|
|
Post by thebessemerkid on Sept 6, 2020 14:50:14 GMT -8
Looking at some models getting ready for the IPA 91% bath and it occurred to me that I've never seen a list of "easiest to strip vs. most difficult"
I know we've talked about it and had anecdotal stories, just wondered if we every put em in a list.
My vote for most difficult: Broadway Limited Imports.
Don't have any MTH but have heard some tales...
What's everyone's favorites vs. most dreaded models for paint removal?
|
|
|
|
Post by oldmuley on Sept 6, 2020 15:17:43 GMT -8
Proto and Walthers strip very easy with IPA 91%.
|
|
|
|
Post by 12bridge on Sept 6, 2020 15:30:02 GMT -8
BLI RSD15. Would not even come off with soda blasting.
|
|
|
|
Post by craigz on Sept 6, 2020 15:48:08 GMT -8
Kato and BLI paint are nigh upon bulletproof....
|
|
|
|
Post by fr8kar on Sept 6, 2020 15:55:41 GMT -8
I recently stripped Athearn Genesis and Accurail with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Both paint jobs were easily taken care of in 24 hours. Not sure if it goes quicker than that, but I put them in a ziploc bag one day then retrieve them/scrub them the next day.
|
|
|
|
Post by lvrr325 on Sept 6, 2020 17:43:06 GMT -8
While this is aimed more at factory paint, I always found Floquil painted on anything was always a PITA to remove. I could get it off plastic and leave a color stain behind. I have a brass piece I never have finished stripping because it's nickel plated and I don't want to wreck that.
|
|
|
|
Post by es80ac on Sept 6, 2020 17:46:30 GMT -8
do we really need to strip the old paint before applying the new paint? Or can we just paint over the original colors?
|
|
|
|
Post by fr8kar on Sept 6, 2020 17:49:15 GMT -8
do we really need to strip the old paint before applying the new paint? Or can we just paint over the original colors? It depends. Some pad printed lettering is thick enough you'll see it underneath the new paint. Now that might be a feature instead of a bug if you're repainting in a scheme that appeared later on the prototype, but in most cases you don't want that. For tough lettering sometimes Solvaset can get the job done. Just soak it for awhile and use a chisel, eraser or even Scotch tape later on to remove it. Once the lettering is gone you might have a smooth enough surface to repaint without any evidence of the previous paint job. |
|
|
|
Post by Paul Cutler III on Sept 6, 2020 18:20:15 GMT -8
I just took the pad-printed lettering off an InterMountain NE-5 caboose using Scalecoat Wash Away and rubbing a Q-Tip over it. It worked great but it did take off some of the body paint; not enough to strip it down to plastic, but enough to be noticeable (it kinda lightened the color a bit) if I were to simply put new decals on the factory paint. However, I'm going to paint over the factory color with Caboose Red, so it made no difference to me. I just stripped off the lettering do it wouldn't be visible through the new color.
|
|
sd50f
Full Member
Posts: 101
|
Post by sd50f on Sept 6, 2020 18:30:50 GMT -8
I don't know if it's still true with newer Athearn models, but I found stripping anything from the Blue Box era painted for Seaboard System just did not want to strip with alcohol, Simple Green, or Easy Off. I managed to strip the paint with Zud household cleaner and a soft toothbrush. And cursing. Lots of cursing. Any other paint scheme from the Blue Box era came off with little to no issues.
Easiest...P1K newsprint boxcars in Simple Green. I put it in the container, and an hour later the paint just came off in a giant sheet from each side. Once I rinsed and dried it, it was ready for painting. No issues.
Nightmares - Walthers in Pinesol or brake fluid. If you value your Walthers trains, don't kill them like I did.
Timothy Dineen
|
|
|
|
Post by fr8kar on Sept 6, 2020 19:27:08 GMT -8
I don't know if it's still true with newer Athearn models, but I found stripping anything from the Blue Box era painted for Seaboard System just did not want to strip with alcohol, Simple Green, or Easy Off. I managed to strip the paint with Zud household cleaner and a soft toothbrush. And cursing. Lots of cursing. Any other paint scheme from the Blue Box era came off with little to no issues. Easiest...P1K newsprint boxcars in Simple Green. I put it in the container, and an hour later the paint just came off in a giant sheet from each side. Once I rinsed and dried it, it was ready for painting. No issues. Nightmares - Walthers in Pinesol or brake fluid. If you value your Walthers trains, don't kill them like I did. Timothy Dineen The blue box 86' boxcar I posted awhile back originally belonged to my grandfather and based on the trucks was probably purchased in the late 70s or early 80s (certainly before I bought mine in '87). I stripped it along with the one I bought in a length of PVC pipe with a cap on each end filled with Super Clean. I just soaked it for a couple days then the paint was gone. If you've never used it, Super Clean is like Simple Green on steroids. It is essentially a powerful degreaser and it removes every trace of oil including from your skin, so gloves are a good idea. If alcohol won't do the job, Super Clean is what I try next. |
|
|
|
Post by drolsen on Sept 8, 2020 14:28:34 GMT -8
I would put ExactRail on my list in a spot just below BLI and Kato in terms of difficult to strip. I'm not sure why, exactly, since most newer manufacturers seem to use pretty easy-to-strip paint. When they were first released, I tried to strip a pair of trucks from an ExactRail SP PCF 6033 boxcar. They are painted in boxcar red to match the SP scheme, and I think I was planning to model a secondhand car that had black trucks. The paint on the trucks looked a little thick to me, so I figured I'd strip it off and repaint it black. After several hours in 91% alcohol, the trucks developed kind of a "gooey" appearance, with the paint still adhering but having a sticky surface. None of it actually came off, as far as I could tell. A few years later, I stripped a black DT&I Thrall 2244 gondola, and while some of the paint came off, a lot of it remained as kind of a black stain on the grey plastic. I tried to scrape it off the underframe, where a lot of it still stuck to the centersill and cross members, but I ended up having to grit blast it. Even then, the stained look is still there, but I think the surface it prepped well enough to repaint it. I'm going to stick to undecorated ExactRail models from now on, which they fortunately are willing to offer us, but not all models (such as that Thrall gon) are available undecorated.
Dave
|
|
|
|
Post by loco8107 on Oct 9, 2020 15:18:26 GMT -8
I recently stripped Athearn Genesis and Accurail with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Both paint jobs were easily taken care of in 24 hours. Not sure if it goes quicker than that, but I put them in a ziploc bag one day then retrieve them/scrub them the next day. I never thought of using a ziploc bag. The stronger freezer bags? |
|
|
|
Post by loco8107 on Oct 9, 2020 15:20:35 GMT -8
I don't know if it's still true with newer Athearn models, but I found stripping anything from the Blue Box era painted for Seaboard System just did not want to strip with alcohol, Simple Green, or Easy Off. I managed to strip the paint with Zud household cleaner and a soft toothbrush. And cursing. Lots of cursing. Any other paint scheme from the Blue Box era came off with little to no issues. Easiest...P1K newsprint boxcars in Simple Green. I put it in the container, and an hour later the paint just came off in a giant sheet from each side. Once I rinsed and dried it, it was ready for painting. No issues. Nightmares - Walthers in Pinesol or brake fluid. If you value your Walthers trains, don't kill them like I did. Timothy Dineen I know from experience the Walthers and Athearn RTR locos are very easy to strip with 91% alcohol. That’s crazy that the BB SBD units give such a hard time. |
|
|
|
Post by fr8kar on Oct 10, 2020 10:33:06 GMT -8
I recently stripped Athearn Genesis and Accurail with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Both paint jobs were easily taken care of in 24 hours. Not sure if it goes quicker than that, but I put them in a ziploc bag one day then retrieve them/scrub them the next day. I never thought of using a ziploc bag. The stronger freezer bags? Yes, that's the kind we buy whether we freeze the food or not. |
|
