Hello everyone. I am getting ready to try my first restoration on some Lionel bridges that have seen better days. I was wondering what you guys use to remove the old paint? Thanks
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If it is original pre-war paint, a far less messy method of paint removal is to use TSP (trisodium phosphate). TSP can be found at paint and big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. Use about a half cup of TSP powder to a gallon of hot water...let it soak overnight and the paint will be gone. Use a wire brush or scouring pad to get into tough to reach areas. Rinse thoroughly before repainting. Of course if you are doing a Hellgate Bridge, you'll need a really big bucket!
Jeff Davis
Thanks guys! Keep the ideas coming.
The bridges are prewar Lionel 106. They are rough, and all have parts which are different shades than the other two (I have three, plus a set of ramps)
Michael,
I second using TSP, the prewar paint comes right off. I just used it when I restored my Lionel 150 engine.
Kevin
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I use Drano.....When you finish with it flush it down your drain and clean your drains..
Thanks for the ideas guys.
Just one question, why the drying box (with the aluminum foil and light bulbs)? Is it just to speed up the process, or does it help? Also, what wattage?
A lot of the specialty paints used to match tinplate colors are slow-drying enamels that really will not harden properly without baking the paint. My baking box is a wine carton lined with aluminum foil. I just dried a roof for a 122 station in it, using a single 125 watt heat lamp in a reflector for about 5 hours. I have a second heat lamp for bigger jobs, but I would probably also have to make a bigger box. The roof was painted with Krylon and the trim was Collector Color from Henning. The Krylon doesn't need baking, but it holds up better if you bake it. The Collector Color was still somewhat soft after drying overnight. I would not want to use it without baking, although I imagine if you thinned it before application and applied several thinned coats a day or two apart it would dry better. It's quite thick as it comes, making it good for doing trim with a brush but it needs to be thinned for larger surfaces. The paints made by James Wood are notorious for not drying properly unless they are baked.
For stripping paint I have been using Wash Away, which is distributed by Weaver Models. I just did a 1/43 car with it and it came out clean as a whistle. I strained the remaining stripper and put it in a glass jar for reuse.
Originally Posted by CarGuyZM10:
Thanks for the ideas guys.
Just one question, why the drying box (with the aluminum foil and light bulbs)? Is it just to speed up the process, or does it help? Also, what wattage?
You have to bake Enamels to harden them, I think my "oven" has 2 100w lightbulbs.
Thanks guys!
