Is there any way to remove paint from styrene...

[Birdie]

?

 

[blufive]

Have you tried soaking the piece in Pine Sol?

 

[DL 44 Blaster]

Styrene can be some durable stuff. Depending on what kind of paint it is, a chemical stripper might work....of course without knowing what you're doing and what the peice is will affect what or how you'll be able to successfully go about it.

Steve

 

[CessnaDriver]

I have read of people spraying easy off oven cleaner on the parts and putting it in a plastic bag over night.

Experiment first...

 

[wynnstudio]

brake fluid works well. I've have left a model in it for a week with no damage to the plastic.

Thomas

 

[GKvfx]

There is a product by Floquil/Polly S called Easy Lift Off. Great stuff. I've used it with great success on vintage styrene kits that were painted with that nasty thick enamel paint that gave you a headache if you used it in a closed room (you know, the good old days.....)

Apply it with a brush and let it sit overnight. Then, go in with a stiff brush (like a toothbrush) and scrub it away. Somethimes the paint just lifts off in one piece. Easy. Guess that's where they got the name.

GK

 

[Birdie]

<div class='quotetop'>(GKvfx @ Nov 15 2006, 09:44 PM) [snapback]1358367[/snapback]</div>

There is a product by Floquil/Polly S called Easy Lift Off. Great stuff. I've used it with great success on vintage styrene kits that were painted with that nasty thick enamel paint that gave you a headache if you used it in a closed room (you know, the good old days.....)

Apply it with a brush and let it sit overnight. Then, go in with a stiff brush (like a toothbrush) and scrub it away. Somethimes the paint just lifts off in one piece. Easy. Guess that's where they got the name.

GK
[/b]

This sounds ideal, and I've managed to find a stockist in the UK

I'll give the brake fluid trick a go too.

I've tried oven cleaner with resin, and it had no effect whatever. Maybe US oven cleaners are made of stronger stuff :lol

 

[DL 44 Blaster]

<div class='quotetop'>(Birdie @ Nov 15 2006, 05:36 PM) [snapback]1358398[/snapback]</div>

Maybe US oven cleaners are made of stronger stuff :lol
[/b]

I've often wondered this about chemical dilution ratios abroad and within the US...I've heard that in the UK, bleach isn't even commercially available :confused .....is this true?

Steve

 

[Birdie]

<div class='quotetop'>(DL 44 Blaster @ Nov 15 2006, 11:23 PM) [snapback]1358424[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>(Birdie @ Nov 15 2006, 05:36 PM) [snapback]1358398[/snapback]

Maybe US oven cleaners are made of stronger stuff :lol
[/b]

I've often wondered this about chemical dilution ratios abroad and within the US...I've heard that in the UK, bleach isn't even commercially available :confused .....is this true?

Steve
[/b][/quote]

No, that's not correct. How would we clean our toilets? :lol

 

[dadvader]

I agree with the Easy lift off stuff... I use it all the time with HO Scale train bodys,never had any damage to the plastic...

 

[Barnstormer]

Depending on the paint, I find soaking in bleach to be pretty effective. I've heard it implied that it may make the plastic slightly brittle - but I've never seen an issue with it; test first to see if that suits you.

On the up-side, bleach is less nasty than a lot of the other cleaners - wear old clothes and avoid obvious mistakes and it's pretty harmless to handle and dispose of.

I use bleach to prep old model kits for restoration, and it also weakens the glue pretty effectively - I can usually pop old seams open after the bleach soak, as well. I've got a vintage Galactica reduced back to a nearly raw state after a good long soak.

 

[Noeland]

I've used good old paint thinner to remove paint many times, and it never melted the styrene. I used rubbing alchohol to remove paint from resin a number of times with great effect as well.