Decal (?) Removal Problem

Mr. Trainiac Dec 26, 2019

  1. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    I am working on a Branchline REA reefer right now. I got it in the 1947 as-delivered silver and green. The application of the silver paint was pretty bad; you could see the green plastic through it. I am in the process of stripping it and repainting it, but the green stripe won’t come off. I soaked in in 91% isopropyl alcohol and scrubbed the paint off with a toothbrush, but the lettering and striping are still there. I’m not sure if they are decals or not, but whatever they are, they won’t come off. I have Microset on them now, but nothing is really happening. Anybody else have an idea on how to get them off?
     
  2. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    SP-Wolf likes this.
  3. wvgca

    wvgca TrainBoard Member

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    is it actually a decal, or something like a pad print ??
     
  4. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    It might be a pad print. There are two smears on the red pinstriping, and it has a slightly grainy finish when you look at it under the light. You can see that I tried scraping at parts of it. The silver paint is gone, but the rest of it still looks brand new. image.jpg
     
  5. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    I figured it out. I thought about what other chemicals I hadn’t tried yet, and arrived at nail polish remover. I don’t have pure acetone at home, so nail polish remover is the closest thing since acetone is the active ingredient. I put a few drops on the stripe and let it soak for a minute. It scrubbed off with a cotton swab. I will have to do this in sections since I don’t want to pour a bunch of nail polish remover all over the car. image.jpg
     
  6. wvgca

    wvgca TrainBoard Member

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    nail polish remover is a pretty strong solvent, if you leave it on too long you probably will melt the car [or at least the fine detail] on it ..
     
    dalebaker likes this.
  7. dalebaker

    dalebaker TrainBoard Member

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    That was my first thought as well. It will definitely soften the plastic. You might try the Dot 3 Brake Fluid method of soaking the car in that.
     
  8. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    I was concerned about losing detail too, which is why I tried to not use too much. The paint came off without issue, though it was time consuming. All of the weld beads and door detail look just as they did before, so there was no damage to the model. You can see a faint stripe in the plastic from where the stripes were. That will not scrub off, and I think it is part of the plastic. The pad printed stripes may have been of an enamel or lacquer paint that adheres to the plastic, leaving the stain or texture. That may also explain why it didn’t come off like acrylic paint with isopropyl. image.jpg
     
  9. RailMix

    RailMix TrainBoard Member

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    I have used brake fluid in the past, but liked the Scalecoat product better. Good to know it's still available. Have never tried nail polish remover.
     
  10. Shortround

    Shortround TrainBoard Member

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    Must get myself some of that Scalecoat because finding engines and car from this area is impossible. So may as well strip them and repaint in local colors.
     
  11. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    I keep my Scalecoat remover in a plastic spaghetti container so I can submerse a car or loco shell up to HO scale 80ft no problem, usually don't even have to scrub but just a little.
     
  12. JimJ

    JimJ Staff Member

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    I’m old school. Toss it in a jar of brake fluid. Give it a toothbrush scrub every 30 minutes or so. Don’t let that crap melt your plastic by leaving it in too long. Last step is scrubbing the model with warm soapy water.
     
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  13. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member

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    I use DOT3 brake fluid too, and its pretty cheap too. I clean my paint bottles n lids in the stuff so they can be reused.
     
    JimJ likes this.

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