PAL Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 (edited) Phew! Glad the show's back online. Don't miss it till it's gone, do you? I brushpainted the roof of my Bachmann autocoach - grey on grey, didn't need to do it on reflection - then applied dirty thinners for that streaked look too enthusiastically. The result: patches of paint have peeled off, other areas are intact, and little scabs of paint all over the place - a mess. I've tried rubbing it down with 1200 wet-and-dry but am fearful of rubbing out the lines of tiny rivets or are they welding spots. On the other hand, I'm equally anxious about using stripper in case any gets on to the coach sides, masked tho they'd be with tape. What would members advise? Edited February 1, 2019 by PAL 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted February 1, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 1, 2019 Hmm. While I am glad that I am not the only one who makes a mess of things sometimes, I am sorry that this has happened to you; perhaps there is some comfort in not being alone! What sort of paint did you use? Acrylic will come off with hot water and a bit of rubbing with a cloth, but enamel needs oil based thinners and could land you in all sorts of further mess, especially if it starts attacking the plastic. If you can't rescue the situation with thinners or hot water, all is not lost; you can still try heavier weathering as a layer on top of what you've already done. Use a mix of 'dirty' acrylic colours, watered about 50%, and brush it on fairly heavily, then dab most of it off with tissue before it dries, working in around relief such as the rivets. You can build this up in very thin layer until you get something you are happy with the look of. I would wipe the tissue along the length of the coach for the roof, but if you are applying this technique to the sides or ends, wipe downwards to simulate the effect of rain water partially washing off the dirt as the coach is standing. Whatever you do, I would recommend sealing the result (when you are happy with it, that is) with matt varnish; I use Halfords acrylic rattlecan for this. As you've probably gathered, I'm a fan of acrylics, mainly because I work inside the living area of the home and want to avoid unpleasant odours, but I do find them very easy to work with. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 Seeing as the thinners caused the problem then they will possibly be the solution. Try a TINY bit of thinners applied with a cotton bud and rub gently. Don't over flood it. If it doesn't seem to be going well then stop before you cause any damage. Have a damp cloth handy to remove any excess thinners and kitchen towels to wipe up any mess. You might need to repaint the roof though. Jason 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 (edited) Quoting myself in another thread here, because I can't get the link to work: "Wrap your model in tissue or kitchen towel and place in a freezer/sandwich bag. Tip in some Dettol, enough to soak into the tissue and adhere to the model, you can press the tissue from outside the bag to ensure good contact and it doesn't hurt to have an excess of Dettol. Express all air from the bag and tie, place in a second bag (Dettol stinks!) take to the bottom of the garden (optional) leave to soak overnight. Next day, wearing gloves, remove the model and dispose of tissue DO NOT RINSE WITH WATER! Instead, using an old toothbrush and a blob of washing up liquid, brush away the offending goo - this method has always been very successful in my experience, but can depend on the kind of paint you are trying to remove and how many coats." Once the paint is removed, you can then rinse with water. Of course, this all depends on whether the paint is acrylic and if you can remove the roof section...? Edited February 2, 2019 by Ray Von 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 The problem is that would remove all the paint. He only wants to remove a bit from the roof where he has messed up the weathering. Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 18 hours ago, PAL said: The result: patches of paint have peeled off, other areas are intact, and little scabs of paint all over the place - a mess. I took the above to mean that the whole roof was a write off (?) I could be wrong though. If it were me, I would remove all the paint and start again anyway - even if the problem were localised, stripping back a small area and repainting it to match the surroundings can look patchy and uneven (granted, not a huge issue on a carriage roof, if that's the effect you're after!) As I say, the Dettol method would require the removal of the roof panel from the coach body. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 I don't think Bachmann roofs are removeable. I still reckon the Dettol method is a bit too drastic, especially on a model worth £60 plus. Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 Agreed, I would only attempt it after all other possibilities were tried and exhausted. I definitely don't think abrasives are a good way to go though, as the OP says - that could result in loss of detailing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Johnster Posted February 2, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 2, 2019 The Baccy auto trailer roof is integrally moulded with the body and cannot be separated. So any treatment to the roof will inevitably affect the sides as well. But Ray's Dettol method sounds like a very effective way of stripping paint from a model, and is 'information useful'; thanks Ray! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 Cheers John, not entirely sure how I've done it or if I've done it correctly - but there's a linky thing appeared up there now! Also, I've seen vids on YouTube re: paint stripping with Dettol. All the best, Ray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teacupteacup Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 8 hours ago, Ray Von said: Quoting myself in another thread here, because I can't get the link to work: "Wrap your model in tissue or kitchen towel and place in a freezer/sandwich bag. Tip in some Dettol, enough to soak into the tissue and adhere to the model, you can press the tissue from outside the bag to ensure good contact and it doesn't hurt to have an excess of Dettol. Express all air from the bag and tie, place in a second bag (Dettol stinks!) take to the bottom of the garden (optional) leave to soak overnight. Next day, wearing gloves, remove the model and dispose of tissue DO NOT RINSE WITH WATER! Instead, using an old toothbrush and a blob of washing up liquid, brush away the offending goo - this method has always been very successful in my experience, but can depend on the kind of paint you are trying to remove and how many coats." Once the paint is removed, you can then rinse with water. Of course, this all depends on whether the paint is acrylic and if you can remove the roof section...? I've been stripping paint with Dettol for as long as I can remember, 20-odd years at least, its been successful on factory finishes from across the manufacturers, enamel and acrylic finishes, and it doesn't remove glued on detail, however it does require a long immersion. The only difference to Ray's method that I follow is I fill a used (and cleaned) sauce jar - Dolmio etc to around half the length of the shell, drop the shell in, cover with a latex glove (will stretch over the end of the shell that is sticking out and onto the rim of the jar) and leave it in the shed overnight. After cleaning off the old paint and rinsing, as per Ray's method, I pop the other half of the shell into the Dettol and repeat. It takes longer but thats not a problem for me. The method I use means that the Dettol can be re-used a few times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Alcohol will remove acrylic paint very quickly. Enamel requires something more corrosive. I use brake fluid on plastic (try it on an inconspicuous area first!)! I must try Dettol! I should be able to sneak it through on the household budget! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Brake fluid could be the answer, tip it in a shallow tin long enough to hold the coach, turn the coach upside down and gently immerse the coach roof to the cant rail and then keep it upside down while the fluid works its magic/ evil. Only turn it right way up after immersing the roof in clean water a few times. That way you might just strip the roof and not the rest of the coach.. Otherwise stick it on eBay .... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAL Posted February 3, 2019 Author Share Posted February 3, 2019 (edited) My thanks to all respondents for suggestions, partic Johnster and Steamport - rather belated as I've been having computer trouble. I should of course have specified the paint type - it's brushed Humbrol enamel. The basic problem, as Steamport says, is you can't take the damn roof off. Has anyone tried Deluxe's Strip Magic? Terribly expensive but the thing is, it's a gel and to some extent controllable. There's a very persuasive video on Youtube - I can't do links but you'll find it easily enough from Google - and I was thinking of giving it a go, masking the sides with tape or Maskol. I suppose one potential problem is, the stuff might eat the tape or the Maskol. Edited February 3, 2019 by PAL additional material Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teacupteacup Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 1 hour ago, PAL said: My thanks to all respondents for suggestions, partic Johnster and Steamport - rather belated as I've been having computer trouble. I should of course have specified the paint type - it's brushed Humbrol enamel. The basic problem, as Steamport says, is you can't take the damn roof off. Has anyone tried Deluxe's Strip Magic? Terribly expensive but the thing is, it's a gel and to some extent controllable. There's a very persuasive video on Youtube - I can't do links but you'll find it easily enough from Google - and I was thinking of giving it a go, masking the sides with tape or Maskol. I suppose one potential problem is, the stuff might eat the tape or the Maskol. You could try Model Strip, which is a paste and controllable. I used to use it years ago, putting the model in a sealable container whilst it ate the paint away Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted February 3, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2019 (edited) Another vote for model strip its probably the most controllable and will stay where you put it! Oh hang on a mo is there a clue in the OP ? If thinners lifted the paint why not try thinners on a cotton bud first? Phil Edited February 3, 2019 by Phil Bullock Add additional info Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 I don't work for the Dettol company or anything but - you could try soaking strips of kitchen towel in it and draping these lengthways along the coach roof. Just be careful not to have them sopping wet, to avoid dripping (if it does run it can be wiped away - it takes time to do it's stuff.) After a few hrs I think you'll find they will have done the trick at a fraction of the cost. Best of luck whichever method you try! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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