RailandyOz Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 I have several poorly-repainted Tri-ang TC coaches and a couple of locos which I would like to strip back to original Tri-ang plastic. I am seeking suggestions/warnings re stripping products safe to use on Tri-ang. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyman7 Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Worth trying is putting into a bleach bath for 24 hours. Plastic is unaffected but it's good for stripping home applied enamel paints - it's the classic approach for stripping a plastic kit that needs redoing. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
33C Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Mr.Muscle oven cleaner. Place model in self seal bag, thoroughly shake tin, spray model all over, squeeze air from bag and seal. Leave for an hour and then remove model into sink, scrub with an old toothbrush under running water. If any paint remains, repeat. Cheaper versions of oven cleaner can work but will need 3/4 goes at it. Or, immerse the model in DOT 4 brake fluid overnight. 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffnut Thorston Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Methylated Spirits can remove some paints. A bit time consuming, and it will also take off the original paint/ printing. You can, if very careful, take paint off and leave the printing...but it ain't easy. Lots of cotton buds, rags, and the Sprits... Dettol will strip paint. (We've not tried it...) Various commercial concoctions. Modelstrip, etc. ᚱᚢᚠᚠᚾᚢᛏ × ᛏᚼᚬᚱᛋᛏᚬᚾ 🐉🙋🏼♀️ 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailandyOz Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 Thanks all, I will conduct a Randomized Clinical Trial* and report back IDC. (*maybe de-ionized water as "Placebo" and leave one in its box as "Control"). 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 It rather depends on the paint. I usually use caustic soda (drain clearer, oven cleaner etc.). It is nasty stuff! Wear rubber gloves (wash & discard after use) and great care! I found DOT 3 brake fluid better than 4, but I don't think it's available any more? 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhutnick Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 I am in the US. For stripping paint from plastic, we commonly use 91 & 99% isopropyl alcohol. Al least an overnight soak or a little longer is needed. Unlike caustic and oven cleaners, it is safe to hands. 91% is sold at Walmart in quarts for $3.98. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Now there's a unit I haven't seen for ages! 🙂 The U.S. version - 0.94 litres I assume. I must see if our local Asda* has any, but I don't think so. * It was a part of of the Walmart empire, but it appears they've flogged it off 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazjones1711 Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 The best advice is to buy some paint stripper designed for the removing paint from plastic models , only my opinion , but using some sort of other chemical may end up as a disaster , from experience I've seen what happened to a Hornby class 31 that was soaked in Dettol , within a day the plastic turned brittle and the body disintegrated , why compromise by trying to use some a product with unknown results for the sake of spending a little more for a product that will work . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 I got some plastic paint stripper from Eileens Emporium (at a show). Does what it says on the tin bottle. It even cleaned red paint from the glazing of an EFE model bus that I had repainted. Highly recommended. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingUnderground Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 I've had good results with Phoenix Precision's "Superstrip". Revell paint remover also works, but use it in a well ventilated area. Neither seem to damage the plastic. The only thing that you have to be careful about is that they can sometimes leech some of the colour out of the plastic leaving it looking a shade paler than you might be expecting. On the other hand the pigment in some paints seems to be absorbed into the plastic so even when the paint has been removed, it can leave the plastic tinted by the old paint. So don't be surprised if the results aren't quite as good and pristine as you might be expecting, and you may have to repaint the model after stripping away the old paint. For example, I stripped one of the R.580 green catenary portals which had been painted white (no it wasn't a signal gantry with the signal heads removed), and whilst the paint came away, the plastic was very pale. When I abraided the surface slightly the original green colour was still there. I had a similar eperience with the grey-bodied R55 single-ended transcontinetal diesel and with the white bodied R129 TC refrigerator car both of which had been painted red. The paint came away, but the plastic still had a pinkish tinge. What I found helpful was to drip the stripper on to a layer or two of kitchen paper and either lay the item to be stripped on the soaked paper for about 20-30 minutes or lay the soaked paper on top of the model, or even do both at once. That seemed to help get the stripper into the nooks and crannies making it easier to rub away with a tissue, or the cotton buds or points of the cocktail sticks. Wear gloves as the strippers can cause skin irritation for some (no jokes about strippers, please). I tried caustic soda on Tamiya acrylic, it loosened much but not all of the paint, so I wouldn't recommend it. The Transcontinental coaches will be tricky because of their corrugated sides, you might find a supply of wooden cocktail sticks useful in addition to cotton buds. The points of the cocktail sticks can get into areas where the cotton buds can't such as up close to raised details such as rivets. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 Caustic soda doesn't seem as effective with acrylic paint. For this I use alcohol. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 (edited) I've used Modelstrip which has worked reasonably well, being a white paste to paint on then leave in a sealed ziplock polybag for a while before rubbing off with old toothbrush. Also if the pot dries out you can add some water to make it a paste again. Tried this recently on an old plastic kit car I came across, worked well in places but some paint left, however paint was many years old (could well have been enamel). Also tried Precision paints superstrip (as recommended by GoingUnderground) not bad but I personally had better results with Modelstrip (which could be mainly caustic soda perhaps?) However it probably depends on the paint/plastic combination being worked on. There have been some good suggestions to try on this thread. Edited October 16, 2022 by railroadbill 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
railroadbill Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 2 hours ago, Il Grifone said: Caustic soda doesn't seem as effective with acrylic paint. For this I use alcohol. "Ah, alcohol, the cause and solution to all of life's problems" - Homer Simpson goes modelling. Sorry. 😎 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhutnick Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Isopropyl alcohol 91-99% does not damage plastic, it is cheap, avalable. Something sold specifically for models stripping can be a lot more expensive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeraldH Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Has anyone tried Mantis MiniStrip Gel? It's an apparently plastic safe model paint stripper that I've not seen before It's listed on Ebay as "Mantis MiniStrip Gel 30ml, model paint stripper, ideal for wargaming miniatures"... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 (edited) I have a 'victim' to experiment with! I found a Tri-ang 'Davy Crockett' body which I'd forgotten I had. (It was acquired to provide brass fittings missing from my other D.C., which now only needs a headlamp.) It has been painted yellow (cut price 'Minnehaha'?), which would not be a problem had it been done properly and bits hadn't flaked off showing the red underneath. It would then need all the other bits. Some are available 3D printed: https://www.ebay.co.uk A bit pricey - the pilot alone is more than I paid for the whole engine (It was a boot sale, it was missing some fittings, and it was around 20 years ago), but needs must.... Edited October 17, 2022 by Il Grifone 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus1 Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 (edited) I've recently stripped an MTK Cravens parcel unit. It had Floquil on the roof, nothing shifted that except a fibre brush... The bodysides were Rail Blue, possibly Humbrol from the early 1980s. I tried nail varnish remover with some success then DOT4 brake fluid, soaked for a few days and that shifted the rail blue. But very little shifted the yellow on the cast metal ends! A fine file and the fibre pen on that lot. Now waiting for a dleivery of motor bogies from Black Beetle in Australia. I've also tried a variety on a Kitmaster Blue Pullman, nothing has shifted the paint on that yet. Edited October 18, 2022 by roythebus1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeraldH Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 Well after a few experiments it's clear that Mantis Ministrip Gel doesn't work on everything, but it made a cracking job on a Replica Railways BG that nothing else would touch. It didn't damage the plastic at all or remove the filler. It just turned the paint into water soluble gloup. it was initially left it on for 2 hours with a second treatment added for the remainder which worked much more quickly. it also doesn't have an intrusive odour like some other products and doesn't seem to effect bare plastic unlike StripMagic. Before the toothbrush under the tap treatment. and after, with a tiny bit left to remove... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium M.I.B Posted March 10, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 10, 2023 (edited) Car brake fluid never fails and doesn't harm plastics. Put item in large Tupperware type container and submerse for 24 hours. Scrub with a toothbrush in soapy warm water afterwards. But keep it away from anything ferrous - it will ravage ferrous items. As for brake fluid on Dublo type metal items - I would avoid that as well. Strong IPA works but not on all paints and sometimes won't strip certain colours - red buffer beams on steam locos stayed put IIRC, but all of the other paint was dissolved away. Edited March 10, 2023 by M.I.B 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Slough Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 I've used Nitro-mors car paint stripper to good effect on Dublo diecast bodies on the handful of occasions I've bought an absolute scrapper to repaint and tart up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Dublo paint is particularly tough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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