Iain Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Interesting - looked up 'Butanol' (which I presume is same/related) - "used as a paint thinner and a solvent in other coating applications where a relatively slow evaporating latent solvent is preferable, as with lacquers and ambient-cured enamels". Is there a Chemist in the house? Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 Huh. At the end of this I'm going to know so much useless knowledge on thinners and cleaners! Do you happen to use Mr. Color Leveling thinner? LSP_K2 and Iain 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Not here I'm afraid... But I think you've started a very interesting thread Chris! Iain CANicoll 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 'Do you happen to use Mr. Color Leveling thinner?' I use it on enamels. I have also used 90% Isopropyl alcohol, it comes 70% as well, and Windex on enamels. All work well without affecting styrene. So the effect on styrene is none. Sincerely, Mark CANicoll 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 Sooo. Because I'm a patient bugger (no, not really) I pulled out the old Tamiya X20A thinner, poured some into a small cup and soaked the offending rudder for five or so minutes (maybe ten). When I pulled it out of the soak, it looked fine - which was really disappointing. BUT - taking Iain's suggestion of a cotton bud to heart, I started rubbing. And low and behold, the paint started coming off! Requires a bit of friction, but it definitely comes off pretty cleanly - except around the decal. Scratching that up a bit however and the thinner was definitely working UNDER the decal. Will post pictures later, but there you go. In a pinch for a small part that needs to be stripped - Tamiya X20A will work. Bonus points: since it doesn't dissolve the paint right away, you can strain and reuse the thinner. Chris Iain 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Great to hear Chris - I do normally rub the surface with the kitchen roll/cotton buds - it doesn't generally just dissolve if soaked in it. Meanwhile, here at Muppet Labs, young Beaker has some Vallejo paint drying off in the airing cupboard - will leave a day, or so in the warm and attack with some IPA. Recon it'll shift it no probs... Iain CANicoll 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironman1945 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I've used Windex on Val Acrylic and its worked well. But I would recommend testing it on a piece of acrylic painted plastic first, your results may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloorwestSiR Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 (edited) Tamiya Lacquer Thinner is cool enough to strip paint but not melt the plastic. I've used it several times for that purpose when a paint job hasn't worked out. I also use Liquid Tide laundry detergent to clean out old Tamiya and Gunze paint bottles for reuse. I put a dollop in a container, add some water and throw my empty paint bottles in to soak. It usually takes a couple days but they're pretty clean with a quick scrub and ready to use for custom paint mixes. I haven't tried soaking a model yet in Tide though. Carl Edited March 21, 2018 by BloorwestSiR CANicoll 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wunwinglow Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Don't keep any of these solvents in contact with anything plastic for any longer than absolutely necessary though. It can weaken the material, and cause stress cracking to appear; disastrous on anything clear of course. Wipe on, wipe off..... Tim Iain and CANicoll 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 What Tim said... Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I know this thread is about stripping Vallejo specifically, but the best thing I've come across for removing Gunze and (especially) Tamiya acrylics is Windex (an ammonia-based window cleaner). It does absolutely no harm to any form of plastic or resin, but will take Tamiya acrylics off in minutes. Kev LSP_K2 and CANicoll 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 I should probably rename the thread to stripping paint in general as there are lots of good suggestions here. Thanks for all the input everyone - and I've been tossing old paint bottles but now I have a way to getting them cleaned so that is a big help. Cheers, guys! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssculptor Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I've been told, peeing on it will strip the paint. LOL! Just kidding!!! Saw a fancy BMW on I-40 the other day passing a cattle hauler tractor trailer. As it began to pass, a stream of cow piss came from the 2nd floor of the trailer and thoroughly hit the BMW. The Driver wasn't sure what to do. He hesitated, and was hit by more piss, turned his wiper blades on, and finally floored the BMW to pass the truck!!!! I never laughed so hard in all my life!!!! Figure that cow piss did his paint job in. Can you imagine reporting that to you insurance company? LOL! I would think that the wax covering his car would protect the finish. However I would recommend that he take his car to a good car wash immediately because some may have ended up in corners where it may do damage before evaporating. Also the odor would be a bit disconcerting. Could it be possible that the leak(?) was deliberate, knowing how red-blooded Red White and True Blue Patriotic Texans feel about them foreign cars. Big Texan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 From the interwebs : Windex is composed of the following substances: detergents, solvents, fragrance, Ammonia-D, and alcohol. The two main chemical substances are Ammonia and alcohol (with the exception of Windex vinegar, outdoor, and sparkling orange, which do not contain ammonia). Ammonia D , the D stands for diluted, so it's not full strength ammonia. Like Iain said, you need one of the high test alcohols like 91% or 99% It obviously has other uses, easily available and is incredibly cheeeaaap . Class dismissed , time for recess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzas Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Windex and Simple green work on some acrylics, too. CANicoll 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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