Stripping paint & dissolving glue - How?

[Mike J.]

I have a kit (styrene) I put together a while ago, and I'd like to strip it & disassemble it. Only problem is: I've never done that before.

From searching Starship Modeler, I'm tempted to use bleach to take the paint (generic rattlecan) off, but SM provides few details... Could it soften the plastic? How long should I leave it immersed? What if I leave it in too long?

Then there's the glue problem. I used regular Testors stuff (in the 'marker'), not CA. How can I weaken / remove as much as possible without affecting the plastic / surface details?


-Mike

 

[JPolacchi]

I'm not positive about seperating the glue pieces.I think that you'll have to be very careful&gentile with a sharp exacto knive.I've read that oven cleaner,like Oven Off will strip paint like no tommorrow,and won't dammage the plastic.However,I'd test it first....spray some on for a short period on a small section of the model.I'm not positive I remember how long to leave it on there.Remember to do this sort of thing outside,or in a very well ventilated area...oven cleaner is toxic as hell.