# Repainting trains



## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Question for those of you that strip and repaint trains. What do you use to strip the factory painted logos and lettering off with?


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Oven cleaner and brake cleaner get anymore caustic than that and the shells will either melt or burn BTDT!!


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks for the reply Grab! Just spray it on and wipe it off?


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

No this is a 24-48 hr soaking.. Dot3 brake fluid has worked best for me for factory paint..

Oven cleaner works ok..


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

So when using this break fluid, you submerge the entire car in it? Im guessing that it takes all the paint off and does not damage the plastic, correct?


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## Grabbem88 (Feb 24, 2012)

Yes and yes


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks again! I will try this!


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## Rusty (Jun 23, 2011)

I found the link on youtube show you how to strip the paint off an ho locomotive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1KPljwLUP8


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks for the reply Rusty and the info


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

I have been very successful with stripping paint off of metal with ammonia. You don't even have to immerse it, just get "janitorial strength" ammonia and put it in a container with the object overnight. The paint literally just washes off. I have some very ornate antique light fixtures with very deep nooks and crannies that would have been nearly impossible to strip using regular stripper. I just soaked them and then ran them under the faucet, the paint comes off in sheets. Larger pieces were not completely submerged and the paint still came off because of the fumes.

Of course, if what you're stripping is old, delicate or valuable test for reactions first. I'm not sure if ammonia fumes would react with copper or not.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Have you ever tried vinegar MNP?
I know it works good on hard water build up.

Do you think the ammonia would hurt plastic trains? 

I hate the smell of both!

I used to haul 100% ammonia, nasty stuff. And Acetic Acid which is basically what vinegar is, but what I hauled was a lot stronger strength then household vinegar.

I don't miss hauling either of them, give me good old flammable liquids any day. :smokin:


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

Ammonia is stored in plastic bottles, but it all depends on the type of plastic used. Your mileage may vary. I'd suggest soaking a cotton ball in it and taping it to the inside of the car overnight to see if there is any damage. 

I have never tried stripping paint with an acid, most chemical strippers are strong bases. But that doesn't mean that acid won't work. 

I hate the smell of ammonia too, I just pour it in the container and cover it as fast as possible. I stripped a cast iron bath tub in my driveway last year using a tarp, towels and a gallon of ammonia. The paint came off in sheets when I rinsed it with the pressure washer. 

I have some before and after pictures, I'll find them.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

So, here's a before and after series of one of my light fixtures. 

Too many coats of paint to count









After 24 hours in ammonia. That's the original paint, which is not saveable after using the ammonia.









Some of the pieces that came off in the sink









The bare fixture. It's "pot metal"









After painting









Quite a difference!!!

This is why I think so many beautiful antique fixtures are thrown out. They look like junk because they have been gobbed up with so much paint.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Wow that did come out nice.
And such a pretty blue, my favorite color. :smilie_daumenpos:

Is the one picture where the flowers are showing color after the stripping, is that you experimenting with colors or was that the original colors?


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

The colors are the original colors. I personally like them one color, so don't repaint in the original color scheme. I have a few that are their original multicolor paint, and since it's original I left it alone. 

Most of the time they are so gobbed up with latex paint that you'd have to be a professional restorer to salvage the original paint. Often photos are taken and then they are repainted to match what the original looked like. 

Vintage fixtures were often VERY colorful, and used a a focal point of the room.


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks for the reply Mnp13! Do you have a favorite for stripping paint off plastic?


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

I Am Fasha said:


> Thanks for the reply Mnp13! Do you have a favorite for stripping paint off plastic?


I _think_ ammonia will work, but I can't say for sure. It's something you'd have to test. If the paint is not loose or chipping, I'd prime and paint right over it. Easy test to check for if it needs to be removed - take a piece of masking tape and put it on, then rub so it's firmly attached. Then pull it off fast. If the paint chips, it needs to be removed. If it doesn't it can generally be painted over. 

As always, your mileage may vary. ;-)


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

big ed said:


> Wow that did come out nice.
> And such a pretty blue, my favorite color. :smilie_daumenpos:


No, isn't that *ALIEN GREEN* ?


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks again for the reply Mnp. The letters are, have been showing though and thats why I have chosen to try and remove them, and that usually leads to the paint being removed from that side.


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## mnp13 (Aug 22, 2013)

Can you post some pictures? How old are the cars? 

The chemicals you can put on them depends greatly on the type of plastic they are made of. Definitely test on the inside first. I ruined a lovely antique phone by using a chemical (I can't remember what) on the plastic that turned it into soft goo. It re-hardened, but it actually held my fingerprints. 

The cleaner was in a plastic bottle, so I thought it would be fine to use. Sadly I was very wrong. Cowboy learning can be painful....


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

I have had good results with Super clean by Castrol. Some stubborn paint need a longer soaking, but with the help of an old toothbrush it came off. Brake fluid does work wonders too. Of course after the dip in the brake fluid it gets scrubbed with the super clean. I have heard regular pine-sol, but I haven't tried it yet.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Since I gained access to a bead blaster, I don't even think about chemical stripping nowadays, it works so much easier and does a great job.


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks for the reply Gun. This did occur to me. I spent a few years working for NAPA. We had one in the shop around back. I considered finding someone to let me use theirs, but worried about the pressure and damaging the shell. I gather you have had no damage?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

We've done a bunch of plastic shells with it, never any damage. It all depends on the media you use, ours uses glass beads, apparently not that abrasive, but certainly enough to remove the paint. All of the fine details, rivets, etc. are still there after the fact. AAMOF, getting every speck of paint off may increase the detail when you repaint.


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks Gun. I'll look around for someone that may let me use theirs.


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## golfermd (Apr 19, 2013)

This is a great question. I have a subset of this problem. I have a nice Walthers HO F-7A that is beautifully detailed. The problem is that the road number painted on it is already in use by someone else at my club. I have a decal with the new number. Am I going to have to repaint the whole locomotive, or is there a way to easily remove the painted numbers? I don't want the ghosting of the old numbers showing under the decals.


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Gold I use Tester's Decal paper and Decal Bonder spray. The Paper is thicker that the paper that Microscale uses. I cant speak about the numbers, but, I have created a decal that went over a shell that had a Conrail Logo on it. My decal covered it and there was no indication that a logo was under it. 

I would suggest, making a small rectangle around the area where the number is now. Clean that area down to the plastic. Then create the number in the color you need and then also color the background of the decal to match the color of the loco. The apply it to the area you cleaned. If you can, post a pic of the loco.


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## nearboston (Dec 19, 2013)

Has anyone used Poly S Easy-Lift-Off (ELO) Paint and Decal remover? I know it's discontinued under that brand, Testers I believe bought them out.


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

I have not. I have only used MicroSol and MicroSet.


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## Chuck Singer (Jan 9, 2014)

Hi guys
I just stripped and painted a Lionel 2025 O gauge , used aircraft stripper on it first ( not the greatest, then soaked it in lacquer thinner, that did the trick. However what I wanted to share was painting it, I used SEM brand trim black in a spray can, then a low luster clear looks original.the beauty of it is the SEM product has an acid in it that makes it stick without any primers I am a recently retired auto painter ,this product was designed to paint chrome moulding black like on Cameros and such ,,,, the beauty of it is no compressor needed all spray cans ,,, thanks for reading
Chuck


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Thanks for the post and info Chuck! By chance do you have any pics of the finished project that you could share with us? Were all most visual here :smilie_daumenpos:


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## ckblum (Nov 28, 2013)

We use Turco at work for stripping aircraft parts, I think it would just eat a plastic shell though, it burns the skin instantly on contact. We do have media bladders at work though, glass bead, plastice media and aluminum oxide. Maybe I'll bring an old shell in and test it in the plastic media blaster.


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## Mark R. (Jan 26, 2013)

I use baking soda in my media blaster. It's fine enough to not damage the plastic, but abrasive enough to get the job done. Also works great on brass giving it a nice satin finish, perfect for good paint adhesion.

Mark.


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

ckblum said:


> We use Turco at work for stripping aircraft parts, I think it would just eat a plastic shell though, it burns the skin instantly on contact. We do have media bladders at work though, glass bead, plastice media and aluminum oxide. Maybe I'll bring an old shell in and test it in the plastic media blaster.


Thanks for the reply and please do CK. I would be interested to see if that would work. I had considered a sand blaster, that we use to use in the mechanic shop at the auto parts store I worked at. After talking with shop manager, it too said it would eat the plastic.


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## I Am Fasha (Apr 2, 2013)

Mark R. said:


> I use baking soda in my media blaster. It's fine enough to not damage the plastic, but abrasive enough to get the job done. Also works great on brass giving it a nice satin finish, perfect for good paint adhesion.
> 
> Mark.


Mark what kind of time does it take you to clear, say a plastic shell like that?


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## ckblum (Nov 28, 2013)

No problem and by media bladders I'm sure I meant media blasters (which my iPhone also just tried to replace with the word "boasters")


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

Turco would eat the shell in a second! Nasty stuff. The plastic media might be to aggressive and pit the surface. The glass might be ok as long as pressure is down. The aluminum oxide I don't know if that would stick in the plastic? 

I worked for Honeywell out in Az for awhile. I still don't know what was worse.... Brakes or wheels? haha!!


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## ckblum (Nov 28, 2013)

Just about to try plastic media. I've used it to strip composite panels, fiberglass and such. Mostly use it to paint strip aluminum parts, and it doesn't tend to pit unless you leave it in one spot for a while.


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## ckblum (Nov 28, 2013)

So plastic media is a no go.....


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