Purple Power to strip paint

[Harry P.]

I had to strip some parts after a spray painting "incident"...

So I got a gallon of Purple Power at Walmart. I was sort of wondering if it would work, because there have been posts here from people who said it won't strip paint. I left the pieces to soak overnight, and just now I took them out and rinsed them off. The paint literally washed right off, every bit of it, in all the "nooks and crannies" too. The stuff could not have worked any better!

So what's up with the posts that say the stuff doesn't work? One person said that there was literally NO effect after soaking. How can one person say it doesn't work, and for another person (me) it works perfectly? Does it only work on certain types of paint?

[mopar1]

Sometimes its the paint your trying to take off some wont come off with it or it takes a few times to get it off.Also i bought it at the dollar store and i couldnt get that stuff take anything off just changes the paint shade.

[dannyi]

I would say it works on certain paints and possibly how long it's been on. I soaked a couple of rim that had paint on them in purple power for two days and it didn't work. Those rim were painted 30+ years ago.

[sjordan2]

I needed to strip chrome parts. Overnight in the Purple Pond and done with no problem.

[Lownslow]

I would say it works on certain paints and possibly how long it's been on. I soaked a couple of rim that had paint on them in purple power for two days and it didn't work. Those rim were painted 30+ years ago.

i got one car that refused to budge and it soaked for a week. took 2 turns in easy off to get it back to platic

[RickRollerLT1]

Like everyone said, it depends on the paint used. It can remove testors, tamiya, and etc pretty easily, but it takes longer with older paint or acrylic/lacquers, along with brush painted parts regardless of when they were painted.

[Zoom Zoom]

Because it works on some paints and not others.

It works especially well on enamels.

[Harry P.]

Because it works on some paints and not others.

It works especially well on enamels.

I guess I got lucky, then... because it worked flawlessly. (Krylon paint).

[mr cheap]

be very careful purple power has 4 differnt levels of strenght the cheap stuff to commercial grade you cut it with water 1 to 6 makes a 200k truck look new.. i got a 3rd dirge burn took 3 weeks to heal . go with god

[Ryan S.]

I've found that is doesn't really like metallic paints (at least not old stuff) or old acrylic black. Other than that I've had no problems either.

As an aside, my nearest Wal-Mart stopped selling it for a while but when I was in there the other day they had a whole rack of it again, so I bough a jug of it. Nice to have as I was down to just a tiny bit of uses stuff.

[george 53]

Harry, I left a Revell Pre Painted 63 Chevy lo rider in PP for at LEAST TWO months, and it didn't touch the paint! After haveing to scrape at it with my thumbnail, it FINALLY must've worked it's way UNDER the paint, an then it started to work. But it was at least another two weeks of soaking to get the paint to finally come off! THAT kit is the ONLY time I've had PP NOT work!!!!!!

[Harry P.]

Harry, I left a Revell Pre Painted 63 Chevy lo rider in PP for at LEAST TWO months, and it didn't touch the paint! After haveing to scrape at it with my thumbnail, it FINALLY must've worked it's way UNDER the paint, an then it started to work. But it was at least another two weeks of soaking to get the paint to finally come off! THAT kit is the ONLY time I've had PP NOT work!!!!!!

Apparently the stuff works on some types of paint, not so much on others.

I must have just got lucky; it worked for me (it took off Krylon paint perfectly).

[Nick Notarangelo]

Will it work on Tamiya spray,cause I got a whole rack I sprayed gloss red last summer and it bubbled badly.??

[Jantrix]

I have posted this tip many times.

If you encounter a paint that is resistant to Super Clean/Purple Power, like cured lacquers can be, sand down to the primer in 6 or 7 spots and let the chemical attack the primer. No primer I have ever used is resistant to this stuff. The chemical (lye I believe) will attack the primer and the paint will slough off like snake skin.

If you used Testors One Coat Lacquers without primer, 91% alcohol is very effective.

Between these two products, you should have no problems stripping anything and they are easily disposed of when it comes time.

[bobcrozier]

I use mainly brake fluid to strip and it usually works well with most paints. The only thing that seems to hold it back is Humbrol clear coat (acrylic), but yeah if I rub the clear coat down a bit it seems to grab it and then the paint underneath goes quick.

Bob

[Guest]

One paint I know for sure PP or WBW won't work on is the AMT pre painted kits. Not sure what kind of paint it is,but I think it's maybe acrylic enamel?

[Zoom Zoom]

One paint I know for sure PP or WBW won't work on is the AMT pre painted kits. Not sure what kind of paint it is,but I think it's maybe acrylic enamel?

Not sure if it's the same, but the Polar Lights prepainted bodies stripped in minutes dunked in 91% rubbing alcohol (isopropyl). 99% works too. 70%...not likely.

The stronger alcohol seems to work very well on those prepainted plastic bodies, and Tamiya spray lacquers.

[935k3]

Here is a simple guide of what to use to strip. Note that most pre-painted kits are some type of fast drying lacquers. For Krylon use 91% Alcohol to strip the color coats and Purple Power for the primer.

Lacquers- 91% Alcohol

Enamels and most primers- Purple Power or Easy-OFF(Yellow Can)

Tamiya Acrylics and Future- Ammonia

All other Acrylics- 91% Alcohol

[Guest]

Not sure if it's the same, but the Polar Lights prepainted bodies stripped in minutes dunked in 91% rubbing alcohol (isopropyl). 99% works too. 70%...not likely.

The stronger alcohol seems to work very well on those prepainted plastic bodies, and Tamiya spray lacquers.

I need to give the alcohol a try then. Where's the best place to pick up the 91%? All I have seen when I was out is the 70%. I'm obviously not looking in the right places. I also have never been able to find Dawn Power Dissolver that cleans the clearcoat under chrome off.