thinners

[rjwood_uk]

i have made a woopsy on my enzo...i wont go into details (sorry i cant update the thread as my paretns are away in Egypt with the camera.)

i know you can remove paint with acrylic thinners, but is there a time limmit after that paint has dried that this works? and how long do you have to leave them in for?

 

[Nigel.D]

just give it a coat of brake fluid that will sort it no proble paint comes off with ease no mater how old it is

 

[rjwood_uk]

i dont have brake fluid, well not that i know of, and im not going to route through loads of bottles of stuff in the garage not knowing what they are!!!

will the acrylic thinners work?....how long shal i soak them for?

 

[Nigel.D]

it should do provided the paint hasnt fully cured which is about 48 hrs you need to soak for about 30 mins to 1 hr

 

[rjwood_uk]

yes the paint has fully cured. what could i use other than that or brake fluid?

 

[Nigel.D]

Caustic soda !

 

[wonwinglo]

Try soaking in warm water overnight,sometimes works but brake fluid is really best as Nigel has pointed out.

 

[rjwood_uk]

i have found some brake/clutch fluid, will it still do the job? says it damages paint work on cars so i guess it will, since the paint is fully cured, how long do you think it will take?

 

[Bunkerbarge]

As with so many of these things I would strongly recommend that you test it first on a surface that will not be seen or prefferably a piece of sprue. Brake fluid is very corrosive and can attack many surfaces and not just the paint itself.

I once soaked a part of a bike model overnight in humbrol thinners to remove some gloss enamel and the plastic went completely soft.

I always test first.

 

[rjwood_uk]

ok, but will it still work on cured paint, it has already been in it for 15 mins and nothing happening so far...do i need to take it out and wash it off after an hour or two? then maybe put it back in if nothing has happened?

if all else fails i am prepaired to get a replacement part.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Brake fluid (or clutch fluid, same stuff) is caustic and will remove hardened paint with time. It will also remove your skin so be carefull.

 

[Nigel.D]

I would really never advise soaking any plastic in anyform of spirit thinners apart from acrylic as it destroys the plastic as well as the paint! I must be honest though i had some old phoenix missles that were painted about 5 yrs previously and needed to be redone for another model I soaked them overnight in brake fluid and in the morning the paint just fell off leaving a lovely unmarked surface (beware though dont use some of the specialised citroen stuff as that doesnt work at all!)

 

[Bunkerbarge]

It was all part of the learning curve!

I actually had to buy another of the same kit so that I could finish the model. I still have an unbuilt Honda Racing bike minus the seat pan in the attic somewhere!

 

[rjwood_uk]

did they not always do replacement sprus then?

 

[Bunkerbarge]

I never managed to get one for a Tamiya kit. The whole process was too involved and far too lengthy.

That was one thing that Airfix was actually very good with.

Who remembers the little paper slips in the bottom of the box under the instructions that you sent off for spare parts?

 

[rjwood_uk]

i do actually.

well i have left the parts in the brake/clutch fluid for about 16 hours and most of the paint has come off fine with a bit of careful scratching, just a few finer bits to get rid of with some w&d paper.

perhaps this could go in the tip section?

 

[Bunkerbarge]

By all means Richard put your learnings anywhere you see as usefull to others who may also benefit from your experiences.

 

[wonwinglo]

Richard W,yes it is a good tip,Nigel told me about this stuff a while back,why not add it to the techniques section as a reminder,especially good for restoring old beaten up models that need a repaint.Just do not get too much on your hands it will go straight through your skin just like Hydraulic fluid does,I still suffer to this day because of misuse years ago,use barrier cream and latex gloves from a chemist.

 

[rjwood_uk]

well can a mod please move this thread then

 

[Pogo]

Having read of the problem of removing dried on paint, i was reminded of something that happened to me a while back . I used to collect Aviation memorbelia and my wife and i were at a car boot sale trying to raise a bit of cash. On one of the quieter moments i went to look at what the other booters had for sale. I spotted an RAF compass dated 1943 with the compass rose upside down .I think it would have been fitted above the cockpit somewhere .Anyway i never dicovered what aircraft it came from. I bought it for about 4 pounds and persuaded the wife it was a good buy. When we got back home i put the compass on an old dresser that belong to the wife. I didnt touch it for a couple of days then , when i picked it up, to my horror i found a ring on the surface of the dresser were alcohol had leaked out from a tiny crack in the bottom casing. When i looked closly i could see someone had tried to repair it with i think the stuff they use for car body repairs.They had painted over it which is whuy i didnt see it. My wife wasn't impressed and neither was i . I managed to drain the compass via a drain plug and put the alcohol into and old clean washing up bottle. The compass i then stripped down and found something better to seal the crack . Unfortunetly i got side track and over the years the thing just sat there. It got to the stage when in a moment of madness i binned it. I still have the alcohol in the washing up bottle and i have used a little in the recent weeks to remove paint from bits and pieces. It works but who would want to risk using 60 year old alcohol?