Removing lettering/numbers from locos - updated with photos

I used lacquer thinner on a 14 year old Lionel engine, made in Korea. Took off the lettering cleanly without touching the base paint. Try it on an inside surface first.

This did not work on a 3rd Rail freight car. Results obviously vary. 

 

Pete

Hi 

 I have used oven cleaner for years with out any trouble. 

I used the Magic Eraser on an engine and yes it took the number off but it also polished the area to the point it stuck out like a sore thumb. Trying to use methods to dull the area out was frustrating and I could have just masked to the nearest rivet line and repainted. Experiment, I have had some come off with thinner or alcohol. At this point I am resigned to masking to a demarcation point and repainting just the numbered area after I sand off the number.

Don't know about Lionel, but I used 800-grit wet/dry sandpaper (wet) to remove a number from an MTH diesel. Worked fine.

 

This one started out as 6608 which I already had. Sanded off the last digit.

 

 

 

Got hold of a small stock of Microscale ATSF hood unit decals and there you go. Going to weather the unit when I get time so it will match the other two weathered units.

Awesome job Matt. That looks perfect!

Any other input? Going to start some removal tomorrow.

I have successfully used lacquer thinner on a few newer items.
Very small amount on a Q-tip, dab, rub, wipe with dry Q-tip.
The LT will evaporate quickly.
The only issue I had once was removing red lettering on a white background. I had to wipe fast with dry side of Q-tip to not get pink residue.
~Bill

I've used Micro-scale Lift-off.  It worked fine on a Atlas freight car and a Weaver engine.

I know Lee Willis uses high concentration alcohol(like 90%) and q-tips and is very careful and methodical. I once took a magic eraser and some 70% alcohol to a peice of rolling stock and was left with some residue and weird look to it. Especially with a nice Mikado I would do what Lee does. It takes a while but his results speak for themselves.

 

 

I just did a second Lionel diecast steam engine this evening using lacquer thinner. This one was made in China in 2004. The base paint was impervious to the effects just like the older engine mentioned above. In five minutes I had all of the lettering and stripes removed without any haze or trace. If the base paint will tolerate it, this is by far the quickest way to remove lettering.

 

Pete

Careful, lacquer thinner is a very "hot" (strong) product that will penetrate deep given the time. All glosses will be easily effected (usually a haze). Strong like a very clean gasoline,, its best used as a last resort method. It is stronger than some of the "safe" paint strippers Ive used.  Soak a die cast shell for a day and it will likely strip all paints except for some good epoxy based stuff. Ive cleaned 1/2 full aluminum spray guns of industrial automotive enamel, (tips in the bottoms) dried for 25years with a two day soaking, copper wire and a wire brush(brass). Plastic water color brushes only last about 15 seconds before tips fall off from melting. A few hours, in a jar its 100% goo. Even better plastic may only last minutes.

  It works but be careful. Work light & fast, dry for at least 3x more than time spent wet before your next wipe session. Ventilation and gloves(that don't melt too fast) isn't overkill. It will remove your skins oils quicker than most products you've used. 

  Alcohol is a better way, and best to try first. But not all paints will break down in it. Slower acting with more effort needed, but safer and likely ending with best end results.(unless you are using lacquer thinner working with lacquer paints, one of its intended uses. Still, work fast) 

 If an abrasive is present, Id "sand" vertically, it will hide better when weathered as most "weathered streaks" follow gravity (unless its streaked horz/diag. by rushing air).

 If you create a haze spot it may disappear if hit over top with dull coat, satin, or clear. 

  

       
       


Very Well Done!!

K.C.

I started removing the Union Pacific lettering from my Legacy Mikado. I am using denatured alcohol and q-tips. After dipping the q-tip in the alcohol I am scrubbing on the lettering which after about 40 seconds starts to come off. After it is off I immediately hit it with some water and wipe it off. it leaves a haze, as you can see in the first two photos below. When I put some water on top, it looks black again and is almost a perfect match to what is existing. The third photo shows some water on the area. 

 

Someone earlier mentioned hitting it with a clear coat. I'm thinking of taping off the lettered area and adding some clear coat to see what that gives me. Any more suggestions on my next step? I'm thinking either the clear coat or maybe even asking lionel for some touch up paint.

 

 

 

Thanks for your input!! 

 

maybe a plastic polish...like the stuff maguires makes for your cars headlights would help get rid of the dullness

thanks Dave. This is a metal tender and engine. Lee if your out there did you hit yours with something before you relettered? 

By accident I found out that Bestine takes of Decals or stamped lettering very easily, you can get it at art stores I am told. I took off lettering off a MTH diesel in seconds without damaging the paint( I was trying to clean some grease of the engine, the grease stayed but it took of the Stamping road name off cleanly)

John:

 

Good suggestion. I think I'll try that instead of the sandpaper approach.

Whatever method people use, they need to take time...go slow.  It doesn't matter what brand locomotive or rolling stock...some will come out perfect and some will need help hiding blemishes.

 

SIRT has suggested Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  I've used it on a couple items.  Both were Lionel and both came out great.

 

Here are is a tank car that was lettered Interstate...

 

 

 

 

 

I also changed this New Haven loco into a Lionel Archive version.  Sorry, I dont have a before photo, but here is the after...

 

 

Whatever you use its important to test first on the base paint where it can't be seen.

There is no universal method that is safe on all paints.

The lettering on this engine was removed with lacquer thinner. Note there is no haze nor is there any evidence of black paint on the Q tip. This took only a few minutes per side.

I had similar success on another Lionel engine. After I removed the lettering on the tender I decided the paint was too beat up to try and save so I stripped it clean. I used Methylene Chloride and the base paint was completely removed in under 5 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

Pete

Keith did you touch up the grey after you removed interstate? If you did what did you do?

Your killing me Norton, I bought lacquer thinner but didn't use it because everyone said its stronger than the alcohol...

 

well the damage is done but nothing isn't fixable! I need to fix the haze. because the alcohol removed some paint I think I need to start by seeing if Lionel has some touch up paint I can get.

 

if anyone has any other methods or ideas please share.

 

Im thinking that with the look my tender has with water on the top, that maybe just adding a clear coat would do the trick.

Lacquer thinner may have been too strong on your engine. There is no way to tell before hand. I thought my second engine was made in China but later found it was made in Korea like my first engine. If yours was made in China they might have used different paint. I haven't tried to strip an MTH engine but have stripped lettering from a couple of 3rd Rail items and found lacquer thinner will attack the base paint. On those I use Poly Scale Easy Lift Off. That still affects the paint like alcohol did on your engine but the lettering comes off first. Those pieces had to be resprayed to get a uniform color.

 

Pete

Norton looking at your 1967 engine the numbers are definitely a different paint than the numbers and letters on my Mikado.

No, I didn't touch up the grey.  This is a NS heritage tank car and Lionel painted them with a gloss paint so, I thought I'd need to add a clear coat to blend it in.  Didn't need to though, the curves of the tank car and the shine of the lettering hide it well.

 Sorry, I assumed you would "hidden test" your choice first since it was mentioned earlier in the thread. And figured you'd tape off. 

 Were you picking up black color on the cotton swaps? If not, you only affected a "clear" product, and new clear carefully applied after any relettering should make it transparent again. Is the "clear gone? Maybe... Or, can it be "re-activated" into a clear again? The lacquer thinner maydo that(test 1st). Using a polish may work, even toothpaste, baking soda.(no "silicones" or waxes yet, might affect any near future paint) Are you weathering, or even re-lettering?    

 

 

I am re lettering. I did test first underneath the tender, but I didnt test enough. After I started scrubbing on the letters black did start coming off on the Q-tips. At that point the ship sailed. I just picked up some clear coats so I will try that and post my results. Looking at the newer lettering and the way Lionel has it applied, it seems to be a really good paint, so it is definitely harder to get off than some older models.

 

I had a similar issue... I was cleaning off some smoke fluid drips off the top of my Lionel NYC GP30 #6115, using 90% IPA, and some black came off on the cotton swab.  I masked off the roof, from the top of the cab back to the DB blister, and then hit it with some dull coat.  Lastly, it was actually too dull, so I went back with a microfiber cloth and polished it a little and its hard to tell where I did the work.

  

 

Thanks,

- Mario

 

I hit it with clear coat and a dull coat. The dull coat over the dis colored area dried the same color so it looked grey. The clear coat dried as black which looks good, but it's too glossy. I tried mixing some clear coat with dull coat but that didn't work out. Here's where I am at now: step in the right direction but far from perfect.

 

 

Not sure what my next step is at this point.

 

I could mask off the areas and make it a perfect box, and once the lettering is applied it would look decent...

 

i could remove the clear coat and add touch up paint from lionel and see how that matches?

 

I could clear coat the entire tender...

 

I called Lionel and they do not sell touch up paint. They suggested going to my local hobby shop and they should have something to match.

 

at this point I'm wondering if I should just get a semi-gloss black and paint a box.

Zett,

Here is what I would try at this point.

Take a small brush and apply a little line of your preferred semi-gloss finish, going from the original paint on the left side into the glossy damaged area. If it holds the same level of semi-gloss all over when dry, just letter on the gloss that you have already applied, then spray the full side of the tender with the semi-gloss finish coat.

Of course the area on the engine can be masked once you get the semi-gloss you like.

 

Dave

Thanks for the reply Dave. I think I am going to go to the hobby shop, grab a black spray, and just spray over the box area and see what I get. The shine on the clear coat is just too much at this point, its too drastic of a difference. Its not too noticeable on the engine, and will be less noticeable once the numbers are applied, but I just want a closer match.

 

Any suggestions on what paint I should get? Testers? Enamel?

I use PJ1 "Special Satin Black". I just repainted the bottom half of a scale 0-8-0 tender and its very very close. I don't have a pick of the tender but I painted this apron with the same paint.

 

 

Can't wait to experiment some, as I have a Bachmann On30 ten-wheeler that I need to remove the cab and dome #s to re-number it...

How about a shot of Tester's Dull Cote over the same glossy area?

You tried mixing or layering of clear & dull coat, do you mean a wet mix, or a layering?

A coat of dull over the gloss should give a different result. Over dulling can then be worked out with polishing as Mario suggested.

Repainting?  It doesn't have to be a full one. Taping off and painting larger areas, or the sides as a whole, could be another choice for achieving better consistency. The same thought could be applied to the cab sides to get some carryover of matching tones from the tender. If the "sign shape" is to be fully eliminated, a pass of very fine sandpaper on a good flat block now, will help to eliminate any "high spot" imperfections caused by new repair brush strokes, tape off lines, etc. .

Enamel, or even safer would be most acrylics.

 

 

  

 

Written 8am/submitted 12:30

Norton thanks for the suggestion. I will try to find that paint.

I tried mixing clear and dull coat and it did not work. I added dull over the clear, and it made the area look grey again. I'm going to try some black sprays tonight and see where it goes.