Has anyone else encountered this when using brake fluid to strip paint?

I thought you weren't supposed to use brake fluid on plastic, only on metal painted surfaces.

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Dennis

I've only used it on postwar Lionel plastic with no damage.  I've soaked items up to 2-3 weeks to remove really hardened paint without damage. Recently I did a pair of 2032 Alcos which took forever  to remove.  I also tried Testor's ELO which caused a white chalky effluence to come out of one of them.  This too was a big pain to remove (using brake fluid to do this).

Alan

Although many people warn against the potential dangers of soaking plastic in brake fluid, people still do it. And many write back with the old saw about how they've done it forever without any problems. All it takes is one bad experience, be it your first or 500th soak, and brake fluid no longer looks too appealing. I've had bad experiences with it, so I don't use it. 91% Iso alcohol works well, as does SuperClean. 

There are so many types of plastics with slightly different characteristics that it's hard to make generalities about "safe" or "not safe".

Stripping paint from a plastic building seems like overkill anyway IMO. A light spray of primer from a rattle can is usually all you need to provide a good start for repainting.  The extra layer of paint will not have any appreciable effect on the final results. In fact, I often use red or gray primer as the basic building color, and start weathering from there.

Jim

Some plastics have scrap additives added to the mix when molded. This may cause the cracking. I use a nylon toothbrush to rub the paint off, I do not soak plastic parts.I stripped a Kato engine with brake fluid with bad results. The shell split in half and distorted. I use poly s stripper or chamelion brand. These are safe on plastic.

Frank

Are you sure the cracks weren't there before you removed the paint? (i.e., the parts were molded with thin cracks and they just filled with paint?  Several years ago I bashed some buildings, I think MTH, and I sanded smooth some parts to remove the paint entirely along with some surface detail.  Interestingly, I had tiny threads of "paint" that looked, for all the world, like the original plastic had very thin cracks and the paint filled it in.  Not sure that is the case with yours but i concluded my buildings were like that.

Personally, I use oven cleaner to remove paint.  So far it hasn't damaged any plastic or pot metal.

I've used brake fluid only on Marx plastic and, recently, a decrepit Kusan diesel with no problems.

I have preached it here and other places for years. Do NOT use brake fluid on plastics.  I saw it melt an HO steam engine. Do NOT use 91% alcohol on post war engines from around 1950-52. It ate my 2023 shell. It never damaged any modern plastics.

Rob

Kenn (ogaugeguy),

I'm sorry I can't answer your question because I don't remove paint from any of my things.  I was just recounting what I have read here on the forum in the past.  As you can see, some warn against the use of brake fluid.

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Dennis

I have used it with only one problem. I got lazy and didn't check on it for about 4 days. The plastic felt soft but harden and took paint ok after.

Same here John, the last time I stripped a shell (Williams E7) I lined the plastic flower tub I was using with aluminum foil and the Easy-Off ate the aluminum foil!!!  The plastic tub and the E7 shell came thru fine, go figure.  I haven't tried stripping paint from any buildings though.

It's a gamble to use brake fluid as a paint stripper on plastic. Sometimes it works well and other times it may ruin the plastic.

I lost a Railking F40 shell to brake fluid.  Cracked plastic and molded on details just crumbled and came off when rubbed with a finger.

Never again!

I agree with Jim P.  Primer from a rattle can and start from there.

AF