Paint Strippers - What to Use?

[Ragtop Man]

This thread could be a book - a lot of great suggestions. 

I dipped into a few places, saw many references to Super Clean, but I think the liability lawyers and their accountants got to that a while ago and weakened it to the point it no longer has a skull and crossbones. 

My go-to, when I can find it is Zep Driveway and Concrete cleaner/stain remover.  This is the strongest purple concentration I have found to date, but be aware, it loses its strength over time so if you have a project that is stubborn, it pays to dump the old stuff and refresh the container after a thorough rinse. 

Also, as a resin caster, I can say this with absolute certainty - DO NOT submerge or soak ANY resin in a solution containing glycol (it will be on the label) or you will end up with a handful of goo. Every caster has their own resin, some guys have managed to get away with it, but it is not worth the risk! 

Lacquers are their own special case. If they are cured out for a while, only ELO will budge them in my experience, and whatever you do, don't soak them. That said, I came across a big box of '60s builts all painted in AMT lacquers (must have been an employee or relative, all AMT kits and paint) that did not move for straight 91%.  We are talking about a week, here. No clearcoat, either.  Poured out some ELO and let it just sit for a half hour wet, and the toothbrush began moving the surface. Another few minutes, most was softened and coming off. 

THEN I switched to the tank of 91 and finished off the job. It still took a while, the paint was fighting back, but letting the body sit iin the half-full (empty? LOL) with a saturatated paper towel keeping the top wet while the rest submerged did the trick. BTW, keep a variety of stripping aids with you at the slop bench - toothpicks, scrubbees (the plastic version of scotchbrite) and even the blue shop towels can all be useful. Watch out for thin sections on old styrene like vent posts, they are vulnerable as are vintage Monogram anything, which I'm told had a lot of clear.

Caution/advice - it is tempting to head over to the sink to see the rinse and white styrene, but avoid it as long as possible. For some reason, the strip-rinse creates a reaction that makes re-submerging for more work seem to take a lot longer. 

Remember that chemical reactions like surface area, so scrubthe subject body to 'open' the finish, just avoid trim, etc. Reactions also like heat, so anything you can do to warm the solutions will help. I have used the tub-in-tub method which works like a double boiler - smaller tub with solution and subject, set in a larger tub of hot water.  Coldn't swear that I could measure much of a difference, but it did seem to help one stubborn project. 

Finally, only a sandblaster will take off Testors Blue or any flat black. Either throw it away and get another one, or prepare for a LONG seige. 

 

[peteski]

That is an excellent summary Bob!  I agree on all points.  Especially on what is not often mentioned (if ever) about rinsing partially ELO-stripped body under water somehow making the subsequent stripping of the remaining paint more difficult.
One other thing worth mentioning is that warm stripping solution is more potent than cold.  If you work in a cool workshop, the stripping solution will be less potent than if it was warmed up to about 90 deg. F.

[Ragtop Man]

On 3/7/2025 at 11:25 PM, peteski said:

That is an excellent summary Bob!  I agree on all points.  Especially on what is not often mentioned (if ever) about rinsing partially ELO-stripped body under water somehow making the subsequent stripping of the remaining paint more difficult.
One other thing worth mentioning is that warm stripping solution is more potent than cold.  If you work in a cool workshop, the stripping solution will be less potent than if it was warmed up to about 90 deg. F.

... which can be accomplished with a inexpensive aquarium heater.  All safety protocols for same should be carefully observed.