# Paint stripping



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

I am working on a project that involves stripping the paint from a K-Line EP-5 locomotive shell. It was a Great Northern paint scheme with multiple layers of paint. I used the DOT brake fluid method and let the shell sit overnight. Barely any paint came off, even with some determined scrubbing. I am also stripping a MTH boxcar and the paint is also very thick on that too. 

I purchased some AK47 brand paint remover. It worked okay, but it leaves residue of paint and stripper that is difficult to remove. The directions are very vague and the results are less than spectacular.

I tried oven cleaner too. It barely dents the paint.

I have some paint stripper coming from Scale Coat, but it has been delayed due to the Covid19 situation.

I am looking to try some various methods if anyone has any good suggestions as what to try. I would like to move ahead with my project...

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Tom, as long as you get most of the paint off, a little bit normally doesn't affect the job that much. I'd be careful with paint store paint removers, I've had them that attack most plastics.


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Yes, I am sticking with plastic friendly strippers. Zip Strip would likely destroy the shell!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I like bead blasting, as long as you're careful, it takes all the paint off and leaves all the detail. I did a bunch of boxcars that way, they turned out great. I have about 20 more that if I ever get time they're going to be more of a unit train.


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I like bead blasting, as long as you're careful, it takes all the paint off and leaves all the detail. I did a bunch of boxcars that way, they turned out great. I have about 20 more that if I ever get time they're going to be more of a unit train.


John,

I looked at a Pasche air eraser. Not sure what type of medium I would use to strip paint off plastic. What do you suggest?

Tom


----------



## IronManStark (Jan 15, 2017)

I have had good luck with naphtha thinner. I would try a small spot, or a junk piece first.
I used it to pull the paint off of a old Santa Fe shell. Worked real good. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

I think I have some Naphtha in the garage. I will give it a try. Thanks!

Tom


----------



## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Easy off, well shaken and applied liberally. Placed in a bag overnight should get most of it. If stubborn I repeat but wait a few hours and then attack with a brush or scotch brite. It does work on some paints better than others.


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

I tried that technique with the Easy-Off and it barely loosened the paint. This K-Line paint is tough stuff!

Thanks for the input though. I am trying anything at this point!

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Krieglok said:


> I think I have some Naphtha in the garage. I will give it a try. Thanks!


He said Naphtha thinner! Naphtha doesn't really affect most paints, it's what I use to clean spots off the shells.


----------



## IronManStark (Jan 15, 2017)

To clarify I used naphtha cleaner/thinner for paint guns. I also let it set over night. It took a couple of baths to fully remove it. I also used a toothbrush to help remove it as well. 
I hope it helps! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Yes, I understood that it is Naphtha Thinner that you recommended. I will give it a try.

It is naphtha thinner I have on hand. I just was lazy when I replied to IronMan, and didn’t use the full name...

GRJ, what about the air eraser media question above...?

Tom


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've never used that tool, but I've used a regular sand blasting chamber with glass beads. 










From the pictures i see of the Pasche air eraser, it appears to be a much smaller tool designed to take off very small sections of paint or corrosion, it would probably take forever to do whole shells. They also seem to have their own media that's used in it. I suspect the media is probably something like soda blasting media, surely very fine granules. Also, with the chamber, you reuse the media many times, I suspect you'd use a bunch of those little jars to do a freight car with the Pasche tool.


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Oh, okay. We had one of those bead blasting cabinets at work. I used it to clean metal parts. It seems ours would be too harsh for plastic. I never noticed if it had a regulator for the air pressure. It probably did...

Thanks John.

Tom


----------



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Anyone have any experience with the Paasche Air Erase?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Krieglok said:


> Oh, okay. We had one of those bead blasting cabinets at work. I used it to clean metal parts. It seems ours would be too harsh for plastic. I never noticed if it had a regulator for the air pressure. It probably did..


Yep, you can regulate the blast, we just used the compressor pressure regulator. Also, the farther away you are from the subject, the less abrasive it is.. I did a bunch of plastic boxcars and a whole bunch of metal locomotive and boxcar frames with it. The plastic cars got a lower pressure and a little more distance to just get the paint. For the metal frames, I cranked up the heat.


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Lemonhawk said:


> Anyone have any experience with the Paasche Air Erase?


I have one on the way. I am back to stripping the shell with brake fluid at the moment, but the air eraser should help with the nooks and crannies.

Tom


----------



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

I have a couple of Paasche air brushes. I've always managed to get them from Amazon Warehouse at a discount, no such luck yet on the Air eraser!


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Mine is coming from Amazon. Due here Saturday. I think Amazon fulfilled the order out of Los Angeles. ...

Tom


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Tried the Paasche air eraser today. It just isn’t good for large areas on a locomotive shell. I used it for a while, at various pressures and I was able to clean the paint off the small details like conduits, windshield wipers And grab irons. As far as the larger painted areas, the eraser just doesn’t have the power or output.

I removed more paint with the AK47 paint remover, which works but it leave a rough texture on the plastic. Going back to brake fluid for a while.

Tom


----------



## farmhawk (Jun 15, 2014)

I use 91% isopropyl alcohol to remove paint from engines and cars, There was only one engine I couldn't remove paint from, and old Atlas model from the 70's. It will usually start to remove the paint within 2 hrs.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

About what I figured for the air eraser, I couldn't see that being useful on a whole shell.


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

Alcohol next. Possibly getting a chance to use a relatives bead blaster....

Tom


----------



## Gramps (Feb 28, 2016)

I'm late to this thread but why is it necessary to strip the paint from the model. I can see removing lettering and logos but why can't you just paint over the original paint?


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

One coat doesn't look too bad, but if you put multiple coats of paint on a model, it frequently obscures the molded-in details.


----------



## Krieglok (Sep 7, 2013)

I have most of the paint removed between brake fluid and AK47 stripper. I have been cleaning tight spots with a small scraper.

My paint stripper from Scale Coat is on the way, so that will be the last step in getting rid of the last bits of stubborn paint..

Tom


----------

