Stripping Paint from Lionel and K Line Passenger Cars

Aluminum bodies?

Why not just wet-sand until smooth, then use original paint as a base coat?  It probably is bonded to the aluminum far better than anything you could spray on in a home spray booth.  Don't forget to use white primer under reds and yellows.

Pine Sol and oven cleaner are safe on plastic but there paint strippers that are safe too. Similar to oven cleaner being caustic but formulated specifically to strip paint. Just make sure it has no solvents or petroleum distillates. 

Pete

I'm partial to the Magic Eraser and generic Lectric-Shave method, myself.  Be sure to rinse the cleaned shells thoroughly. 

Mitch 

Been a long time, but I soaked the item in warm water with dish detergent, then scrub with toothbrush.  Not the fastest method, but very safe.

You guys that recommend sanding, these are plastic cars. The rivet detail will be gone in seconds. ELO will remove the lettering without lifting the base paint in most cases.

Pete

Only one of us suggested sanding.  He did not specify plastic riveted cars, and I suggested that if aluminum, sanding might be better.  Please do not be offended.

As to refinishing passenger cars, I got rather good at it a while back, before all my Scale Coat dried up.  I shall find a photo or two later.

@bob2 posted:

Only one of us suggested sanding.  He did not specify plastic riveted cars, and I suggested that if aluminum, sanding might be better.  Please do not be offended.

As to refinishing passenger cars, I got rather good at it a while back, before all my Scale Coat dried up.  I shall find a photo or two later.

The first sentence of his post specifies plastic cars.

Throwing something else in the  mix, I know this has been discussed in the past, but if you would like to strip off only the lettering from a car without disturbing the underlying paint, what is the best method for that?

I plan to take the road name off some heavyweight passenger cars and re-letter them.

@breezinup posted:

Throwing something else in the  mix, I know this has been discussed in the past, but if you would like to strip off only the lettering from a car without disturbing the underlying paint, what is the best method for that?

I plan to take the road name off some heavyweight passenger cars and re-letter them.

Fine wet sanding or rubbing compound or 'lectric shave or other cologne ahould work slow enough. Most removal will degloss the base color at least lightly though.  

Detail being sanded out? SEE: sanding sticks for modeling. Sanding needs to done at times and in ways you wished it didn't

I had good luck using Castrol Super Clean Cleaner/Degreaser (The purple stuff) on HO scale Athearn cars i did a few years. I did a 6-8 hour soak and then a soap and water brushing and all paint was gone right down to the plastic molding.

I plan to use this with some k-line cars on another project very soon.  

Pete,

What is "ELO"?

RAY

@Ray of sunshine posted:

Pete,

What is "ELO"?

RAY

Ray its Testors Easy Lift Off. Used to be made by Poly Scale. Carried by most hobby shops.

Pete

@Ray of sunshine posted:

Pete,

What is "ELO"?

RAY

Electric Light Orchestra. Great music from the late 70's.

91% is found at Walgreens and other drug stores. Pint and quart sizes. Very cheap as it is used to prep injection sites and for disinfecting, should on a shelf. Can be used to clean tracks as well.

Hielsie

@Lynne Carper posted:

91% is found at Walgreens and other drug stores. Pint and quart sizes. Very cheap as it is used to prep injection sites and for disinfecting, should on a shelf. Can be used to clean tracks as well.

Hielsie

Specifically it'll be found in the first-aid section. However with the pandemic, rubbing alcohol tends to sell out as soon as it appears on the shelf. Until sanitization mania dies down, this stuff will be hard to find (like Lysol spray).

From the beginning of the pandemic reaching the US, I've only seen 70% isopropyl for the first time less than two weeks ago, and it wasn't even in a pharmacy, but a small electronics shop temporarily carrying sanitizing and/or PPE items to make an extra buck on the side. Most places doing this that even have rubbing alcohol around here (NYC) only have 50% concentration, which is not only below the level considered useful for sanitization, but which I've never even heard of till COVID happened. 

---PCJ

  There have also been cases of methyl instead of iso, so watch it with any low budget pop-up brands of things now. Do some reading on them before you actually use it.

Have heard of brake fluid being used,  Has anyone tried this?

Art

Brake fluid can strip paint but it can also melt some plastics. Why take the chance?

Still can't understand some people keep recommending products not designed to strip paint when there are products labeled "PAINT STRIPPER". Many safe for plastics and not even as expensive. How much is a gallon of brake fluid?

Pete

To be honest I would just get the lettering off for a smooth finish. Remove the lettering, prime, and paint. Going through the effort of getting down to bare plastic isn't always worth it. 

Many thanks for all the input.  I tried the Pine Sol method with an old Weaver box car and it worked perfectly.  Not so with a K line and a Lionel passenger car - perhaps because I didn't wait long enough for the soak, but six hours seemed enough time and I was worried about weakening the plastic.  

So, I picked up the ESO and have completed two cars by hand.  The original paint has been removed with ESO and the plastic does not appear to have suffered.