Stripping paint off resin?

[chris coller]

What is the best stuff to use in this scenario? Something that would take off all types of paint and not damage the resin?

[Brendan]

What type of paint is it?

I use a product called Scalecote II. That will strip off most paint, but it can damage resin if you're not careful. Other stuff I use is 70 to 90% alcohol which takes care of most of the acrylic paints. Some other stuff I've used is citrus based cleaning products (organic cleaners) and that can strip some of the paint as well without ill effects on the resin.

[roadhawg]

I recently stripped a resin '60 Chevy SW using Purple Power and it did fine.

[BigPoppa]

different resin react different with Purple Power. I tried a Modelhaus part and it soaked it up and it became soft. Best bet is Easy Off oven cleaner

[OSLRod]

I haven't added a resin in my harem yet but Easy-Off was my thought.

[Sully]

Nail Polish Remover........... "NON - ACETONE". I have used this on resin from many different casters and have had no problems at all. Even with this track record I still try it on a small area to make sure theres no reaction. A good handfull of cotton balls and some elbow grease are all you need. Also make sure you use this in an open area because it does put off some fumes, but nothing more than when the wife does her nails.......Also ,I always have a pan of water at hand to rinse the part, or body off as I go along.

For the life of me I can't remember who I got this tip from,or what forum, but I do recall he was one of our well accomplished builders.........If I do remember the name I will pass it along.

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but be sure that you use the "Non-Acetone" remover...........

Sully

[Eshaver]

Proably the safest product I have used is Scale lift off from Poly S . I have used on R & R , Flinstone and even the stuff I have cast from Aluminite . Ed Shaver

[John Stasiak]

I use to work for Wheat's Nostalgia, (maker of the former Memory Lane Models series), and we used three different things for cleaning resin casting and stripping bad paint jobs. We started off using a product called Zep, which we use to get in 15 gallon drums. However this was pretty pricey. We discovered a product called Marine Clean(which was used for cleaning hulls of boats), made by Por 15(which is an undercoating product) and is available thru them, (check the ads of any "old car" magazine and there should be an ad for the company, it may also be available in well stocked parts stores). we bought this in 5 gallon buckets, and at the last time we used it, it was around $15 a gallon,(if I recall correctly), so it isn't cheap either. We then found Super Clean, which was considerably cheaper, (I get it at a Super K for $7 a gallon). When we did the Memory Lanes, we mainly used Modelhaus castings with a few MCW and Jimmy Flintstone ones also. The only times we had any any problems with any of the three doing any damage to resin castings is if there was a problem with the castings to begin with, like the resin was not mixed properly and there was a soft or sticky spot in the casting. These cleaners would bring the problems out for sure, but in the long run these parts were not usable anyway and needed replaced. Modelhaus recommends Marine Clean, (he tried it after we did on our recommendation). Marine Clean is clear, while Zep is red, and of course Super Clean is purple. The last several years we used just Super Clean, so as far as paint stripping, we used basecoat/clearcoat on those cars, (mainly Omni), and it would start pealing the paint off in sheets in a few days. It also worked on some promo paint, and most older modeling enamels. We also used it as a casting cleaner, we would soak all the parts overnight and scrub them in the morning and send them off to the painter or plater, (we had Little Model Car Company plate our chrome, we bought out stuff unplated). We also used it for stripping kit/promo chrome and replated chrome, and it worked fine. A couple of notes, these cleaners are some sort of degreaser, (like an un cut soap), and can really burn your hands, so rubber gloves are a real must. We kept our cleaners in big lidded containers, and air seems to be the cause of the product weakening, not use, so keep a lid on it and it should last at least six months or more. One other thing, the Memory Lanes were discontinued over two years ago, so any changes in resin formulas since then or the makeup of these cleaners may affect your outcome. I still use Super Clean on my personal items and don't have any problems, but most of my resin kits and parts were bought several years ago and not recently. Sorry this is a bit long but I hope it helps.

[Rick Voegelin]

My experience using Super Clean to strip lacquer off resin slot car bodies has not been good. While the Super Clean did remove the lacquer (MCW), it made the resin soft and "rubbery." There are many different resins used by casters, so I'm sure that they react differently to various strippers. Like others have advised, don't try a new stripper on a body that you can't afford to lose.

My $.02,

Rick V.

[chris coller]

All great info. Now the hard part not sure what paint was used. Basically I will try Super Clean first. Then isopropyl. next one of the two should work. Thanks guys!