Chameleon Paint Stripper


Jim;

Sorry, but even with the "modern" styrene formulas, and the fact that 99.9% of the models I'm working with aren't mine, I refuse to take the chance. Its one thing to risk ruining a body that belongs to yourself, but its entirely different when it belongs to someone else.;)

With the two plastic strippers I use, Washaway and Denatured alky, if they don't get the paint, baking soda in a sand blaster will.:D
 
diburning said:
The 70% soaked for 4 days and it still refused to come off. Do you think a stronger concentration would really work?
Click to expand...

Think of it this way:

What happens if you drink 2 beers or 24 oz of Tequila?

70% is used for thinning, 91% is NOT used for thinning as it's too strong. Just about everyone on that "other" weathering site will testify to using 91% isopropyl. The 2 different strengths have 2 different purposes in modeling.

Jim, haven't you read anyone else's respons to using BF.... It IS always a risk, especially if you soak it for a long period of time. Just because you haven't had any problems, doesn't mean it's not a risk. Read some other forums and ask the professional painters about using BF as a stripper. It's old school..... and not worth the risk of a shell! Period!
 
I agree that 91% alcohol is the weapon of choice for stripping but even that has risks, as I've managed to craze the plastic on some shells with the 91% stuff. I use BF only when alcohol has failed to remove pad printed lettering, which is getting more and more common. If I was doing an engine as a commisioned job, I probably wouldn't risk brake fluid either because of the small chance of damage, but soaking fo a half hour to remove lettering has never caused me problems. I think anyone who does an hours long soak in BF is taking a big risk with ruining any shell.

As for "professional" painters, they don't fool around with any of this liquid stuff. They spend $500 to get a media blaster and strip paint the professional way. Anyone that doesn't have a media blaster is not a professional painter. They may be good basement painters but, if this was their full-time job, they'd have the right tools. That other site has a lot of posers but very few real professionals.
 
my father in law told my wife he was thinking of getting me a media blaster. I was like, holy s*$t! But where am I going to put a media blaster in my apartment, lol. I would love one as I could strip shells like crazy.
 
The pine-sol got the polly-scale paint gummy, but it didn't really work any better than the 70% alcohol... I think I'll just pay my friend to strip it :D
 
All I can say is you must have a pretty heavy layer of paint in that engine for pine-sol and alcohol not to have touched it.
 
Hi All,
I've used all of the paint strippers on the model train store shelves. I've also tried Pine Sol, brake fluid and others. All of them worked with varying degrees of success. It seems to come down to what type of paint/ink was used and how it was applied. Also each of the strippers had different effects on the plastics as far as melting it or not. The other inconsistency is that the model manufacturers seem to change the plastics they use on occasion. So what worked on, for example, an Atlas model you bought a year ago may not work on one you bought today.

There are a couple of things I've learned to help get the most out of any stripping agent I've used. While the model is in the fluid keep it in a warm place. I found that when I left it in the garage over night it didn't work as well. Also when pouring the fluid back into the bottle it helps to stain it. I use an inexpensive woman's nylon stocking.

And like some others have said don't get too worked up about trying to get every last bit of paint off. Apply a coat of primmer and go from there.

My two cents.
Dave
 
You're right Chris, a coffee filter would do the job also. I used them for awhile and found that they would clog quickly. Just keep a stir stick of some kind near by to stir up the sediment.

Dave
 
what do you guys do just let it soak in the alcohol for a time then use a toothbrush? Please explain ... I used laquer thinner on an old F2 shell i had and it turned out really bad... gooey mess it sure was!!!
 
soak the shell in a sealed container with your weapon of choice (pine-sol, brake fluid, alcohol, etc) and wait a few hours, take out and scrub with toothbrush. If the paint isn't coming off very well, wash the shell off with water, then put it back in the paint stripper that you chose.

Another method is Easy-off oven cleaner. It works faster than alcohol, but not as fast as brake fluid.

Do not use mineral spirits or laquer thinner as they may melt your shell.
 
LOL i figure out about the thinner after i let it soak for about an hour and came back to a melted mass of plastic that resembled a big gob of lung butter on one side and an F2 locomotive on the other. stood there for a minute and thought Hmmmmm... modern art....
 
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