Paint Removal

[Justinside]

I need to totally strip my King Hauler, I goofed on the paint job and want to start from scratch, what can I do?


Thanks

Paul

[Tamiya Cowboy]

What paint did you use.

[Bigrigger]

I used Tamiya spray paint, and it came off easily with Orange Glo/Goo Gone. Just takes a little elbow grease and some cotton balls.

[Justinside]

I have used Tamiya Paint.

Thanks

Paul

[nenard]

Ive used Easy Off over cleaner in the yellow can. Spray cab leave it in a bucket or plastic bowl. Brush it off after about a hour. Works great.

[Bigrigger]

No problem, good luck on your truck!

[civicex5speed]

I thought I would post this, but I had to strip all the paint from a Train. I used Pinesol, I took a window box (for flowers) and filled the thing with pinesol. Put the train in it. came back the next day and just wiped off the paint to the bare plastic. The plastic was not damaged and had not got soft. I still had all the small details too.

[FreddyGearDrive]

If you git a large plastic container (rubber maid).Just big enough for cab to fit in. Then git your self like 4 or 5 bottles of 92% rubbing alcohol,Stick cab in container,dump bottles over cab & close cover. Let soak for a couple of hrs.Shake container every 15 minutes or so,might have to use tooth brush for tough areas. This is the cats a$$ for Tamiya paint removal.
FGD

[RAIDERS]

Fred that works great with rubbing alcohol it takes the paint right off very easy...

[hitachi]

try using brake fluid to strip paint worked on a friend of mines truck

[MACK Daddy]

Anyone know if any of these chemicals will also remove body filler and such? I have a body with body filler that needs paint removal

Any suggestions?

Alfy

[MACK Daddy]

No thoughts on this?


Alfy

[hitachi]

think the best way to ge rid og body filler is by sanding it down

[oldboy]

I use Easy Lift Off does not damage plasti You get it from a Model Train Shop.
The only thing to remove body filler is sanding and elbowgrease

regards John

[fhhhstix]

I had two pieces to take paint off of so I sprayed both with easy off oven cleaner and it took it off one and didn't touch the other piece. So I tried Freddy's method and used the alcohol and it worked great.

Travis

[540-MAN]

Where would i get 92% rubbing alcohol as i need to strip the paint on mine and start again because on the side of the cab it has bubbled when i painted it with the tamiya spray paint because it must of been dirty when i painted it. It is a fairly new truck and i dont want to damage the plastic.

[JAMMER]

If you are going to use alcohol use denatured alcohol the other has water in it. You can get it at Home Depot, Lowes any home store. Ed

[fhhhstix]

Where would i get 92% rubbing alcohol as i need to strip the paint on mine and start again because on the side of the cab it has bubbled when i painted it with the tamiya spray paint because it must of been dirty when i painted it. It is a fairly new truck and i dont want to damage the plastic.

You can go to any drug store to get the alcohol I used 91% since that is all I could find and it worked great. I got mine at CVS.

Travis

[FreddyGearDrive]

I don't know if you have a Rite aid in your neck of the woods. But they carry it,has a red label on it.Get ready for the looks from the cashier when you come up to the counted w/your arms full of bottles. :eek: I always do,probably think I'm cookin drugs or something.
FGD

[JAMMER]

Fred if you went to Lowe or Home Depot you could buy denatured alcohol that doesn't have water in it and it would be cheaper. I buy it by the gallon, Ed

[rcman]

good tips i have used oven cleaner and it worked fine use the yellow the blue doesnt work as well takes longer. I put the body in a large zip lock bag after i spray it and let it sit.

i was thinking of the alcohol method for my bull head i want to restore.

[540-MAN]

My brother and i just repainted my truck as it was in bad shape when i tried to paint it myself if you stuff it up and paint it with tamiya paint without clear coating after the thing we used was nitro fuel from our petrol powered radio controlled cars and it worked a treat.

Just get a container pore nitro fuel in it and get a clean rag dip it in the fuel and start wipeing the body of the paint you want to get off and comes back to like new my truck hasn't looked better. Photo's will be posted soon of my truck on this forum just have a look out for it.

[rcman]

yeah im sure nitro fuel works great but i paid 25.00 for a gallon 5 years ago! it may cost closer to 30.00 now for a gallon!

[PROBUILDER1964]

i used to do auto body work for a living.....if you have auto body filler on your truck...its lacquer based...really none of the above chemicals will hurt that ! ive heard of and used most of those treatments...and they all work some a little easier than others....but 92% alcohol ? DANG ! I'm going to try that one !!!!!! That's a heck of a lot cheaper than brake fluid ...that's for sure !

[spudd]

Body fillers are in fact not lacquer based. They are polyester
Some of your spot puttys are but rule of thumb is if it requires a Hardner it is not lacquer based

Your non hardened fillers will be affected by most of the above methods and should be removed if you do use strippers as it will adsorbe any meteral you use to strip with

If you use a catalyzed filled you stand less of a chance of contamination by your stripper

I have been in the auto body business for 30 years and have done some testing for evercoat in my shop

[IDontKnow]

If you are interested in another way of removing paints, try this one that a friend of mine used. Don't laugh as it works, the pictures attest to it: TRY DETTOL!

Here is a link to my club's website which shows the process:
http://www.bigrigswa.com/html/paint_removal.html

[spudd]

I was just at a high end resto shop and they just started using industrial molasses to strip paint.. I am going to check into it but they swear by it!!!!

[doodlebug]

I was just at a high end resto shop and they just started using industrial molasses to strip paint.. I am going to check into it but they swear by it!!!!

Wow, sound's more useful, than making cyanide with bitter honey:eek::eek::eek:

Cheer's, Neil.

[Diesel Demond]

i just used 91% rubbing alcohol in container covered with shrink wrap so i could see progress and with tamiya paint it was comming off in about 1 hour with my finger tips down to the white. i also used easy off in yellow can with no effect but i did not have it in a bag or covered seemed pretty strong allready but dries out and then eating power is gone . alcohol wins hands down for me! it was the cvs brand and did not make plastic soft or take any details away whats so ever. just thought i would share my 2 cents.

[onestepbehind]

I just used the denatured alcohol from Home Depot and it peeled my testors enamel paint off like a sheet of paper.... After letting it soak for a few hours.... It worked great though

[WhiteWolf McBride]

Gotta agree with the Easy Off.

The pump bottle stuff also works as well as the can, just don't try the low-odor stuff, its the stinky chem that does the trick!

Castrol SuperClean in the purple pump bottle also does the trick, think it has the same chem.

Oh, it reeks, so try to spray/soak in a sealable container, like a Rubbermaid bin or no-name equivalent, or do it outside. Wear gloves, it dries your hand something nasty.

Save the bottom-drainage to use for brush-dip for spot-scrubbing. A soft toothbrush is a dream, and an old credit card/gift card is great for a scraper!

You only need about an hour. Then scrub off as much as ye can, and do it again, until ya get it all off. Wash REALLY well after (I climb in a shower and and scrub her a ~few~ times)

Beware your chrome though, as it will strip that off too. It will also frost your clear lenses and any polycarbonate (like normal R/C bodies) Do ~NOT~ ever put aluminum parts in, as the chem will cause it to get pitted. Other metals are ok (used to use Easy Off to strip lead mini's). I dunked 'em in the tall glass babybottles! Clearcoats, paint AND primers came off.

PS: both chems work with enamel, acrylic, that nasty polycarbonate paint, and even clearcoats. I haven't found a paint it won't strip yet.

As for brake fluid, read the lable, its NOT to go down the sink/toilet, where Easy Off & Castrol SuperClean CAN. AKA, no hazardous waste issues!

WhiteWolf
safe 'striping' for over almost 3 decades!

[Bigrigger]

This was mentioned by Stuart in my Volvo Flatbed thread, but I thought I should repeat it here.

He uses an improvement on the FGD method, adding 50% acetone (or I used lacquer paint thinner) to the mix. This method is more effective, and works well on older paint, which is harder to remove.

I used the 50% rubbing alcohol and 50% lacquer thinner mix to easily remove paint from my cab. Although, I'm not sure if soaking it is the best idea, as the thinner was still very aggressive.

All credit goes to Stuart for his 50/50 acetone mix. Thanks buddy!

[moogie]

My two cents worth !

There are various ways of getting paint off the cab of your trucks, some are better than others, some can even deform the plastic !
I have tried a few but this is the best method i have found so far.
The cab i am stripping is one of the old Merc SK's which was painted with automotive bright orange paint and had black wheel arches. (sorry, i forgot to take a picture before i stripped it) :(
This is it after stripping.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u151/moogie38/DSCF2981.jpg

What i use is Iso-propyl Alcohol which is 99.9% pure. The higher the % figure the better the job it does and it will not harm the plastic.
You can get it from Ebay for about £7 for a litre bottle.

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u151/moogie38/isopropylalcohol.jpg

I get an air tight plastic box which is big enough to hold the cab, and pour in the entire bottle. Fit the lid and let it sit for about half an hour, after that turn it every now and then. After a couple of hours (depending on the type of paint used)it will be ready to remove the paint. I use an old tooth brush to gently rub the paint of, its that easy.
Once all the paint is removed, wash it with some soap and water.
The used alcohol can be strained through some coffee filter papers to remove the bigger bits of paint and put back into its bottle ready for the next time.
Hope this is of some help to someone.

Noel.

[Animal]

I've used a mixture of denatured alcohol and nail polish remover. It did a great job stripping my Globe. I also use this on overspray on my polycarbonate bodies.

[Supermario]

First time stripping a cab. I been to 3 drug stores today and can't find anything over 70% ? Have the laws changed ? Can I still get 92% alcohol or denatured alcohol in Canada ?

Mario

[doodlebug]

First time stripping a cab. I been to 3 drug stores today and can't find anything over 70% ? Have the laws changed ? Can I still get 92% alcohol or denatured alcohol in Canada ?

Mario
Home Depot sells Methyl Hydrate, had to buy some a few weeks ago, trailer brake valves iced up at the Genesee power plant. Only -20F, not too cold :lol:
Found this link comparing methyl hydrate to rubbing alcohol, http://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/120724-denatured-alcohol-vs-methyl-hydrate.html
Cheer's, Neil.

[Ekimjr]

you could you that or mineral spirits and that would do it and not be as harsh on the plastic

[Supermario]

:confused:Home Depot sells Methyl Hydrate, had to buy some a few weeks ago, trailer brake valves iced up at the Genesee power plant. Only -20F, not too cold :lol:
Found this link comparing methyl hydrate to rubbing alcohol, http://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/120724-denatured-alcohol-vs-methyl-hydrate.html
Cheer's, Neil.

So I tried the methyl hydrate. Using the " sunroof " piece I let it soak while I was working. After 4 hrs the paint was still on but I could flake some of it off with my thumbnail no problem. After 8 hrs, no change and lots of paint still on. I left it soak overnight. No damage to plastic but what started out as promising ends incomplete and no luck. :(

Mario

[flatdeck]

Mario I used brake fluid to remove the paint on the day cab.... Let it soak for a couple of hrs. then used a nail brush to scrub it off took a little time...


Wayne

[ekim]

I just soaked again and again my King hauler in oven cleaner......three hours of soaking it with oven cleaner and not a scratch....guess I will continueto the clear coat......finish my POS paint job and order a new body.....cheaper in the end I guess then purchasing 50 dollars worth of what may work......

Michael

[doodlebug]

:confused:

So I tried the methyl hydrate. Using the " sunroof " piece I let it soak while I was working. After 4 hrs the paint was still on but I could flake some of it off with my thumbnail no problem. After 8 hrs, no change and lots of paint still on. I left it soak overnight. No damage to plastic but what started out as promising ends incomplete and no luck. :(

Mario

Dang it :mad::mad::mad::mad:

[dabears]

Dumb question but was it clear coated? I have a cab I soaked in brake fuid for 3 days and not a flake of paint off..... then I sanded the cab in a few areas till the paint was dull looking. tried rubbing alcohol and paint finally started to come off...

[Supermario]

Dumb question but was it clear coated? I have a cab I soaked in brake fuid for 3 days and not a flake of paint off..... then I sanded the cab in a few areas till the paint was dull looking. tried rubbing alcohol and paint finally started to come off...

I don't think it has clear coat and not sure what type of paint was used. I'm hoping to avoid sanding and don't want to wreck the rivets and detail of the cab.
I have a few more places in town to check and see if they have isopropyl alcohol with atleast 92% strength. Plan B is try the oven cleaner suggestion, plan C is just bite the bullet and buy a new cab online!:rolleyes::eek:

Mario

[Supermario]

Thanks to another forum member its official folks! I have found the ultimate paint stripper with no effort required or damage to plastic done!
I watched a youtube video that the stuffz (dean) posted about using brake fluid. Using a DOT4 brake fluid I had amazing results!:bounce:
my truck body only has one layer of paint unlike what dean was dealing with and look at the results after a 2 hour soak!:eek::D:D

the before test pic

http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r620/Kinghauler2012/S%20and%20M%20trucking%20support%20equip/dump%20truck/image_zps95a1197e.jpeg (http://s1174.photobucket.com/user/Kinghauler2012/media/S%20and%20M%20trucking%20support%20equip/dump%20truck/image_zps95a1197e.jpeg.html)

Using a small container I placed the edge in the brake fluid. after 2 hrs. no damage or change in the plastic and a little scrub with a tooth brush:eek:



http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r620/Kinghauler2012/S%20and%20M%20trucking%20support%20equip/dump%20truck/image-01_zpsbc9673a4.jpeg (http://s1174.photobucket.com/user/Kinghauler2012/media/S%20and%20M%20trucking%20support%20equip/dump%20truck/image-01_zpsbc9673a4.jpeg.html)

that's the ticket folks! brake fluid DOT4 is the ultimate paint remover for your rigs!:)

Mario

[glorydays24]

Well I have a tip I came across totally by accident. I was soaking some parts that were super glued and wanted to break the bond. I put some fingernail polish remover in an old measuring cup that I had added paint to touch up scratches, screw heads, ect. Well as the parts were soaking about 15 minutes or so, the paint lifted right off. And for the super glue, it broke the bond.

Big John

[MoRockN]

Well I have a tip I came across totally by accident. I was soaking some parts that were super glued and wanted to break the bond. I put some fingernail polish remover in an old measuring cup that I had added paint to touch up scratches, screw heads, ect. Well as the parts were soaking about 15 minutes or so, the paint lifted right off. And for the super glue, it broke the bond.

Big John
The finger nail polish remover wasn't a tip???:D:D. But you have to be carful with that, it will mess up the plastic and warp it.

[skeeter]

All methods mentioned here are better than what I wold have done. I have a small, hobby grade, hand sand blaster, that's specifically market to remove pain from models & the like. I fear that it may cause damage to the fine details though. For that reason I've never used it.