Paint stripper for plastic model kits, what do you suggest ?

[McColm]

Hi Guys,
Is there a product I can use to remove old layers of enamel paint applied to plastic model kits
?
I bought a joblot of built kits off eBay and the previous owner was a bit heavy handed on the paint finish. I'd like to remove the paint back to the original plastic.
If it was wood I could use paint stripper or caustic soda dip, but as this is plastic I would melt it
A heat gun would work on a car or truck if you wanted to melt the plastic and stretch it to  reshape to form a new Whiff .
Any suggestions ??

[Steel Penguin]

fairy power spray, and an old toothbrush,  fairly widely used for cleaning up old plastic wargames figures.
a caustic soda dip will work and do no harm to ( most) plastics, but if there's any etch or white metal bits may well pit them.

[darthspud]

from a.n.other forum,
Oven Pride is touted as a useful paint stripper for plastics.
Never used it, but it's in the knowledge locker.

[dumaniac]

oven cleaner - - lads - oven cleaner

look for the old caustic acid variety - sodium somethingy hydroxide or similar - the modern enviro-friendly won't look at the paint

i use an ice cream plastic container - operate in the open air - put the model in the container and apply the oven cleaner - this stuff is dangerous and with eat your skin if you are careless

it will not affect plastic - it comes in plastic container - a couple of minutes is usually enough

i use an old toothbrush to scrub the paint which dissolves fairly quickly but don't flick the "stuff" about - it will corrode anything it touches, your shirt, you, your whatever - don't leave it unattended near children or pets - use it while she-who-must-be-obeyed and the ankle bitters are out shopping or something

some paints need a few repeat treatments

if you are careful, this stuff is great

i have "saved" many old kits for spare parts using this stuff

cheers

Bernie

[dumaniac]

ps - i forgot

after you think you have moved most of the paint, you will have a thick paste with the oven cleaner and dissolved paint

place back on the ice cream container and dribble tap water into the container - do not use a lot of pressure as it might splash up everywhere

use the tooth brush and water to remove the goop and slowly tip the mixture where-ever, depending on your enviro requirements or limitations -

let the 'cleaned' model air dry and figure out if it needs another treatment - this technique is great on enamels but a bit ordinary on acrylics

good luck and be careful

Bernie

[Steel Penguin]

old style oven cleaner is Sodium Hydroxide ( NaOH)  and the warning below should be obeyed without question, its will eat flesh to the bone, and will corrode metal quite quickly, when concentrate.

[McColm]

Thank you ,
I'll try that and let you know the results .

[Dizzyfugu]

Another vote for oven cleaner. Take a glass tub, spray a layer onto the bottom, place the parts on top of that, and cover the heap with more oven cleaner. Let it rest for a week, and after that you should be able to scrap most of the paint off. A hard toothbrush and rinsing water help a lot.

Another thorough option is brake fluid, but it attacks styrene and tends to make it brittle.

[PR19_Kit]

.....look for the old caustic acid variety - sodium somethingy hydroxide or similar - the modern enviro-friendly won't look at the paint

Donning a chemical pedant hat, Sodium Hydroxide is an alkali, not an acid. Having said that the effect on your skin is very similar, it dissolves rather quickly and painfully. 

[Chemical pedant mode off] 

[The Wooksta!]

Fairy Power Spray - how many times have I got to trumpet this product?  It cuts through both acrylics AND enamels and is powerful enough to take off Halfords primer - no mean feat.  It also softens filler, so it's potent stuff.

Won't affect resin and doesn't affect clear parts.

Stubborn areas will need repeated application.

Trust me, this is all you'll ever need

[Wardukw]

Yep oven cleaner works most excellently and to put some blokes minds at rest using anything stainless steel to put the model when stripping will work perfectly fine ,,stainless steel has very little tin in it so the oven cleaner will not affect it 
Now on thing i didnt see mentioned is brake fluid ,,ok it will take a day or two to strip the paint off but it will do a great job and washes off in plain ol water ,,DO NOT let it touch painted surfaces ,,like window frames and the like ..this stuff will lift the paint,it will destroy the paint on a car if left on it ..but it is the easiest to work with and will not eat your skin 

Phill

[McColm]

Thanks ,
but what about smaller painted surfaces ?

[Weaver]

There is a specific-to-models product called Modelstrip which I've used (once). It's like a greyish brown paste that you smear all over the area to be stripped, then you put the whole thing in a sealed plastic bag and leave it.

Good bits:

1. being a paste, you can apply it very precisely to a small part, or a small section of a big part
2. it's relatively safe (but still READ AND OBEY THE SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS)

Bad bits:

1. it's relatively expensive
2. it can be long-winded, messy and unpleasant to use


This is the stuff : http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/modelstrip-modelstrip/

I'd use it again if I had to strip a small part of a small section of a model but not the rest. If I had to do a whole model, I think I'd experiment with the Fairy Power Spray technique as it seems to be so universally recommended.

Oh, and it also produces funky rainbow effects on brass.....

[puddingwrestler]

Dettol. Bathe for about 12 hours, and then use a toothbrush to scrub it down. Unlike oven cleaner, you will not get any chemical burns, and don't need saftey equipment.

[PR19_Kit]

Dettol. Bathe for about 12 hours, and then use a toothbrush to scrub it down. Unlike oven cleaner, you will not get any chemical burns, and don't need saftey equipment.

And the model will be wholly germ-free.