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I'm currently trying to strip some paint from some Weaver ACF covered hoppers.  I have several in various paint schemes.  Last night I put them all into a tub with 91% isopropyl alcohol.  Two of the cars had the paint wrinkling and lifting off by itself within ten minutes.  Nothing to it.  After 24 hours soaking, the other three cars are essentially unchanged.  I can get lettering to rub off with some effort, but the car paint does not want to come off.

 

Does anybody know if Weaver changed the formula for its paints at some point?  To my knowledge, there isn't anything special about stubborn cars.  I'm hoping that the alcohol will eventually prevail, as it's one of the safer and easier strippers to use.

 

Recommendations for stripping plastic parts in general would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim

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I stripped five Weaver E8s. 

 

With one A-A set (factory painted SP 'black widow') one of the units stripped almost completely in 91% alcohol over 2-3 hours while the black on the other unit took three days to loosen.  Even then it required hard scrubbing with a toothbrush to get it cleaned up.  

 

On another A-A set (I'm pretty sure it was factory painted NYC lightning stripe) it took almost a week to get the paint off.

 

Don't give up it eventually comes off.

 

Thanks guys.  I want to avoid using the brake fluid or similar solvents until I have no other choice.  I have heard the same thing about it affecting the plastic, but have no experience one way or the other.  

 

So far the stubborn cars have been soaking for 24 hours.  I have gotten after them with a toothbrush, resulting only in the lettering coming off.  The base paint adhered to the shell doesn't yet seem to want to budge.  Which is ok.  They can sit there for as long as need be as long as I know it should lead to success.

 

Thanks again,

Jim

Thanks for all the replies so far.  I did a double check already to see if the shell was cast in colored plastic.  It doesn't appear so.

 

For the near term, I am going to let these shells continue to soak to see if that produces the desired effect.  Failing that, I will move on to some of the other alternatives suggested in this thread.

 

Thanks again,

Jim

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Ste 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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