How hard to strip Micro-Trains paint?
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Monegeetta
New Member
Steve, just came across this thread so don,t know if you have had any success in getting the paint off. A while back I came across someone who said they used Brake Fluid and I have an old Bachmann loco with a damaged shell so I used this to see if it works.
I placed the shell in a bath of brake fluid over night and the next day used an old toothbrush to scrub off the paint. Most paint came off and I gave it another bath to soften the paint in grooves then used an hobby knife blade to scrape off the last bits of paint.
The shell suffered NO damage from the Brake Fluid and after a wash in warm soapy water I air brushed a new paint scheme. I had just bought my first Air Brush so this Shell became test/learning tool. I have since given it another bath and resprayed it and I cannot see any sign of damage to the shell.
Regards
I placed the shell in a bath of brake fluid over night and the next day used an old toothbrush to scrub off the paint. Most paint came off and I gave it another bath to soften the paint in grooves then used an hobby knife blade to scrape off the last bits of paint.
The shell suffered NO damage from the Brake Fluid and after a wash in warm soapy water I air brushed a new paint scheme. I had just bought my first Air Brush so this Shell became test/learning tool. I have since given it another bath and resprayed it and I cannot see any sign of damage to the shell.
Regards
GreenHornet
New Member
Brake Fluid
I have used automotive brake fluid to remove paint from plastic several times and it did a wonderful job with no damage to the base plastic. Just remember to NOT use silicone brake fluid and completely wash the part (locomotive) a couple of times before repainting and allow lots of time for the part to soak. Cheap generic brake fluid works great.
I have used automotive brake fluid to remove paint from plastic several times and it did a wonderful job with no damage to the base plastic. Just remember to NOT use silicone brake fluid and completely wash the part (locomotive) a couple of times before repainting and allow lots of time for the part to soak. Cheap generic brake fluid works great.
Cjcrescent
Master Mechanic
Steve, if they are Kato's, whatever you do, don't use brake fluid! Kato uses a different type of styrene from most manufacturers. The brake fluid will cause the styrene to become brittle and crack!
Ask me how I know....
What I would suggest you try is a bottle of Scalecoat's Wash Away. Its made for stripping plastic, is reusable, and is a very good stripper. I've used it to remove the old formula paint off of old Kato bodies that nothing else would touch. That paint is tougher than the paint on the newer Kato bodies.
Ask me how I know....
What I would suggest you try is a bottle of Scalecoat's Wash Away. Its made for stripping plastic, is reusable, and is a very good stripper. I've used it to remove the old formula paint off of old Kato bodies that nothing else would touch. That paint is tougher than the paint on the newer Kato bodies.
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Monegeetta
New Member
Carey, thanks for the warning, I have a couple of newer Kato engines and I was thinking of respraying my locos with my own colour scheme..... Now on hold.
Will be interesting to see if the old Bachmann shell becomes brittle, it's only been three months since I gave it a Brake Fluild bath. Yesterday it was 44c in my train shed and today 36c so will make a note and put it on the wall to remind me to check the shell in a couple of months and report back to this thread if there is any changes in the shell.
Will be interesting to see if the old Bachmann shell becomes brittle, it's only been three months since I gave it a Brake Fluild bath. Yesterday it was 44c in my train shed and today 36c so will make a note and put it on the wall to remind me to check the shell in a couple of months and report back to this thread if there is any changes in the shell.
Monegeetta
New Member
Well it's been a little bit more than the three months during which we have sold our house moved 600klm and built a new place with a dedicated Train Shed... oh and three lovely Grandkids now on the scene, two nearly three who love to see Poppies train and one 12 mths old (still to be corrupted). The old Bachmann shell came with me and it is still perfectly intact with no ill effects from the Brake Fluid bath(s), I've actually given it a second go as I wanted to try out a new paint scheme with my air brush as I would like to try repainting all my loco's with my own paint scheme once I settle on one. Will most likely be similar to the old Victorian Railways Blue and Yellow as I have pulled my last layout apart and I am designing a new one which will be around the wall type.
