Lack of stripping

[charlie8575]

For curiosity's sake, I decided to try and paint a plated part to save the trouble of stripping. I may have now created more work for myself.

After finding the paint didn't cover well at all, I put it and several other plated parts that needed to be stripped in bleach. The non-plated parts stripped a bit slower than what I've normally seen, but stripped nice and clean with little trouble.

The painted part stripped on the non-painted side. The bleach wouldn't even touch the paint. Moral of the story: if you need a bleach-proof finish, try Testors enamel!

I then transferred it to the Purple Power (imitation Super Clean,) and after about two hours...nothing. The paint isn't budging, what's left of the plating isn't doing anything either.

Worst case, I'll just prime over it and try it that way.

Any other suggestions/ideas/similar occurrences to report?

Charlie Larkin

Edited July 30, 2010 by charlie8575

[Brett Barrow]

Try brake fluid. It will strip most enamels, and it works on chrome by going all the way down to the gloss undercoat underneath the plating, unless it's satin chrome, which has no undercoat.

[MikeMc]

Try brake fluid. It will strip most enamels, and it works on chrome by going all the way down to the gloss undercoat underneath the plating, unless it's satin chrome, which has no undercoat.

Make sure you use DOT3 ......4 and 5 will not remove much. I have used bleach for years as I maintain my swimming pool with it (10%) not 5% household

and I just read ammonia can also be used (NOT TOGETHER!!!!!) I use it with Future so I will try it soon.

[charlzrocks]

I would just leave the part(s) in the Purple Pond overnight. It has always worked for me on Testors Enamel. But it won't work on Testors Lacquer aT all.

[whale392]

Easy-Off oven cleaner (yellow can). It takes dang near any paint/plating off in no time.

[charlie8575]

It's 12:48, I just returned from my friend's birthday party, and it looks like the paint is finally starting to soften a little on the body. I just discovered goobers on the other parts, so I put them in. I didn't have my gloves, etc. handy to fish out the intake, so I can't really tell what's going on with that, but it doesn't look promising. What I found odd is that it doesn't seem to be touching Plasti-Kote lacquer primer. I'm seriously wondering if I got a bad batch of the stuff.

Oven cleaner, as nasty as it is, is my next step. I'll just use it outdoors.

Charlie Larkin

[bigmikevee]

Hi Charlie,

Just wanted to let you know what I have discovered about stripping paint and chrome. First, get a sealable piece of tupperware or something similar, then fumes are not a problem once you close it up. I got an oval shape container (about 5 X 10 inches, think it was Rubbermaid, has a thick blue lip around top for sealing) at Walmart, almost large enough for a whole parts tree at once, split tree in half and no problem stripping chrome on entire model. Great investment, and mulit-use, as we shall see.

For stripping chrome, get a bottle of Mr. Clean or Pinesol, keep it reserved for this one thing, and use it over and over again. Place parts in container, dump entire bottle in container, and worse case scenario let soak overnight, most chrome dissolves after a few hours. Funnel Pinesol back into bottle, add some Dawn to container with parts still in, add pretty warm water and shake for a minute to remove Pinesol. Rinse parts in strainer, they have a fine wire one at Walmart, and they also have a fine wire drain trap there too, keeps parts that float out when rinsing from vanishing and driving ya nuts!! Drain and let sit on paper towels. Now, some chrome will completely vanish and some will leave the layer underneath, everybody's chrome seems to be different.

For removing either the paint or the last layer of chrome I use fume-free E-Z Off, place parts in container once they are dry from the Dawn rinse, take outside and spray E-Z Off, seal, and container can go back in house. I have only stripped acrylic and enamel, don't know about lacquer. I usually let first app. soak overnight, seems to take longer than stripping the chrome, but does work. Scrub between soakings with old toothbrush to get nooks and crannies, keeping spraying and scrubbing as needed. When stripped to your satisfaction, bath in Dawn,and airdry again. I have never had any type of damage to the plastic using this method, and I have stripped both a lot of chrome and a lot of acrylic paints this way, doing lots of trial and error, but have to improve, you know?

Hope this helps you, wanted to give you my little tips, and I always appreciate yours. Let me know how things turn out, and good luck.

Mike

Edited July 31, 2010 by bigmikevee

[charlie8575]

Hi, Mike.

I do have everything in a tight container. I've heard of people using Pine Sol, but that's become a little tough to find around here, as has Mr. Clean. I think the greenie goblins here in the Socialst-Democratic Republic of Massachusetts chased it off.

I just looked in on it. Nothing. Fume-free oven cleaner or Whestley's Bleche-White is next. I remember using ammonia once when I was kid, and got very good results with it, although I've read it doesn't budge chrome.

I may try the oven cleaner, as stated before, that will remove just about anything.

Charlie Larkin

[charlie8575]

Epilogue:

Two days in Bleche-Wite got 99% of the paint off. Good enough for me. I'll just have to use Testors enamel primer to make sure I don't get any unpleasant surprises from the Plasti-Kote, and we're back in business.

Charlie Larkin