Stripping a Bowser C630


PEIR

PEIR

Eastern RailNet
I was wondering if it was safe to use 91% alcohol to strip a recent run Bowser C630M? If not, what would be recommended to do the job?
 
Hmmm! no answers yet. Well I'm no authority on Bowser shells or any of the newer shells available today.
Stephen perhaps no one has stripped a new Bowser shell. what I would do in this case is remove the shell find an area underneath that has thick plastic. I would then put a drop of the alcohol on it and watch for a reaction. If none then it's likely safe to use your plastic shell. Note where all the little detail pieces go because it may be possible for the alcohol to loosen them. In your place I would go with the Alcohol, after all it comes in a plastic bottle.
I use brake fluid, I use it sparingly. I do not soak the shells in a bath, I brush in on the painted areas only, then remove the paint with a stiff tooth brush as it softens. Brake fluid can craze the plastic, can make it brittle and usless. If you go with brake fluid go slow and carefully.
Good luck
Cheers
Willis
 
I would go with the Alcohol, after all it comes in a plastic bottle.
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Hmmm! On hind sight so does brake fluid. :eek: Yep!, best to do the out of sight test on the plastic shell :eek:

Cheers
Willis
 
Hi Willis,

Thanks for the help. I will test the 91% tomorrow and report back with my findings. I have a pair that needs the same treatment and we can no longer buy Chameleon stripper on this side of the border and I'd hate to ruin them with either the alcohol or brake cleaner.

Since you are also a CBCNS fan Bowser announced 2003,2028 & 2029 and an exclusive to Otter Valley Trains # 2035 all decorated for the CBNS except for 2028 which is in patched CN stripes.
 
PEIR said:
... I'd hate to ruin them with either the alcohol or brake cleaner.

...
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You can also try denatured alcohol. Its also known as shellac thinner. I used to strip all plastics in it without harm. It could strip an Athearn in less than 10 mins.

But with all the stuff coming from China nowadays, you can't be sure what kind of paint is on the model. It could be anything. I know that last year a large shipment of toys was rejected by Mattel, because the paint used was lead based.
 
Thanks for the heads up Carey. I seem to becoming down with the flu so I think my test is on hold for today.
 
Since you are also a CBCNS fan Bowser announced 2003,2028 & 2029 and an exclusive to Otter Valley Trains # 2035 all decorated for the CBNS except for 2028 which is in patched CN stripes.
Click to expand...
Hi Stephen, the Bowsers would not look right with the rest of my fleet. They lack the modifications done by CN before CB&CNS got them. The after cooler modifications and horn mounting being very obvious difference.
No doubt the Bowsers will be much better runners than mine but their cost :eek: is also prohibitive for me. I do have enough Tycos and Athearns to build six to ten more C630's and all that I'm missing and are not readily available are the aftercooler filters and fuel and air tank extensions which will have to be scratch built.
However the layout will be my primary objective for the imediate future

Cheers
Willis
 
While doing some house cleaning I found a bottle and a half of Chameleon that still smelled good so I dropped the 630M shell in the container and left it for three days. The paint on the C630M came right off with some gentle scrubbing with a tooth brush with no damage to the shell. I tried the same thing with a factory painted Atlas C425 and half of the paint is still on there.
 
Oh, yes. They're not bound by our health and safety laws. It was just by chance that Mattel caught that lead paint on the toddler toys about 6 months or so ago.
 
Well isn't that nice:rolleyes: I'll see what it looks like tomorrow after another 24 hours. If it doesn't come off I guess I will try something stronger.
 
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