Removing Humbrol Enamel Paint
Discussion
Can anyone give me some advice. I am taking to bits some kits I built up more years ago than I care to recall!...with a view to reassembly using more 'modern' techiques...and maybe a tad more skill!!
They are all painted with Humbrol Enamel paints....can someone tell me what I should use to remove the paint please. Also, how to separate the various components without damaging the kit too much and removal of the cement..(polystryene glue was used I would think).
Many thanks in advance.
They are all painted with Humbrol Enamel paints....can someone tell me what I should use to remove the paint please. Also, how to separate the various components without damaging the kit too much and removal of the cement..(polystryene glue was used I would think).
Many thanks in advance.
In the past I have used isopropanol (sp) alcohol and nail varnish remover to varying results. Some disinfectants can also produce results. I never found a definitive answer!
However this was with Games Workshop products so experiment at your own risk - to be frank, if it's just a few inexpensive kits then it's probably not worth the hassle.
However this was with Games Workshop products so experiment at your own risk - to be frank, if it's just a few inexpensive kits then it's probably not worth the hassle.
On a completed model I'd try a product called Modelstrip:
http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/modelstri...
It's a paste so can be applied locally if necessary.
If it's individual components, then immersing in brake fluid or Fairy Power Spray / Mr. Muscle for a day or so might work. Having said that, the last time I tried to remove ancient enamel paint from a model, nothing worked...
assuming you used polystyrene cement to assemble the kits, disassembly is a problem becasue the cement works by dissolving the plastic on both parts and melding them together - it's a bit like a weld. If too much glue was used the parts will usually snap apart along the glue line - the glue itself is very weak.
While it's tempting to rebuild old kits (here are two of mine):
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topi...
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topi...
If it's practice you're after, just buy some small Airfix kits and bodge them to your heart's content, they're cheap enough - in fact probably cheaper than a tub of Modelstrip in some cases!
Good Luck.
http://www.wonderlandmodels.com/products/modelstri...
It's a paste so can be applied locally if necessary.
If it's individual components, then immersing in brake fluid or Fairy Power Spray / Mr. Muscle for a day or so might work. Having said that, the last time I tried to remove ancient enamel paint from a model, nothing worked...
assuming you used polystyrene cement to assemble the kits, disassembly is a problem becasue the cement works by dissolving the plastic on both parts and melding them together - it's a bit like a weld. If too much glue was used the parts will usually snap apart along the glue line - the glue itself is very weak.
While it's tempting to rebuild old kits (here are two of mine):
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topi...
http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topi...
If it's practice you're after, just buy some small Airfix kits and bodge them to your heart's content, they're cheap enough - in fact probably cheaper than a tub of Modelstrip in some cases!
Good Luck.
Modelstrip definitely works - but it doesn't keep very well (it goes hard in the tub over time). If you can use the entire tub on a batch of old models, then it would make sense to use it.
I've also heard that brake fluid or Mr Muscle oven cleaner can remove enamel paint - although I've never used either so have no personal experience as to how effective they are.
I've also heard that brake fluid or Mr Muscle oven cleaner can remove enamel paint - although I've never used either so have no personal experience as to how effective they are.
Tesco trigger spray oven cleaner will usually take off the paint without doing any harm to the plastic, but as you have been told separating the parts from each other may well be very difficult.
Unless you are lucky, I was given an elderly Matchbox Wessex recently to strip and rebuild (I do admit to having a thing about Wessexeseseses) and after the stripper got to the model the tube glued parts fell apart easily too.
Good luck.
Unless you are lucky, I was given an elderly Matchbox Wessex recently to strip and rebuild (I do admit to having a thing about Wessexeseseses) and after the stripper got to the model the tube glued parts fell apart easily too.
Good luck.
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