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Paint stripping; Acrylic paint removal
Topic Started: Oct 19 2016, 01:52 AM (480 Views)
Santacarl
Advanced Member
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Anyone have any suggestions to remove/strip acrylic paint off a model? I have some major issues with paint lifting and just want to start over but need to get the bad paint off first....

thanx.
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Chuck1945
Hero
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I am assuming you mean water or alcohol based acrylic paint and not solvent based acrylic like Mr Color...

Depends how aggressive you want to act. Windex w/ammonia will clean off the paint although it may take several applications. So will isopropyl alcohol. Neither will harm the plastic. When I needed to remove a coat of Tamiya paint I used Simple Green and a scrubbing pad. It is more aggressive than Windex or isopropyl though. If you have it, Mr Color thinner, while a solvent thinner, will also remove the paint and leave the plastic unharmed.
Chuck
Eastern WA, USA
Finished 2018:
Eduard Spitfire IXc, VIII, Monogram/Starfighter BFC-2
On the active bench:
Eduard Bf 110C, Hasegawa B-24D, SH P-40E
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Mark Schynert
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Yeast
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Simple Green would be my first choice. It works on the water-based paints I've used (Tamiya, Polly Scale, Acryl). Unless you have to get every speck off, sanding out what remains is an alternative, or else go to a mild lacquer thinner like Mr. Color thinner.
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Big Kohona
Hero
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Scott Hemsley
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Beast
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Somewhat related ... what would you suggest for stripping enamel paint off of resin? I've a resin wing that I wish to reuse for a project but right now, it's in EDSG and I need it stripped back to the resin's cream colour in prep for an overall white finish.


Scott
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Starfighter Decals
Hero
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Resin? Good luck! I have used many solutions trying to remove paint from resin. Oh, it strips the paint alright, It also ranges from melting or warping the resin. That's a different animal totally. So I'm interested myself.
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Big Kohona
Hero
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Big Kohona
Hero
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SkyKing
Advanced Member
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SuperClean has been recommended by many modelers. Comes in a purple jug like antifreeze and is available at Walmart and auto parts stores, Lowes, home Depot, etc. I haven't used it myself, but it's gotten some good reviews.
Michael McMurtrey
IPMS-USA #1746
IPMS-Canada #1426
Carrollton, TX
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Santacarl
Advanced Member
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Thanks for the responses..... It is Model Master paint and hence water based....

I might try some of the ideas on a small scale to see how much of a pain it is but I'm tempted just to buy a new model and bypass the aggravation of having to strip.... the mess...the bother...it sort of takes the fun out of the whole experience....maybe I'm just getting old. While I have patience to take my time to build slowly I find that having to go back and recapture the same 'territory' twice incredibly trying of my patience....
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dknights
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The court of LAST RESORT!
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Santacarl,Oct 19 2016
04:14 PM
Thanks for the responses..... It is Model Master paint and hence water based....

I might try some of the ideas on a small scale to see how much of a pain it is but I'm tempted just to buy a new model and bypass the aggravation of having to strip.... the mess...the bother...it sort of takes the fun out of the whole experience....maybe I'm just getting old. While I have patience to take my time to build slowly I find that having to go back and recapture the same 'territory' twice incredibly trying of my patience....

You are not alone. The last model I canned during construction was an Airfix Spit I where paint peeled up when removing masking.
David M. Knights
Fortes fortuna adiuvat

14 Finished: Special Armor V-2, Airfix P-51
15 Finished: SBS Gladiator engine
16 Finished: Brengun C2 Wasserfall, Merit SS-N-2 Styx, World's smallest diorama, Airfix Hurricane.
17 Finished: Japanese Carrier Deck, Belcher SS-4, Italeri AB41, PLAN Type 039A (not 72nd scale)
18 Finished: NONE
The bench:Platz T-33, Trump. T-34/85, Meng F-106, Airfix P-51 #2, Airfix P-40
Revell MiG-21F-13, Ace Citroen V-11
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Santacarl
Advanced Member
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dknights,Oct 19 2016
10:55 PM
Santacarl,Oct 19 2016
04:14 PM
Thanks for the responses..... It is Model Master paint and hence water based....

I might try some of the ideas on a small scale to see how much of a pain it is but I'm tempted just to buy a new model and bypass the aggravation of having to strip.... the mess...the bother...it sort of takes the fun out of the whole experience....maybe I'm just getting old.  While I have patience to take my time to build slowly I find that having to go back and recapture the same 'territory' twice incredibly trying of my patience....

You are not alone. The last model I canned during construction was an Airfix Spit I where paint peeled up when removing masking.

Yep.....I'm experimenting with acrylics for the first time.....I think I found my problem...I assumed MM "Primer" was actually primer and not just the color of primer.....so it peeled.

I'm going to try one more time with a true primer (Tamiya).....if the masking peels the paint off again I'm going back to enamels....never had an issue with them other than the clean up mess....I thought I'd try acrylics for cleanup ease but boy it's been very frustrating so far and the normal clean up mess is trivial in comparison to this frustration.....
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Big Kohona
Hero
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stimpy
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Is It Safe?..... Nope
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Paint peeling with water based acrylic is a main reason why I don't choose them as my primary paint; though I do use them, several brands and have loads in stock.

My advice, you must clean the plastic properly before you put down a primer (acrylic or solvent or even a coat of Future floor polish). Let that cure for at least a day so that some chemical reaction takes place between that layer and the plastic. Spray you acrylic in thin layers, give the layer a chance to become air dry, don't flood the model. Once you have finished, put it away for a day or at least several hours to allow the paint to fully cure.... yeah I know they say acrylic dries in 30 mins, but I wouldn't try masking it after 30 mins.

One thing I have been tempted to do if I have patience is to spray one color, then spray a coat of Future before the next. That has certainly reduced the amount of peel off.
No more plastic
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Starfighter Decals
Hero
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Big Kohona,Oct 19 2016
01:53 PM
Here, give this a read.  Whilst not airplane related it does speak to removing paint from resin.

Thanks for the tip. Too bad it's not actually the type of "resin" I was asking about, but a polymer like plastic (yes, I know technically plastic is a type of resin. I am referring to a two part epoxy resin used to create aftermarket parts).

Personally I have found Simple Green not much better than water with Dawn Dish Soap added. "Purple Power" is what I have used for years with success, Scalecote Paint Stripper is probably the best paint stripper for plastic I have ever used.
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