Removing Paint From a Modelhaus Resin Kit With SuperClean and Ultrasonic Cleaner

[impcon]

I have an old Modelhaus '59 Chevy 2 door wagon that I had started to paint a number of years ago. I'd like to remove the paint that I put on ( Automotive Acrylic Enamel over lacquer primer ) and start from scratch but I have reservations that the Castrol Super Clean may damage the old resin. I use an ultrasonic cleaner for stripping and the solvent is heated to just above my body temperature and that seems to really help with removing paint. Has anyone ever used Super Clean on Modelhaus resins??

Edited May 31, 2022 by impcon
typo

[Mark]

I would never soak resin in anything in order to remove paint.

Is it just a poor paint job that you'd like to re-do, or do you want to change color?

For the former, would it be possible to clean it, scuff it, and re-shoot?  Or is there too much paint on it now?

If it's the latter, and the paint on it now is good, I'd leave it alone.  Just my opinion though.

[SfanGoch]

Are you planning to soak the parts in a tub of Castrol Super Clean? In short, DON'T! Resin is porous and will absorb the cleaner. The chemicals will cause the resin to become soft and rubbery. There is no way to reverse this and you'll end up with an expensive mess. Get Testors ELO. All you need to do is brush it on the paint and wait until the paint wrinkles. Then, wash off the lifted paint, using a toothbrush and dishwashing liquid.

[espo]

I lost a resin body doing just what you're thinking of to remove paint. The Super Clean turned it into mush. Might be the best thing is to just sand the body and re-scribe the panel lines. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

This is part of the reason why I really dislike working with resin.

Some years ago, I stripped some paint off of an older Modelhaus resin ‘56 Cadillac with Easy Off oven cleaner.

No apparent immediate damage, but some years later when I pulled it out again, it was full of cracks.

In all fairness, I don’t know if this was due to the oven cleaner, or just age, but I’ve heard enough horror stories about resin and some of the strange things that it will do over time, to give me real pause about investing too much time or money into resin kits.

 

 

 

 

Steve

[impcon]

Thank you all for your wise counsel and advice. The old adage about walking through a mine field really does apply too striping models - when walking through a mine field, it is always best to walk in the foot prints of someone who has gone before you. With the cost of most resin " kits" - especially old and obsolete ones, one can't be too careful. And then there is always the chance that what works on a model from one caster may not work on something from someone else because not everyone does everything the same way. I have no idea where to buy Testors ELO and I am not paying $19.19 ( U.S. ) for an 8 ounce can of it and then $22.00+ for shipping into Canada. I have no issues with the cost of the ELO but these postage costs are getting out of hand.  I shipped two car models into the U.S. a week ago and the cost was over $50.00. So it's sandpaper and lotsa patience and time, I guess. Thanks again,,

[stitchdup]

If you are not in a hurry, la's totally awesome cleaner will remove old paint and not damage the resin. Its takes a couple of months as its fairly mild compared to the others. I've had a resin body sitting in some for nearly a year now and theres no damage to it

[MrObsessive]

1 hour ago, stitchdup said:

If you are not in a hurry, la's totally awesome cleaner will remove old paint and not damage the resin. Its takes a couple of months as its fairly mild compared to the others. I've had a resin body sitting in some for nearly a year now and theres no damage to it

Yes, that is good stuff! I needed chrome stripped off a '57 Imperial front bumper and it did the job (Easy-Off wouldn't touch it). It didn't take quite that long...........maybe a week or so and the chrome was off. It's also not expensive in the least. I got mine at our local Dollar Store for something like $2 for a big jug.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Another possible solution would be to use the thinner for the paint used and say cotton balls to strip the paint.