Questions about a kit I picked up at a tag sale this summer

[giants3817]

Hello all,

I haven't built a model since I was a kid and when my father got back into it about a year ago and I saw just how much fun he was having I decided to get back into it myself once winter showed up here in New England. Well this summer I was at a tag sale and bought a Revell "Not your mothers Oldmobile" kit for $2. It was opened but all the parts are there, there is just one problem. Whoever it was that started this kit spray painted it in black with regular spray paint. Not model paint. Is there anything I can do to remove the spray paint so that the model paint will stick to it?

[iBorg]

Of all the colors to remove, black is the hardest.

The options you might try (not knowing if its enamel, acrylic or lacqueur) poses a problem.

You might try any of the following:

98 proof alcohol ( a personal favorite). Not rubbing alcohol but almost pure. Better drug stores will have it.

Purple pond

Oven Cleaner- least favorite-take precautions for the fumes

Polly S Easy Lift Off or ELO- hard to find but VERY good

Brake Fluid- CAUTION will eat your hands as well as the model.

Let me know if any of this works for you. I've got an original AMT Nova that has black on it which seems to be untouchable.

Mike

[giants3817]

Thank You Mike. I will give one of these options a shot

[Roncla]

I have found that tamiyas' plastic friendly lacquer thinner will remove anything. I just scrub with a tooth brush as its too expensive to make a bath.

I only use it when the usual brake fluid/ Isopropyl Alcohol has difficulty removing the paint due to the cost.

http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=87077

[HNTR]

Don't chance those products. Go to your auto parts store and buy "Purple power". It will come in a couple different names but it will be in a purple jug and will be called a cleaner. Put the parts in it and wait over night and than use a tooth brush and the paint will come right off with no problem and will not mess up the plastic.

[iBorg]

I find Purple Power (i.e. Purple Pond) doesn't do a lot with blacks. Almost any other color or metal flake, it is my first choice.

Mike

[HNTR]

I have had other kits ruined with brake fluid and oven cleaner, and I have a hard time trusting them. Once I used purple power and it worked so well I found myself getting lazy painting cause I know I can always re-do it. I have found that purple power takes a while to work on lacquers that were used with a primer, but all other paint it works like magic.

[iBorg]

I'm in agreement of the brake fluid destroying kits. If left in too long (which is?) the body turns to mush. I have used Easy Off but it really causes me breathing difficulties.

[HNTR]

I have used "Easy-Off" and it left a kind of pitting. I am not sure what paint was used, as I bought the kit as a glue bomb. I have had kits melt using brake fluid, spirits, and that tamiya stuff (was too expensive and not worth the trouble). I just would rather try the purple pond before anything else.

[Guest G Holding]

I always use DOT 3 brake fluid, it has never eaten anything other than paint A buddy Bill uses nothing but acetone and water....quickest strip I have seen/

I usually use about 2oz. or less of water to about half a qt. of acetone.

[DPink]

Will Testors paint thinner work to remove spray paint?

[giants3817]

Thank you very much for the advice guys. I will be sure to give one of them a shot. Right now I have a dodge avenger funny car on the work bench that I was thinking of doing a Bass Pro Shops paint scheme on. Once I'm done with that I'm going to clean up the Olds and get to work on that.