Stripping paint off of a P2K 0-6-0

[Witsend]

I bought a Life Like Proto2000 0-6-0 a while ago (during Life Likes first run of the engine) and I am finally getting around to working on it. I bought a Reading RR engine and I want to strip the Reading markings off so that I can convert it to a New York Central 0-6-0. I have a Chameleon paint stripping kit but it looks as though Chameleon has gone out of business or is no longer accepting orders or something as they have allowed their website subscription to lapse. So in an effort to save my Chameleon for the really tough jobs I wanted to know if there was a much easier more accessible means in which to remove the Proto2000 paint? I think I have read somewhere that either rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol will do the job but I wanted to make sure on one or both of those two items before I commit to removing the paint. If I could get some help from the community I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

Scott

[postalkarl]

Hi Scott:

I have several bottles of it in our LHS where I Work. If you need more send me a PM with your daytime phone # and I'll get some to you if you need it ok. Or I'll be at work Thurs. 3PM to 7 PMAnd Friday 11 Am To 6PM Friday. Will be off on Saturday. Our # is 215-855-1268.

Karl

[bparrish]

If you only want to remove the lettering try brake fluid.

Yep......... brake fluid on a Q tip and work each letter separately until you get near to the bottom. Stop the action of the brake fluid by washing it with water and mild dish soap.

Brake fluid won't attack metal or plastic but it will soften paint.

Experiment first somewhere on the model as the manufacturers used all sorts of paints and no two from even the same company seem to be the same.

See ya
Bob

[DarkTerritory]

For removing lettering without damaging the paint you can also try a paste of Abrasive Cleanser like Comet or Ajax, take a bit of powder and make a soft paste out of it with a drop or two of water. Then use a toothpick or piece of stripwood to rub the lettering on the car with the paste. It takes off the lettering gently and quickly and won't really harm the paint underneath if you are careful. It will burnish the paint making it somewhat glossy, but since you'll have to coat it with gloss to re-decal it anyway this is not a problem. I learned this from a friend and it works very well, and gives you a LOT of control over the process which brake fluid or strippers sometimes don't.

BTW a tip - rub vertically on the side, not horizontally or in a circular motion - if there are any 'streaks' left over after cleaning off the paste, they will look like weathering and not like you rubbed something off with an eraser.

[CVSNE]

I found a product at the hobby shop a few weeks ago that says it's good for removing lettering, but not paint. (I need to strip the CP lettering from a Life-Like 0-8-0). I haven't tried it yet, but bought it since I wanted to remove the lettering without removing the paint. I can't recall what it's called but can get you the details later this evening if you'd like.

70% rubbing alcohol will remove most of the pad printed lettering on LL/P2K models. Dab it on and let it puddle on the surface for a while and then rub it with a piece of paper towel or a cotton swab. This often takes several applications but it does work. I've noticed it will often leave a "ghost" lettering in the base paint - a result of the pad actually pressing into the model when the ink is transferred.

I've found 91% rubbing alcohol will remove the paint from LL/P2K freight cars and diesels - I've never tried it on their steamers but see no reason why it wouldn't work on them - let the shell sit in it overnight and then light scrub with an old toothbrush the next day. On the diesels and freight cars I've stripped this way the paint literally peels off in sheets. In fact, you can still see the shell details embedded in the "sheet" of paint . . .


The rubbing alcohol should work . . . and if it doesn't the worst thing you'll end up with will be a germ-free model!

Brake fluid works well for stripping enamel paints from straight styrene (like the old Athearn and Model Die Casting stuff) be forewarned before trying it to strip some of the more current acetal-based plastics such as ABS, Celecon, and some others. It can cause some of the oil to leach from the newer plastics resulting in a very brittle and damage prone model. Kato shells, for example, can literally dry up and become rough to the touch when exposed to brake fluid.

Marty

[ACL1504]

I've been very successfull in removing the Walthers names and numbers off the heavyweight and Budd cars using GOOGONE. Apply with a Q-tip, wait 20-30 minutes and wipe off! If decals are still present, apply a second time.

I've never had to do it a third time.

Tom

[Night Train]

Ronsonol lighter fluid in the yellow can or brake fluid on a Q-tip as mentioned before.

[CVSNE]

I've been very successfull in removing the Walthers names and numbers off the heavyweight and Budd cars using GOOGONE. Apply with a Q-tip, wait 20-30 minutes and wipe off! If decals are still present, apply a second time.

I've never had to do it a third time.

Tom

I've tried Goo-Gone on Sanda-Kan lettered cars and had no luck.

I believe Walthers factory in China uses paints to letter their cars and locomotives - whereas Sanda Kan (which does Life-Like, Atlas, did Intermountain, and a bunch of others) uses printer's ink over automotive enamel paints for decoration.

[Witsend]

Thank you all for responding. I wound up completely stripping the engine and tender down to the bare plastic. I had first stripped just the pertinent letters/numbers but found that there are more things to do then to just strip (the road name and numbers) and repaint. It turns out the NYC had odd configured cabs for their 0-6-0, most that I have seen have 2 windows on the sides of the cabs but the NYC ALL had 3 windows on the sides. Plus my spray can of Floquil Engine Black wouldn't work (I tried switching to a different spray head but it still wouldn't spray) so I had to throw it away and I went with a different black paint trying to get the engine done. Huge mistake, so in order to get back to a workable model I had to go and fully strip it. I have since bought a can of Floquil Engine Back and I have painted the tender and it looks good. I also placed an order with Walthers to get some more windows for the cab so that I can modify it to match the NYC 0-6-0's. I have pictures of the stripped model but I am sure you have all seen plenty of stripped models. If you want to see them then I will post them but they aren't anything special.

Oh, I wound up using the Chameleon to strip the model, the stuff is fantastic I really hope that Chameleon hasn't gone out of business.


Scott