Help PAINT PROBLEMS

[HIGHLANDER1]

Hi to all I need your help guys. I went to take the decals off of my current project a TAMIYA CLK GTR(SEE POSTING DISSAPEARING DECALS) I USED TAMIYA TS 17 Gloss aluminium from the tin. On taking off the decals the colour from the decal had run and i needed to remove the paint as well. i used a product called Model strip it is a paste you apply and it strips the paint from the model without affecting the plastic surface. I removed the model strip today after 10 hrs of application to find the paint removed and a matt grey undersurface this was rough and started to bubble when the model was drying i have just finished scraping this off the front section finding the original base plastic below this surface of grey well god knows what it is. i swear if the model had to be a matt grey finish i would have done an ace job no primer has been used so i am at a loss as to were this colour has come from and i am not aware of a paint that applies a primer coat during normal application. what is the solution to this problem as i got so close to completion of this model to take six steps back it really grinds my gears. your tips or advice on this would be appreciated. P.S. I have used model strip on a model which has been painted with enamel paint and was on the model for 3 years prior to me stripping it is good stuff but i am totally bamboozeled

[MrObsessive]

Without seeing pics it's hard to picture what happened. Sounds as though the Model Strip reacted with the Tamiya paint in some way and then reacted with the plastic.

I would sand the body down throughly with 400 grit sandpaper to get rid of the roughness, followed by 600 grit and wash the body throroughly!

Then I would primer the body (I recommend this no matter what paint you use) and then after the primer has dried thoroughly (I give mine about 3 days), color coat per normal.

One good idea when using decals on unfamiliar paint, is to test the decal............if you have some extras on the sheet..............on a scrap painted surface. Some decals just don't do well with all paints.

This can save a lot of headache, (and heartache ) down the road!

[HIGHLANDER1]

Thanks for that I tried to sand it down but found it quicker to scrape it i am worried about the loss of panel detail if i was to go up in grade of sandpaper also the model is tamiya and the paint is tamiya i will try to get some photos posted to let you see what the problem is. even after scraping there are areas that this grey matter are keyed to the surface although the plastic surface below this is intact very strange.

[62rebel]

it may be that the paint was leaching out its' pigment into the topmost layer you were finding easy to remove leaving the binder behind to rest on the surface? this sounds very frustrating and i'm thankful not to be faced with this dilemna. i seldom prime kit bodies unless the molded color is too far from my desired scheme, so i was curious to read you had not primed this one either. disclaimer: i do use flat white under some metallic colors to give a better reflective surface but not as primer per se. it seems that your best bet now is to let the paint solidify and carefully scrape it off, as i have done with old builtups that had questionable paint.

seeing as you're in th UK i don't know about the availability of shop-type chemicals to the hobbyist, but have you tried WD-40? it takes a long time to work but it almost NEVER causes reaction with styrene, and washes off with dish detergent, and can be strained, saved, and re-used. the brake fluid based product i tried from the model train community was just that; DOT-3 brake fluid, at several times the cost. and it caused a reaction on nearly every styrene part i tried to strip with it. no fun.

[jhwelch5]

i think 62rebel is right, sounds as though the metallic flakes were popping out of the binder. i wouldnt scrape the body just yet, first i soak the body in castrol superclean for a few hours, then take an old toothbrush and scrub the body throughly. ive used superclean for stripping models for years now and havent had a problem yet. it doesnt hurt the plastic and leaves all the body details. make sure to wear gloves and safty glasses.

[Guest zebm1]

I just bought a purple bottle (plastic) of Super Clean from NAPA, tha guy said it was from Castrol, but there is nothing on this bottle that says Castrol. Did tha salesman lie?

[lordairgtar]

I just bought a purple bottle (plastic) of Super Clean from NAPA, tha guy said it was from Castrol, but there is nothing on this bottle that says Castrol. Did tha salesman lie?

No, the salesman did not lie, he was just uninformed. Superclean was originally made by castrol, but it got sold to a different company and is now known only as "Superclean". I do not know what the new company is called but the formulation is the same and still works as well as it ever did.

[HIGHLANDER1]

OK GUYS I TRIED YOUR TIPS USING BRAKE FLUID DOT 3 IT DID THE TRICK BUT NOW THE PLASTIC HAS A RIPPLE EFFECT I TRIED RECOATING BUT THIS IS STILL SHOWING THROUGH THE PAINTWORK. TO BE HONEST I AM GIVING UP ON IT TILL I HAVE SPOKEN TO THE SHOP I BOUGHT IT FROM. I HAVE A FUNNY FEELING IT WAS A REACTION ON THE FIRST COAT OF PAINT AND THE PLASTIC I HAVE TRIED PUTTING A LIGHT COAT OF TS 17 LEAVING FOR 24 HRS BUT EVERY TIME I APPLY THE SECOND COAT A GREY OR BLACK APPEARS WERE THE KIT HAS RIPPLED MY ONLY THOUGHT IS THAT IT MUST BE THE PLASTIC AND PAINT REACTING BUT WHY AFTER THE SECOND COAT HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS.