How to remove paint from a diecast car, using household items?

"Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan'" (otto-the-croatian) 01/14/2018 at 13:10 • Filed to: lald, live and let diecast, secret senna, sorry, coming soon

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Hey Oppo, I need your help yet again.

I want to remove the paint from a diecast car, it’s a metal majorette 1:43 scale model (can’t say which one because I’m a terrible Secret Senna who is still working on the present) if that makes any difference.

I’ve heard of Google, but there I saw lots of tutorials and pretty much all of them use automotive/aircraft paint stripper. It’s too expensive to buy that stuff just for this, so are there any household items and cleaning agents and stuff I can use instead? Like a secret lemon, vinegar and floor polish mix or something?

I’d post this on Live and Let diecast but I’m still in the grey there, so if anyone has the authority I’d like some help there, too.

Thanks!

Edit: Thank you guys, the acetone worked like a charm, it took about 5 minutes and I just scrubbed it off. What can I use as a polishing compound? Again, something I can just take from home, like a type of oil or hand cream or something?

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 13:26

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Acetone will strip paint, just keep it away from plastics.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 13:27

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I’ll share it to LaLD.

XJDano > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 13:29

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Sometimes pinesol works.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 13:29

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Second this post. I just bought this

I want it to match my truck

jimz > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 13:30

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Brake fluid will lift most paints in short order.

Alfalfa > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 13:31

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Acetone, or even non-acetone nail polish remover will work. But seriously, aircraft paint stripper is SOOOOO much easier.

MrDakka > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 01/14/2018 at 13:34

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That or MEK (methyl ethyl ketone; main ingredient in some model cement) is probably your best bet

Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 01/14/2018 at 13:43

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Thanks!

Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' > jimz 01/14/2018 at 13:44

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How long do I keep it in? Minutes or days, I have no reference?

Alfalfa > Alfalfa 01/14/2018 at 13:45

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Oh, also brake cleaner or carb cleaner.

Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 01/14/2018 at 13:45

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Cool, I drilled out the posts and I just have the body. How long should I leave it in?

Oh, and can I use just regular grease or oil for polishing? I’ve even heard someone say olive oil, but the dude’s not a reputable source of info...

ThePlasticOne - no diggities expressed nor implied. > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 13:53

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I am a bit of a hardcore modeler so “household item” is pretty relative to me, but it’s hard to beat sandpaper and patience. Get a pack of 320 grit or higher and give yourself a day to slowly work your way through the paint. The slower you go the more control you have.

For a neat toy, you can get an “air eraser” from Harbor Freight and the like, assuming you have a compressor to match. It’s essentially a large-bore airbrush that you can shoot baking soda out of to sandblast things.

jimz > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 13:56

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Should only take an hour or so.

Sn210 > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 14:05

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Pinesol will usually do it if you leave it overnight

RvDTMedia > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 14:56

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Brake fluid is an excellent pain remover, I have heard many stories of people using it for removing paint of old revelle car model bodies.

speeddemon807 > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 14:58

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Please watch this video.

AlienProbe > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 15:00

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PineSol is my favorite. It works on probably 80% of the cars I’ve tried to strip paint off of. I’m stripping this Datsun truck right now and here’s how it looks after 48 hours in a jar of PineSol. I’ll pull it out and scrub it with a toothbrush & use a needle to pull out some of the paint that is in the cracks and details.

On top of that, I can toss a few more cars in the same jar and it still does the job until it wears out. Great bang for the buck really. When I’m done with it I have no problems with dumping it down the drain or using it to clean the sink or something. Which I prefer rather than dealing with nasty super corrosive chemicals.

Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' > AlienProbe 01/14/2018 at 15:17

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cool, I’ll give it a go with a EU equivalent. As far as I understand it’s a bit stronger than your regular dish soap or window cleaner, what you would use for a ceramic toilet for example?

AlienProbe > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 15:32

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That might work. I’m not entirely sure though. I think the pine-based chemical in it is more acid based than alcohol based. Window cleaner usually has a lot of alcohol because it dries faster. I think if you shoot for an EU equivalent make sure it’s a pine based cleaner (I think). lol Best of luck!

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 15:38

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I’d kinda do it it in steps. Start with a couple seconds and pull it out, keep going for longer until it’s stripped.

Nobi > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 15:57

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I use brake fluid. Usually if you let the body sit in it for a day, the paint will peel up and you’ll be able to get the rest off with a stiff brush.

Bttfdmc1984Customs > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 16:45

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If you’re looking to remove just tampos and not the body paint rubbing alcohol works wonders

You do need to mask off areas you don’t want the tampos removed and wash it off with water to remove any residue.

Also it will not harm plastics.

The plastic did not melt or fog up as it would with acetone or harsh chemicals.

wanclick > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/14/2018 at 20:45

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Acetone works. But Paint stripper works best.

cheers!

RandomTask > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/15/2018 at 00:07

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If you haven’t already seen them, get ready to lose some daylight on Youtube. This guy recommends Air Craft Remover by Klean Strip.

http://www.kleanstrip.com/product/aircraft-paint-remover-aerosol

Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' > RandomTask 01/15/2018 at 07:21

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I have, the dude is fantastic. I tend to watch this right before I doze off into sleep at night.

Nibby > Otto-the-Croatian-'Whoops my Volvo is a sedan' 01/15/2018 at 08:28

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lick the paint off