Paint Removal

[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]

Originally Posted by 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!!!!

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

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.



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.



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]

Originally Posted by 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

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
Found this link comparing methyl hydrate to rubbing alcohol, http://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-me...l-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]

Originally Posted by doodlebug

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
Found this link comparing methyl hydrate to rubbing alcohol, http://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-me...l-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