couple of years, so in the end, although Super Clean is more expensive initially, it’s vastly more economical in the long run.

In any case, the two products will perform almost identically, but Super Clean is much less messy, and a lot easier to use.

In both cases, skin protection should be used, as lye is very tough on the skin.

 

 

Steve

[Bills72sj]

Get a rectangular tub just big enough to hold a car body submerged. Make sure it has a lid that seals. Another alternative is the big plastic gallon tubs of ice cream. Though you will have to eat all the ice cream first. (The sacrifices we make for our hobby). As mentioned earlier. Super clean is more concentrated than Purple Power. I used the same jug over 2-3 years and dunked at least 10 bodies in it. I even left one in for 5 months with no harm to the plastic.

[deuces wild]

Yeah, that purple power is just a watered down version of super clean....

[tbill]

I’ve had excellent results with scale coat, it’s expensive, but has not let me down yet.

[Brutalform]

Two days in the Super Clean, and after a scrub with a red scratch pad, the body came out really clean. Minimal clean up around the edges. Just got all the panel lines scribed, and should primer and paint today and tomorrow.