TOPIC:

Hi All,
I want to put together a database of the different ways people have removed paint from bodies as mentioned in a previous thread about a week ago. While I doubt it will ever be truly complete, it will at least give people a guide. My motivation is that I myself have a number of different body types that need to be clean up and it would be handy to be able to reference what other people have done.

I will compile all of this in a database that can be searched as well.

I intend to list mainly by
chemical type
body type (with model and/or manufacturer)
paint (if know)
and outcome or comment on the process
anything else?

I was also thinking of adding in some sort of rating system, maybe a scale of 1 to 10 on effectiveness,
1 being damaged to the body, 5 being no effect and 10 being majority of paint removed.

Plus another scale of 1 to 10 on the clean up, 1 being had to do lots afterwards, and 10 being nothing needing doing afterwards. I understand it would be entirely a subjective rating, but I think it can still be useful. Thoughts on this?

Any suggestions or comments are welcome or if you have link, add it in the comments and once I get a few I will link to a database,

regards

Johann

I use a Tardis, set the timer 5 minutes before the shell got painted, collect it and return right before dinner.

Johann

I'll kick it off, I was making notes when I tried this a few weeks ago

I should mention that I am in Australia, as products with the ame name differ in composition from place to place

As always with chemicals take precautions :
heavy duty rubber gloves
work outside or well ventilated area
wear eye protection
wear a mask

Shell is a vintage sand scorcher
Material is styrene (PS)
Existing yellow paint unknown, looks fine and shiny enough to be Tamiya spray paint

I will list my failed attempts as well, might save someone the bother
I would use the Grafitti Remover as recommended by Mr Retro, but cannot get it here

I tried the following :
Denatured Alchohol (DA) also called Methylated Spirits
Active ingredient - Ethyl Alchohol 95% Methyl Alchohol 5%
24 hours in a plastic tub - no effect
No effect on the PS shell
This product works a treat on slot car factory paint so I gave it a go

Isopropyl Alchohol (IA) also called Rubbing Alchohol or Isopropanol
Active ingredient - C3H8O (?)
24 hours in a plsatic tub - no effect
Cleaned shell using DA
No effect on the PS shell

Mr Muscle Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner
Active ingredient - Sodium Hydroxide (SH) 43g/L


The version here in Australia
Spayed in a tin foil baking dish left for 2 hours - removed some paint, 5% effective
Cleaned shell using DA
No effect on the PS shell

Easy Off Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner
Active ingredients - Sodium Hydroxide (SH) 54 g/kg Diethyl Glycol Alkyl Ether 55g/kg


The version here in Australia
Spayed in a tin foil baking dish left for 2 hours
It foams up very nice and covers the body in a thickish blanket of foam
Success at last removed 90% of the paint, I will try it again and leave overnight
Or maybe use steel wool to get the rest of the paint off
Cleaned shell using DA
No effect on the PS shell

Terragni

Thanks Terragni,

thanks great. I like that you have the active ingredient too. That should help a lot, and I will try and do some background safety checks on some of these chemicals (mainly links to MSDS forms).

I think it should also be noted that you should never try two or methods at once. Always clean off the part before you try another method.


Good idea with the pictures too, that can help a lot in identifying products.

For my own, I have had good success using dettol (I believe its called Simply Green in the US) on removing some types of paint from early polystrene cars (Brat and Ligier, both cases it removed greater than 99% of the paint), and limited success polycarbonate. It worked great on a hornet sample piece, but not my Audi Quattro. There is a thread on tamiyabase about what I did. The active ingredient is chloroxylenol (C8H9ClO).

I have also used a anti-graffitti remover from Bunnings (local hardware store in Australia) and dot3 brake fluid with some success. Brake fluid seems to weaken the plastic though. I post more details when I get home.

Also I can allow space in the database not only for pics of the chemical, but I could make room for pics of the final product, good or bad,

regards

Johann

Johann

This is the best advice I have seen for lexan / polycarbonate


I have not tried it yet

Not sure how it will go on a vintage polycarbonate shell

Also on some factory painted shells, the paint is 'baked' onto the lexan

But I do trust Jang from URC's advice


Terragni

Johann

Just came across this page
www.paintingcli...paint3.htm

Maybe some ideas on how to organise the database ?

Terragni

Every time I see a suggestion on what information should be included, I update my spreadsheet ... I'm now up to 20 fields for each of 44 permutations of paint/material/chemical etc

To summarize:



De-Solv-It Grafitti Remover (UK)

Product link: www.screwfix.co...r-1l/45293

Ingredients: Proprietory, No full ingredient list available. MSDS lists only harmful parts: unspecfied ratios of a non-specific "Aliphatic Hydrocarbon" (I guess as a solvent), a non-specific "Fatty Alcohol Ethoxylate" (as a surfactant?), Gamma Butyrolactone & Glycol Ether (as solvents) ... must be some sort of gelling agent too?

MSDS: www.wickes.co.u...154936.pdf

Safety: blue nitrile gloves, eye protection, active ventilation/extraction

Use: apply undiluted with toothbrush, leave 30 mins, apply extra & agitate, wipe off (rinsing will cause remaining paint to set). Repeat cycle, rinsing thouroughly at end.

Notes: most effective around 19 Celcius, less effective at 10 Celcius. Temperatures of 21 Celcius or greater cause increasing evaporation of product.
Will remove 99%+ of paint relatively speedily, tradeoff is slight melting of surface requiring some rework. Disolves poly glue joints. Extensive clouding evident on dark styrene materials (e.g. Wild Willy & XR311 bodies) & polycarbonate, some drying & crazing on styrene where long exposure required.

Used safely on: various vintage & modern "Styrene" body parts & driver figures (but see note on slight melting)

DO NOT USE on: polycarbonate

Effective on: various unknown aerosols & brush paints, unknown polycarbonate aerosol & brush paints, Humbrol enamel brush paints, Tamiya XF brush paints, Hycote brand acrylic aerosols, Evostick Impact adhesive.

Ineffective on: cyanoacrylate adhesive

Use example: www.tamiyabase....itstart=10

Overall rating: 8/10 - excellent, but has significant limitations, including slight melting




Caustic Soda

Product link: n/a

Ingredients: Sodium Hydroxide NaOH

MSDS: www.certified-l...DS-Lye.pdf

Safety: Use with extreme caution. Vinyl gloves, eye protection, ventilation

Use: Diluted into water 20% weight into volume (higher rates didn't improve efficacy). Ultrasonic clean in plain water to remove softened paint.

Notes: If it hasn't worked after 30 minutes, chances are it won't - longer exposures don't improve results. I found scrubbing to be ineffective.

Used safely on: Tamiya "styrene" driver parts, repro resin parts, Spital polycarbonate driver figure

DO NOT USE on: exercise extreme caution on polycarbonates

Effective on: Tamiya XF brush paints, unknown 1K auto aerosol

Ineffective on: Spital factory applied wheel paint

Use example: www.tamiyabase....Itemid=476

Overall rating: 9/10 very effective in 3/4 cases so far, no rework required.





Nitromors paint & varnish remover

Product link: www.wickes.co.u...vt/155084/

Ingredients: Dichloromethane CH_2_Cl_2, Methanol CH_3_OH, White Spirit (UK, = Turpentine)

MSDS: www.buckandhick...112699.pdf

Safety: rubber gloves, eye protection, active ventilation

Use: multiple applications/scrubs/rinses

Notes: not safe for most plastics/RC applications

Used safely on: Tamiya blue Holiday Buggy 2011 Polyethylene body, metals

DO NOT USE on: polycarbonates, styrenes

Effective on: acrylic aerosols, 2K paints

Ineffective on: n/a

Use example: n/a

Overall rating: 8/10 - very effective on right material


Acetone 99%

Product link: n/a

Ingredients: Propanone (CH_3)_2CO

MSDS: www3.imperial.a...276111.PDF

Safety: ventilation

Use: Attempted to remove overspray from 1990's Tamiya polycarbonate Manta Ray body, by wiping with rag ...

Notes: Exposure of less than 10 seconds caused horrendous rotting/crazing/clouding
Used safely on: n/a

DO NOT USE on: polycarbonates, styrenes, etc

Effective on: will be safe on metals

Ineffective on: n/a

Use example: www.tamiyabase....itstart=50

Overall rating: 0/10 - irrecoverable damage





(Cheapo) Dot4 brake fluid

Product link: n/a

Ingredients: Polyetheylene glycol based

MSDS: n/a

Safety: gloves

Use: long soaks (2-4 weeks) with multiple scrubs

Notes: I suspect this was a very cheap brand with very little in it beyond the Polyetheylene glycol, which is what rendered it ineffective? I suspect what makes some brands work, and some brands cause damage, is all the other things ("corrosion inhibitors", etc) that some manufactures put in.

Used safely on: Tamiya "styrene" (vintage Blitzer Beetle & vintage Pajero wheelie bodies)

DO NOT USE on: use extreme caution on polycarbonates

Effective on: ... nothing

Ineffective on: unknown 2K paint, unknown hobby brush paint

Use example: n/a

Overall rating: ?/10 - completely ineffective