# Paint Strippers



## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

I'm no body guy,but i just seen this on Muscle Car TV,and thought i'd pass it on.

Rick Bacon the host was stripping the paint off a plastic grill,and he was using good old paint eating Automotive Brake Fluid.
Claimed it was a tip from his old plastic model building days.

It might be a common trick for all i know,or it could be something you want to avoid too,i'm no painter/body guy,but i thought of you guys when i seen the tip on TV,and figured i'd pass it on.

If it's a bad tip,i hope somebody says so,i've never tried it,and probably won't,so yell out if it's something that should be avoided.
Rick


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## roddster (Jan 17, 2010)

No, auto brake fluid does work at removing old paint for plastic model cars. So does imersing the car in Wesley's Bleche Whyte, and also that purple cleaner somebody else makes. 
I'd beware with the brake fluid but it does work.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

don't make the mistake I did with an original 1/32 Aurora Batmobile model many moons ago and use brake CLEANER to strip!


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

Brake fluid does work, but it is a pain to clean up. Lots o scrubbing


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## slotbubba (Jan 28, 2010)

The purple stuff is "Super Clean".....it is like a zooped up version of Formula 409.

Another one is "Purple Power", which I haven't tried.


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Word to the wise from an old guy, If you are going to use brake fluid or brake cleaner to remove paint or chrome from plastic, be ready for disastrous results. Those two fluids, in my experience have rather nasty effects on plastic. Personally I DO NOT use them to remove paint. I use Easy Off Oven cleaner, use the original, the NO Fumes stuff doesn't work very good, and I also use Scalecoat II Wash Away Paint remover, it is available here - http://www.weavermodels.com/page11.html and it is reusable. I just filter out the little paint bits with a coffee filter and reuse. As Bubba mentioned, the Super Clean, made by Castrol, I think, and Purple Power also work pretty good. Some guys swear by Pine Sol, but I can't stand the smell and I don't think it works that good. I also used to use **** and Span, but the company that owns the brand has changed the chemical formula for the stuff, so it doesn't work as good as it used to, if you can find it. JMHOFO pig


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

partspig said:


> Word to the wise from an old guy,.....
> I also used to use **** and Span, but the company that owns the brand has changed the chemical formula for the stuff, so it doesn't work as good as it used to, if you can find it.


Dude, I used to swear by **** n Span. It was perfect...... but now it's new and improved.


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## Tuxedo (Dec 14, 2011)

Pinesol or the original Easy Off. Brake fluid will work, I've used it on trains before going to the 2 I just mentioned, but if you forget about that locomotive your stripping............................... 
You end up with GOO


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

About all i know about Brake Fluid,is it'll peel paint off your freshly hand rubbed laquer painted inner fenders,faster then you can get it to a car wash,almost worse then battery acid

Speaking of battery acid,anyone crazy enough to ever give it a try,lol:drunk:

I think the orginal Easy Off used Caustic Soda as it's base.
Has anybody ever tried Caustic Soda,it's rough on hands,but i know it peels paint off steel in short order,not sure what it does to plastic bodies though. 

What about straight vinegar,i've wondered if it's acidic nature would peel paint with-out hurting plastic.


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## jobobvideo (Jan 8, 2010)

haven't used vinegar, but I use isopropyl alcohol....my 2 cents added at no cost to you


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## Tuxedo (Dec 14, 2011)

Hornet said:


> About all i know about Brake Fluid,is it'll peel paint off your freshly hand rubbed laquer painted inner fenders,faster then you can get it to a car wash,almost worse then battery acid
> 
> 
> I think the orginal Easy Off used Caustic Soda as it's base.
> ...


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## foxkilo (Mar 27, 2008)

From past experience: first brake fluid works but it sometimes effects the material that it dries it out i.e. it gets brittle. Tjet bodies seem less affected then afx bodies. I used it on several tjets and it worked fine but the effect on a blue Ferrari was strange. It looked whitish like being bleached by sitting in the sun for to long. It works best on glossy paint but is a pain in the proverbial with matt or even semi matt.

The boys overhere use pure and simple white spirit to strip. Sofar it works. It needs only time.

Mario


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Another one i'd thought of was "Lime",

I spent a few years kicking around the oil and gas industry in my younger days,so i've kinda always wondered if it would also be a decent paint stripper.
Caustic Soda and Lime weren't that hard to come by years ago,not sure what they're like to track down now though,everything is all about safety now-a-days


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Even magic wands now come with a warning*

You'll shoot your eye out!

That white chalky effect is a caustic burn. All caustics produce this effect with sufficient exposure. Like the day after you've Easy Off'ed the oven with no gloves. 

IMHO, the best approach is to be patient and start with the least caustic product, like Pinesol, **** and Span, or other household soaps. Then move to more caustic products like Superclean or other automotive products. At the point that your reaching for brake fluid or Easy Off your walking the razors edge. 

The part where the train comes off the tracks is the mentality that you can just keep escalating; or worse yet, go straight to nuclear warheads in an effort to remove paint. FACT: Some paints are actually tougher than the plastic that your vintage slot car body is made from, AND there is a limit to the amount of chemical bombardment the body will take...before brittle-izing, shrinking, warping, or discoloring.

A lot depends on the the condition of the body in the first place, and what vintage and brand, as well as the physical characteristics of the model in question. For example: A T-jet 63 Splitty, a dense thick body, can sit in caustic far longer than an AFX Grand Am, an extremely thin lighweight body. The Grandy will curl up like a leaf in the wind if ya forget about it in caustic....but the Splitty might come out a little chalky. Naturally there's a lot more to it, but readily available "chemical heat" (that would be available to end users) causes burns and distortions just as surely as a plumbing torch would. It's just much slower and insideous because in todays world we're not conditioned to think or measure time and exposure at that rate.

Read the label, if it tells you to guard your skin against burns, then there's also a point on the timeline where it WILL ruin your slotcar body too.


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I used to paint strippers... nice work if you can get it


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

LMAO,that's the kind of painting i'd like to get into:thumbsup:


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

jobobvideo said:


> haven't used vinegar, but I use isopropyl alcohol....my 2 cents added at no cost to you


How long do you soak on what kinds of paints?
What percentage concentration do you use? 
The strongest I can find is 70% and it doesn't work for me.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Check your local Safeway,they carry 99% up here,so i'm assuming they'll also have it down south.

Maybe you guys down south are out of luck,just looked at my bottle of 99%,and it's packaged for Canada Safeway in Winnipeg,so it might not be State side.
It's even branded as Safeway Isopropyl Alcohol,but still might be worth checking them out anyways


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## TGM2054 (May 14, 2011)

Thats what I've been using,90% Isopropyl, the 70% doesn't work. I get it at the grocery store, Walgreens, or Wally World. But be careful about using it on resin cast bodies and parts, it'll soften them up and distort them.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Jeez Rick,

You could start a bootleg medical supply with just 222's and IPA99%. God knows our represententives in government think we're too stoopid to cure a headache or strip a slotcar body. 

You got body bags up there? Congress here could use a good house cleaning.
You could ship the goods down and we'd send you hogfeed back.

....oh.... but that would be canabilism would'n it...

probably illegal too! 

Damm, I almost had it figured out!


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## jobobvideo (Jan 8, 2010)

NTxSlotCars,
like others have chimed in 90%...usually a little soak time (couple hours as I am impatient) and then toothbrush gets most off...usually no more than a second short soak to get stuff off in the cracks. Used on tyco and lifelife bodies...factory for some, my screw ups from rattle can, not sure on paint on others the as they were painted by some else.

Bill,
Too Funny!!! Your plan almost came together.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

LOL,and i thought you guys had it better Bill.
Every once in-awhile somebody will take a pot shot at one of your politicians,i think it helps to sorta keep them in line,but up here nobodies ever taken a pot shot at our politicians,so they figure they're invinciable


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

For those that need to know Easy Off Oven Cleaner is lye, which is caustic. You used to be able to buy lye soap in bars at the grocery store, but I haven't seen those for years. Fells Naptha Soap used to be the brand I think. pig


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Thanks guys, I figured the stuff I had wasn't strong enough.


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

Hornet said:


> Check your local Safeway,they carry 99% up here,so i'm assuming they'll also have it down south.
> 
> Maybe you guys down south are out of luck,just looked at my bottle of 99%,and it's packaged for Canada Safeway in *Winnepeg*,so it might not be State side.
> It's even branded as Safeway Isopropyl Alcohol,but still might be worth checking them out anyways


Ahem. That's Winn*i*peg

Thank you, that is all


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Sorry Dan,i was gonna say your hometown instead,lol:wave:
Rick


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Dan who's that lady standing in front of your building on Google maps? :wave:


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## Tuxedo (Dec 14, 2011)

videojimmy said:


> I used to paint strippers... nice work if you can get it


 Yeah, how do you apply for that job ? Heck, I would pay them !!


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*Last job was light, so I used ELO but...*



partspig said:


> Word to the wise from an old guy, I use Easy Off Oven cleaner, the original, and I also use Scalecoat II Wash Away Paint remover, JMHOFO pig


... if this aint a good'nuff endorsement... Ask Randy the head honcho at Hilltop about Scalecoat Wash Away... You seen his work? He swears by it.

Me personally... next tough strip job goes to Scalecoat.


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

tossedman said:


> Dan who's that lady standing in front of your building on Google maps? :wave:


What lady?


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## Super Coupe (Feb 16, 2010)

Yeah,I missed her too.
>Tom<


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

This one.


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

lol thats not my building. I just used a co-ordinate I found for Winnipeg. No clue.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Okay, I got some 91% alcohol from Walgreen's. I have a body sitting in it for a few hours.
It has a stock Tyco paint job, but no progress. Is this a good enough % to strip paint?


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

*Bingo*

Picked up some 99% at a local Tom Thumb (owned by Safeway).
I've had some stuff in it a couple of days now, still not impressed.
It works good on enamels, aftermarket paint jobs, but not real good on
stock paint jobs. Does it lose its potency after a strip or two?
I like the easy clean up, but it only works on a few things.
Pinesol works, but I'm tired of it.

I'm gonna pick up a can of Easy Off tomorrow.
I've used it before to strip paint. I hate the stuff, but using it
once overnight is better than waiting days for this stuff to work.
I think Easy Off rinses cleaner than Pinesol.


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

Try the spray bottle of easy off, I find it works better. Of course watch out for the fumes, they're caustic and will burn your throat.


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## TGM2054 (May 14, 2011)

I take a old toothbrush to it after a couple of hours. Once you break through the top coat it comes off pretty easily, but thats on AW's.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Okay, I have the stubborn ones in a baggy soaking in Easy Off.
Odd thing happened though. Has Windex changed their formula?
I've had some Tyco chromies sitting in some brand new Windex for a couple of days.
Only one body is stripping. I've never had any tyco chrome resist windex.
Dumped it, and replaced with the walmart windex. We'll see what happens.


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## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

I'm no expert, as I'm new at this game, but thus far I've stripped 2 bodies. One was a newer Lifelike COT, and the other was a JLXtraction Yenko Camaro. In both cases the method was:

1. a 2 day soak in PineSol

2. hit it with a toothbrush. (I've been using one of the stiffer ones meant for dentures.) In both cases the bulk of the paint practically slid off the car at this point. 

3. One more day of soak.

4. Hit it with a spinning electric toothbrush to get the tough to reach spots. (just make sure you rinse it good so the toothbrush's owner doesn't experience the embarassmant of having pinesol breath. ) 

Easy peasy. I think one of the key tools in this deal is actually patience.

Although one thing I did find is when you're scrubbing, keep dipping it in the pinesol. Running it under water seemed to gum it up. By the time I got around to doing the second car, it never saw water until it was _completely_ done. At that point I gave it a good scrubbing with water and a little dish soap, and I beleive its ready to paint.

As far as guys not liking the smell, I can't help you on that. I actually don't mind it. Next time around I'm gonna try one of the other scents too and see if it works as well as the traditional one does. The nice thing about Pine Sol is that its cheap. Up here you can buy the stuff in dollar stores.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Okay, the Walmart windex completely stripped the chrome in just a few hours.

_I've tried several different brands before, and the original Windex, 
and Walmart windex were the only brands that actually stripped chrome for me._


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Bumpin this for a new old guy. :thumbsup:


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## TGM2054 (May 14, 2011)

Thanks for bumping it NT, it just save a paint job. I was going to try Windex to take the decals off of a flamed Vega, and save the paint. I've got six of these cars I want to get the decals off of and try to save the original paint.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Okay, so how would you take permanent marker off a factory paint job without hurting the paint?

Any tricks?


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## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

Goo Gone I hope it works for you. fcb


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## 41-willys (Jan 7, 2000)

I used 70% Isopropyl alcohol on a paper towel wrappe around a tooth pick or small flat blade of a knife or screwdriver and lightly wiped just where the marker was. It seemed to work ok


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

NTxSlotCars said:


> Okay, so how would you take permanent marker off a factory paint job without hurting the paint?
> 
> Any tricks?


Next time tell Sparky to use masking tape for laying out lines instead of markers...comes off a lot easier, unless it pulls the paint off...RM


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Try automotive wax....mineral oil....spot test some kerosene and give it a shot....scratch and swirl remover (be careful)....work yer way up to the 4000 psi pressure washer.


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