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Paint Strippers - What to Use?


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16 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

I recently stripped my first two bodies with Super Clean. The second, an AMT '67 Comet hand-brushed with Testor Purple Metallic, was so clean after 48 hours in the SC that I'm seriously considering just polishing up the beautiful white plastic. 

The other was a JoHan Rambler with MANY coats of various unknown paint that had already been through about four treatments with Easy-Off which had thus far taken about half the paint off. SC took the rest of it off in 48 hours except for some thin gray primer, which must be lacquer--but rubbing alcohol takes it right off. 

I once tried to strip a body painted with AMT lacquer that just laughed at Easy Off. But rubbing alcohol took it off almost immediately. 

Easy Off and Super Clean are basically the same thing--lye. EO works much faster, but with a lot more effort and mess. SC does just as well on enamel with no mess, but it takes more time. I like them both but will probably using mostly the SC from now on, unless I'm in a big hurry. 

I used to use Easy Off a lot.

But as you say, it's not as "user friendly" as Super Clean.

It's a lot easier just to drop it in a tub and walk away for a few days.

 

 

Steve

 

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For myself Super Clean has become the go to striper for several years. In the past I have used Easy Off Oven Cleaner with good success removing the paint, not sure about the lung damage from the fumes but there seems to be no lasting effects. Looking at the pictures and the way the paint came off of the body, I had never seen that type of reaction before. I use Tamiya paints for the most part but often use others depending on the color and finish I'm wanting. The one thing I have noticed is that the gray Tamiya primer hangs on tight to the body and there White primer not so much. I would be interested to know if others have had the paint come off in sheets like your Plymouth did. 

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11 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

Just because it doesn't compute to you doesn't mean it's not true. 

And like I said in my post "others may have different experiences" , but that doesn't mean that mine are invalid.

No need to get excited Craig.

I didn't mean anything by it.

It just didn't make any sense to me that if you're using the same Duplicolor primer that is easily dissolved in a matter of minutes, that the paint, regardless of the type, wouldn't come off with it.

As long as there is an avenue for the solution to get under the paint to the primer, the type of paint on top of it shouldn't matter.

I think of it somewhere along the lines of, if the substrate below your concrete garage floor erodes away, your floor is going to collapse, no matter how hard the concrete.

Not saying it can't happen, I just don't understand how it would.

 

Steve

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7 hours ago, Michael jones said:

I have tried Easy Off which smelled awful and is probably very bad for you. It was very slow to work and didn't work well either. I tried brake fluid which worked amazing. Even takes off 2k clear covered paint. Highly recommended.

The biggest problem with brake fluid is disposal.

 

Steve

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7 hours ago, Michael jones said:

I have tried Easy Off which smelled awful and is probably very bad for you. It was very slow to work and didn't work well either. I tried brake fluid which worked amazing. Even takes off 2k clear covered paint. Highly recommended.

Every chemical which strips paint is going to be harmful if inhaled, ingested, etc. One look at the MSDS saftey sheet for any of these products makes that very clear, so it's pretty much a case of try them and find whichever products works best for you. Nobody can say one chemical works best for every situation, as the plastic, paint, primer, conditions, etc. all can vary wildly from one person to the next. All people can do is post their experience, state which paint, primer, etc. was used, which specific chemical was used to strip, and how well it did or didn't work.

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6 minutes ago, Casey said:

Every chemical which strips paint is going to be harmful if inhaled, ingested, etc. One look at the MSDS saftey sheet for any of these products makes that very clear, so it's pretty much a case of try them and find whichever products works best for you. Nobody can say one chemical works best for every situation, as the plastic, paint, primer, conditions, etc. all can vary wildly from one person to the next. All people can do is post their experience, state which paint, primer, etc. was used, which specific chemical was used to strip, and how well it did or didn't work.

Very true.

I have used almost all of these chemicals and they all have their uses, pros and cons.

 

 

Steve

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  • 3 months later...
On 3/14/2019 at 3:13 PM, Snake45 said:

I'm thinking about squirting about half a can of Easy Off into the Purple Pond to "juice" it up a little. :unsure:

Whoa, I’d be real careful about doing a kitchen chemistry experiment without being real sure there isn’t an unexpected dangerous reaction with some unknown constituents in these two products! Kinda like with  bleach and ammonia! Just saying, be careful man!?

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At the Downriver Club meeting last Friday one of the members told us about a product that he found. it's called Crud Cutter Graffiti Remover (gel) and judging by the bodies he brought it works great and even takes off flat black! He found his bottle at Ollies. I found a non gel version at Home Depot for about $8 for 22 ounces.

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On 6/23/2019 at 6:27 PM, JohnU said:

Whoa, I’d be real careful about doing a kitchen chemistry experiment without being real sure there isn’t an unexpected dangerous reaction with some unknown constituents in these two products! Kinda like with  bleach and ammonia! Just saying, be careful man!?

Good point. But lye is the active ingredient in both, so I doubt that such a mix would explode, combust, or give off deadly fumes, but your point is well taken anyway. B)

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  • 3 weeks later...
23 minutes ago, Rich7284 said:

Just wondering if anyone knows if super clean is sold in Canada? Also if it is where can I find it? I've looked everywhere!

Castrol Super Clean is available at Canadian Tire. In the auto section with carwash supplies. That's where I get mine 

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11 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

Castrol Super Clean is available at Canadian Tire. In the auto section with carwash supplies. That's where I get mine 

Thank you I looked there but not in the car wash stuff. Thanks this has been a huge help.

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  • 4 months later...
16 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

Isopropyl Alcohol is pretty good for stripping paint fast. But make sure that you protect yourself against the fumes.

IPA fumes are very mild compared to other chemicals. After all, it is used as rubbing alcohol, spread all over your body (without wearing a respirator). :D  IPA is relatively safe - just don't drink it!

But rubbing alcohol is usually 70% strength.  For paint stripping you need at least 91% (I use 99% purchased in gallon containers at a hardware store).

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Three weeks in new Super Clean in a sealed container. Tamiya pink primer, Testors laquer, Wet Look clear. Hardly budged the Testors, didn't do anything to the Tamiya. Once the parts dry out, I will try new 91% IPA on the parts, and a 7% hazy IPA for me. I tried ELO before the Super Clean and it did nothing.

IMG_20191113_152013.jpg

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3 hours ago, Rodent said:

Three weeks in new Super Clean in a sealed container. Tamiya pink primer, Testors laquer, Wet Look clear. Hardly budged the Testors, didn't do anything to the Tamiya. Once the parts dry out, I will try new 91% IPA on the parts, and a 7% hazy IPA for me. I tried ELO before the Super Clean and it did nothing.

 

Well, yeah, its not going to work, Super Clean does not have the right chemicals to strip "most" lacquer based paints.

Super Clean- enamels and acrylic paints.

91% IPA( alcohol) -acrylics and lacquers.

Now, that above is not set in stone, and is just a baseline to go by.

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6 minutes ago, martinfan5 said:

Well, yeah, its not going to work, Super Clean does not have the right chemicals to strip "most" lacquer based paints.

Super Clean- enamels and acrylic paints.

91% IPA( alcohol) -acrylics and lacquers.

Now, that above is not set in stone, and is just a baseline to go by.

We will see. I have had poor luck in the past with 91% IPA and Tamiya. At least this new stuff is turning pink. Hopefully by tomorrow morning I will see some progress. 

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Make sure that the stripping solution is not cold. Low temperature makes it less potent. Warming it to about 100 deg. F would increase its stripping power (this goes for all striping liquid chemicals).  Of course, this doesn't mean to use it very hot. Just lukewarm should work.

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34 minutes ago, Rodent said:

We will see. I have had poor luck in the past with 91% IPA and Tamiya. At least this new stuff is turning pink. Hopefully by tomorrow morning I will see some progress. 

Yes, so have I, Tamiya's TS stuff can be a pain to strip because its a synthetic lacquer .  If its already turning pink that means its working and you can probably start scrubbing it off now.

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Just got off the couch to get another 7% IPA. The 91% IPA seems to be having an effect on the Testors red, hence the pink color. Nothing on the pink primer yet. If it strips to the primer, I will consider it a victory. 

Edited by Rodent
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