Paint Removal on a hard plastic body using automotive brake fluid?

[JunkGTZ]

I've seen on one model building forum the idea of using automotive brake fluid to remove paint, but some of these builders were working in metal. Is that possible with plastic, particular hard bodies?

 

[Kear]

Yep! I use DoT 4 brakefluid (non synthetic) to strip paint off old model trains to repaint em. It will whiten some plastics, although I don't know what kinds of plastic as some of the bodies I've done have been made of who knows what. Although I think some have been styrene.

But generally it works pretty well, I have had one body where I didn't use enough and it turned into this awful sludgy mixture that stained some of the body, but it isn't visible under the primer.

 

[JunkGTZ]

Yep! I use DoT 4 brakefluid (non synthetic) to strip paint off old model trains to repaint em. It will whiten some plastics, although I don't know what kinds of plastic as some of the bodies I've done have been made of who knows what. Although I think some have been styrene.

But generally it works pretty well, I have had one body where I didn't use enough and it turned into this awful sludgy mixture that stained some of the body, but it isn't visible under the primer.

How do you apply it? Brush it? Wipe on with a cloth? Then after removal of the paint do you wash it with soap and water or denatured alcohol or something of that type?

Thanks for the assist.

 

[Kear]

How do you apply it? Brush it? Wipe on with a cloth? Then after removal of the paint do you wash it with soap and water or denatured alcohol or something of that type?

Thanks for the assist.

So you can either submerge it or just kinda drizzle it? I'm too cheap to buy enough to submerge stuff so I just drizzle it on. Then I kinda brush it around into a reasonable layer, making sure to keep even coverage.

After waiting to let the fluid eat away at the paint I use a stiff brush to gently break up the paint and get it off. Applying more fluid as I need.

As for washing, I usually use degreasing dish soap (dawn in my case.) And water. Then I let it dry and clean with iso alcohol before priming.

Oh- a big roasting tray like you cook a turkey in is a help for making sure brakefluid doesn't go everywhere.

 

[JunkGTZ]

So you can either submerge it or just kinda drizzle it? I'm too cheap to buy enough to submerge stuff so I just drizzle it on. Then I kinda brush it around into a reasonable layer, making sure to keep even coverage.

After waiting to let the fluid eat away at the paint I use a stiff brush to gently break up the paint and get it off. Applying more fluid as I need.

As for washing, I usually use degreasing dish soap (dawn in my case.) And water. Then I let it dry and clean with iso alcohol before priming.

Oh- a big roasting tray like you cook a turkey in is a help for making sure brakefluid doesn't go everywhere.

Thanks very much. Like you, I won't be able to submerge it but I can follow your method.