Dissolving Epoxy.

[Justin1]

I was wondering if anyone knew of a way to dissolve two-part epoxy, preferably something that wouldn't ALSO dissolve layers paint underneath it. I've just finished painting a kit, and I tried to apply a super gloss finish to the domes of some aliens on it, and I'm a little unhappy with how it turned out. Does anyone know of any way to dissolve/smooth out/remove two-part epoxy in a way that wouldn't destroy all the paint work I did? I thought I'd read that alcohol will dissolve it, but haven't had a chance to try it, and won't be able to until I go out tomorrow and pick up some rubbing alcohol or something. Thanks a lot for any help, guys.

 

[Brandon1]

What ever is strong enough to take epoxy off is probably gonna remove paint.
I would think that alcohol would also remove paint.. I've heard of people using it as a paint stripper on wood since it won't ruin the wood.

best bet is to look online for soemthing that would return it to a soft/liquid state and remove it. but the epoxy might take hold of your paint...

not really sure man

 

[Justin1]

I figure you're probably right, but that it wouldn't hurt to ask, just in case. Thanks.

 

[crawjaw]

Are you sure you're not happy with the finish?
What is it about the finish you don't like?
Do you have any pictures?

I've done a bit of browsing on the subject because I was going to do something similar and I wonderd what will I do if I don't like it. Unfortunately the list of chemicals that might dissolve the epoxy were hazardous and some really nasty. There were no guarantees the paint wouldn't get stripped too, so I decided not to bother. Heat was also mentioned but I would be scared of distorting your original. I assume the epoxy you've used is the high gloss transparent type so
have you considered lightly sanding it back, or is the shape to difficult to get at.

If it's just the high gloss you don't like could you paint it with a thin coat of varnish, satin or gloss?

 

[Justin1]

I tried it on the Death Warrior kit I've been painting, so there's 3 alien domes I tried the technique on. One turned out reasonably well, it's a pretty "flat" finish and it's not too thick or anything, it looks nice and smooth, and I'm pretty happy with it. The other two I'm displeased with because the finish is neither "flat" nor smooth. The layer I put on the second 2 is too thick, so there's quite a few air bubbles, and I took too long getting the epoxy on smoothly, so it started to clump and set as I was brushing it on, so the finish isn't "flat and smooth," if that makes sense.

Here's a couple of pictures for example's sake.

Too thick = Bubbles

Took too long = Uneven

I patched up the second, but it's still pretty uneven. I realize that I probably won't be able to fix them, BUT, like I said earlier I figured it doesn't hurt to ask. I'm going to try rubbing alcohol on a scrap piece, as well as sanding it down a bit, then laying on another super thin coat. Thanks for the help, guys.

 

[crawjaw]

I think the rubbing alcohol and light sanding is the best way to go. I couldn't really tell from the photos how bad it is but it looks like one killer piece.
I used layers and layers of gloss varnish on the piece I was working on as I crapped myself at the thought of screwing up with the epoxy. Epoxy when done successfuly looks far better though. Good luck, I'm sure you'll manage to salvage it. Also the sculpt has so much going on that you'll probably not notice the differences in the three heads.

 

[Justin1]

Thanks, crawjaw. I really appreciate the replies. I was thinking of going that route as well, but I couldn't find one that yielded the results i was really looking for, and honestly, I wish that I'd gone that route and been unhappy with a finish that was a big less glossy, but where the shape of the sculpt and detail of the paintwork was still visible. Lesson learned.