stripping off paint from die cast hopper

In all my years of modeling, even back in my HO days, I never heard of THAT. However, did the anti-freeze method work?

OK, these cars are, by definition, metal. The K-line hoppers, for example, have no plastic parts except some air tanks at one end.

1 - Remove the trucks and the plastic parts or the metal sub-assembly where they are mounted. Everything else can stay.

2 - Use actual paint stripper from the hardware store. The car is metal. It's not tender.

3 - Applicable in your situation? Common sense, as always, is supreme.

4 - Anti-freeze is typically some sort of ethyl/methyl/whatever alcohol, none of which is   anything with which you want to voluntarily play. Paint stripper is also a poison, no doubt, but it is designed to be "handled" by consumers for, well, stripping paint.

I have never heard of using anti-freeze, and it would seem to fall in the same catagory of Brake fluid, which takes quite a bit of time.  You are dealing with die-cast, and two of the quickest methods that work with 100% success are Easy-off oven cleaner spray, and Castrol Super Clean (found mostly in Auto Parts, but also Walmart which has the cheapest price.  I have used Castrol at full strength and been able to strip Postwar Steam engines in as little as 3 hours, down to bare metal.  I know quite a few people that use Easy off oven cleaner, with the same success, but it takes a little bit longer.  Just take the usual precautions, wear gloves, eye protection, and  use an old toothbrush.  Once you are satisfied that all the paint is stripped, give it a quick rinse in warm soapy water, and let it dry completely.

Thanks  will give the easy off a try !!  Gary

Hey GUYS !!  I can NOW SAY with 100% certainty that anti-freeze DOESNT WORK !! Car has been soaking since Sat nite and NADA no loose paint at all !!  will try the Castrol Super clean  method next !!  thanks for the tip !!  happy railroading   Gary

Brake fluid works very well on most plastics.  Never tried it on metal.

Tom  i tried anti-freeze not transmission fluid but now will try Castrol engine degreaser  Gary

I think I would leave the factory paint as a primer, lightly sand all lettering with 600 wet sandpaper, shoot the color you want, and decal.  You will get much better corrosion control that way.  Die cast will corrode, and paint strippers are corrosive.  Some of the 700 series hoppers seem to almost have the lettering sunk into the casting.  A very light coat of lacquer based putty will cure that.