whats the fastest way to remove brushed on acrylic

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Tue Feb 09, 2010 1:47 pm

my apollo LEM adaptor section interior was hand brushed with model master acrylic yellow zinc chromate and it has streaks and uneven areas. I primed it with tamiya fine white primer but it looks terrible and i want to remove that acrylic paint and spray it with something else. trying to hand brush such a large area was not a good idea. I tried looking at the paint removal thread but did not see anything on acrylics. what is the fastest method to remove all this ugly paint ?

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 1:50 pm

Windex.

TREKKRIFFIC · Post by **TREKKRIFFIC** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:47 pm

Denatured alcohol

macfrank · Post by **macfrank** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 3:20 pm

Another vote for denatured alcohol - especially if it's dried Model Master Acryl.

Windex works OK on simpler acrylics like Tamiya or Gunze Sangyo, but works very slowly on dried and cured Acryl.

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Tue Feb 09, 2010 4:01 pm

It IS dried

I have some windshield washer fluid that says protects to minus 20 degrees, it says de icer on it, anything in that washer fluid that could harm anything ? the ingredients are, water, & methyl alchohol. OR would windex be better ? how long does a soak in this stuff take usually ?

the paint has been on for less than 24 hours

macfrank · Post by **macfrank** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:05 pm

BERT aka MODEL MAKER wrote:It IS dried :? I have some windshield washer fluid that says protects to minus 20 degrees, it says de icer on it, anything in that washer fluid that could harm anything ? the ingredients are, water, & methyl alchohol. OR would windex be better ? how long does a soak in this stuff take usually ?

the paint has been on for less than 24 hours

Windshield wiper fluid makes a good thinner for many acrylics but it is not the same as Windex. Windex has ammonia in it, and that removes the acrylic. A soak in windshield wiper fluid would probably just get the paint wet.

With dried Acryl and Windex you will have to scrub away at the paint, while making sure it's covered, or soak the part for a long time.

With denatured alcohol, it'll come off with only a little scrubbing. If you let it sit in a small container of denatured alcohol, the paint should start to come off by itself in 5-10 minutes. I usually just put it on, wait a few seconds then rub the paint off. Some tenacious bits may require going after with the alcohol and a brush.

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Tue Feb 09, 2010 7:34 pm

is that the same as rubbing alcohol ? isopropyl ? or is denatured alcohol special stuff ?

TREKKRIFFIC · Post by **TREKKRIFFIC** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 7:59 pm

BERT aka MODEL MAKER wrote:is that the same as rubbing alcohol ? isopropyl ? or is denatured alcohol special stuff ?

It's like super strong alcohol. You can find it at the hardware store. Be careful with it though as it's poisonous. So wear gloves and don't drink too much of it.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:12 pm

It's just pure alcohol/ethanol with added chems to stop people from drinking it. There are 2 main forms of alcohol, ethanol & Isopropyl.

Stu Pidasso · Post by **Stu Pidasso** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:58 pm

Fire.

What? You asked for the quickest...

Marco Scheloske · Post by **Marco Scheloske** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:38 am

Dowanol.

This stuff is the main part of the more or less new "Revell airbrush clean" - and it removes ANY kind of paint within seconds (really!) without harming polystyrene or resin.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:56 am

Fun stuff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowanol

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Thu Feb 11, 2010 4:42 pm

I will have to try that airbrush cleaner. sounds like it will save a lot of soaking time.

Marco Scheloske · Post by **Marco Scheloske** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 12:09 am

BERT aka MODEL MAKER wrote:I will have to try that airbrush cleaner. sounds like it will save a lot of soaking time.

Indeed.

Lord Darth Beavis · Post by **Lord Darth Beavis** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 5:09 pm

Most benign, and smells nice too: Simple Green. That stuff takes EVERYTHING off--acrylic, rattle-can enamel...I bet it'd take lacquer off, too, if I let it soak long enough!

BERT aka MODEL MAKER · Mon Feb 15, 2010 6:13 pm

Thank you !!!

Apollo Adama · Post by **Apollo Adama** » Tue Feb 16, 2010 12:12 am

Straight up Ammonia works too (just read the back of a bottle of Future), but the fumes are rough .

tmajor · Post by **tmajor** » Sat May 08, 2010 11:08 pm

I had success getting acrylic off by soaking in Oxy-clean.

Lt. Z0mBe · Post by **Lt. Z0mBe** » Fri May 21, 2010 5:19 am

BERT aka MODEL MAKER wrote:is that the same as rubbing alcohol ? isopropyl ? or is denatured alcohol special stuff ?

Denatured alcohol is ethanol (drinking alcohol) with a bit of methanol (also known as methyl alcohol) to make it "denatured," and thus, non-drinkable.

Rubbing alcohol is 70-percent isopropyl alcohol, with the remainder being 30-percent distilled water.

Windshield washer fluid is, for the most part, water (about 75-percent) with the remainder being methanol.

I hope this helps.

Kenny

Post by **TER-OR** » Fri May 21, 2010 12:42 pm

Methanol won't make it undrinkable, but very nasty to your body. Things like triethyl citrate, various glycols etc. are added.

Denaturing is designed to add something unpalatable to the alcohol so if you dilute it down to standard drinking strength (50 proof or lower) you will spit it out because it's so nasty.

Use 99% Isopropyl alcohol instead of denatured alcohol. Windex with ammonia is my go-to means for removing acrylic.