Paint stripper - what to use?

So I'm sure some of you guys have had a "mistake"...or wanted to sprint strip old models...

I was just wondering, does anyone know any paint strippers that is very effective for plastic models?? (one that won't destroy the plastic)

If you're in the UK, Dettol. Get an empty jar, put two capfuls of Dettol into it, add enough water (hot or cold - no discernible difference in effect) to cover the model, leave it for two days (giving it a shake every now and then) and brush off paint with a toothbrush.

DO NOT leave a model in there for a month like a friend of mine did, because all you will be left with is an undefinable amorphous glob of plastic.

Raucir



P.S. If you're in the US, I've heard good things about something called SimpleGreen.

Yeah..no, none of those areas.

From australia, sooo this dettol thing...is this that sanitary/hygiene company? And if it is, which of its product do I use??

Brake fluid for cars works as well. Any sort of a commercial degreaser works (think restaurant supply stores) if you let them sit for long enough. Spray on oven cleaner works as well. Here in the US I use Simple Green. The key is to leave them alone for at least a few days.

Oven cleaner! Yup got it! Time to raid the kitchen! Would the stripping ruin your model, like small details and things? And should I only leave it for 2 days or so? Like lustingclaw said?

I use regular rubbing alcohol from the pharmacist. Works quite well and almost straight away.

gunnerboy1607 wrote:

Oven cleaner! Yup got it! Time to raid the kitchen! Would the stripping ruin your model, like small details and things? And should I only leave it for 2 days or so? Like lustingclaw said?

I've never had problems with oven cleaner melting the plastic. Other kitchen degreasers have also never warped/burnt/destroyed plastics for me even after weeks of soaking.

@gobsmackked- Rubbing alcohol? Like, hand sanitizers??

@ESElves- alright awesome!! Might use my other models to try it out!!! But thank you

If stuff that Gobsmakked mentioned is (CH3)2CHOH (Isopropyl alcohol) then yes, it's good stuff. I use denatured alcohol instead (just because I have 10 litre tank of it) but isopropyl is nearly the same stuff. Also it can be used to apply dry powders.

[edit]
Checked "Rubbing Alcohol" on Wikipedia. It's 70% isopropyl.

@local_ork - ok with the iso alcohol (rubbing alcohol) does it have to be diluted with water or so? or a model can just go straight in? and would u recommend using it for a vehicle? and again, im gonna sound like a broken record and im sorry but i gotta ask it...will it warp plastic and such?

As a fellow aussie - go to bunnings, go to the cleaning section, buy 2ltr simple green (the green one)

Done!

SWEEEEEEET!!! now! i shall go......next time when i dont feel lazy thanks Massaen, appreciate it!

ps: is simple green the blue one? haha just kidding. again thanks.

Its kinda funny as they do a blue, yellow, orange, red, green and purple one!

You want the green one. I get a good success rate with it and its safe around the home, hell its meant as a multi purpose cleaner so you can clean the bathroom/kitchen if need be!

Massaen wrote:

Its kinda funny as they do a blue, yellow, orange, red, green and purple one!

You want the green one. I get a good success rate with it and its safe around the home, hell its meant as a multi purpose cleaner so you can clean the bathroom/kitchen if need be!

I use the purple stuff. I t does seem a little silly to still call it Simple Green when it comes in a million different non-green colors...

The purple simple green is called simple green max. I use that stuff and it works very well.
Just be sure to put it in a container with a air tight lid.

simple green evaporates and breaks down so the lid gives it more life to break down the paint.

Local_Ork wrote:

If stuff that Gobsmakked mentioned is (CH3)2CHOH (Isopropyl alcohol) then yes, it's good stuff. I use denatured alcohol instead (just because I have 10 litre tank of it) but isopropyl is nearly the same stuff. Also it can be used to apply dry powders.

[edit]
Checked "Rubbing Alcohol" on Wikipedia. It's 70% isopropyl.

Yes, a.k.a. Isopropyl alcohol. Have used both 70% and 99% varieties just fine.

As a fellow Aussie, just head down to Bunnings and pick up:

For metal models - acetone.

For plastic - methylated spirits or Simple Green.

in the UK try and get fairy powerspray.

smells a little stronger than standard fairy liquid, but not nasty or caustic.

takes paint off resin plastic and metals. long term exposure (more than a few hours) can soften plastic slightly but nowhere near the alcohol and heavy solvent based strippers people commonly use (nail varnish remover- acetone)

OR if you're cheap like me there is always acetone-free nail polish remover along with some old toothbrush, works nicely and works fast

But it's a good idea to keep some gloves on when removing paint like this

i'm a fan of orange scented pine sol.

I removed some test paint of one of my razorwings last night with 100% acetone. rubbed paint right off with some on cotton ball. Don't submerge stuff in it, it will completely dissolve the plastic, superglue, and some resins/epoxies.

Any alcohol will work pretty well. Denatured, methyl spirits, and rubbing alcohol are all different chemicals, but should all work the same. The biggest differences for paint stripping are how fast they dry, how corrosive to metal and toxic they are. The metal corrosion shouldn't matter unless you leave it there for months. Other names they are sold under are wood alcohol, grain alcohol (denatured without additive to avoid liqueur tax), SLX alcohol, methanol, surgical spirit and fuel alcohol.

The names used vary greatly from place to place, for instance in my part of U.S. all rubbing alcohol is isopropanol and in others it's denatured ethanol and england blends the two and calls it surgical sprits. Besides the point since they will all strip paint/remove superglue, and are toxic if swallowed.

Local_Ork wrote:

If stuff that Gobsmakked mentioned is (CH3)2CHOH (Isopropyl alcohol) then yes, it's good stuff.

Any idea why isopropanol doesn't work for me? Got it in 99%, analysis clean, and somehow it seems not to interact with the paints. Although I only tried it on models AFTER brake fluid - can that be the case?

Break fluid of DOT-3 class does wonders. Makes the paint fall off in pieces. However there's problem with paint in the recesses. a DO.

DOT-4 Break fluid. a DON'T. EVER. REALLY.

There are also acrylic thinners (based on acetone, like nail cleaner). a DONT (like above)

Another choice is acrylic paints cleaner (or whatever you call it in English) available from many paint producers. We have one in Poland (for fellow Poles here) by WAMOD company - works well and is ridiculously cheap (about 1,5€/180ml). Definitely a DO.