Paint stripping

(Enamel and Acrylic)

By Steve Bamford

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Here's the basic stuff needed....also include a soft bristle toothbrush

I am a Master at messing up paint jobs.  So this has also meant I've mastered the fine art of removing paint from models to undo my latest airbrush disaster.  In this case the part is a 1/48 fuselage half from an ICM Spitfire Mk9 that I tried to do an Acrylic paint wash over enamel paint and I ended up with a ruined paint job on the cockpit sidewall.  Below I will lay out the basic steps to this simple job.

First a few safety points.

• Oven cleaner is nasty stuff.  I did this job the first time without using gloves.......the skin on my hands didn't have any sense of touch for a week.....WEAR GLOVES.
• Use the pump type Easy Off Oven Cleaner...there are less fumes.  But you must still wear a respirator and have a fan in the room you are working in.  Doing this job outside is a VERY good idea.
• Careful not to flick this stuff into your eyes when you are using the toothbrush.....either wear eye protection or move the toothbrush very slow and gently. 
• Do not touch the parts with your bare hands till after it has been fully cleaned and rinsed in slightly warm water.

First you put on your safety gear...turn on the fan and squirt the painted areas with a thick coating of Easy Off.  Now let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes....depending how old the paint is.  The paint in this article is Humbrol Enamel that is a few days old since airbrushing.....so it is very fresh paint.  Older paint will be harder and take slightly more effort to remove.
After waiting 30 to 60 minutes......take your old soft bristle "junk toothbrush" and slowly scrub the painted areas.  Be careful not to flick this stuff on your arms or face of in your eyes.  Wear eye protection.   Do not use this toothbrush for brushing your teeth or anything else after using it to strip paint.
This paint is new, so it comes off in the first try.  Older paint can take 2 or 3 tries to get it all off.
Rinse the part in slightly warm water.....not hot water....you don't want to damage the plastic part.
There's the finished part....down to bare plastic with no loss of detail.  If all the paint didn't come off...repeat the process till you get it all off.  Easy Off doesn't affect joints glued with Testors Tube glue and I'm sure it won't affect parts glued with other glues.

A few more points to be aware of.....

• If your final layer of filler is paint....like Mr Surfacer...then you'll also be stripping this off as well.

• Easy Off doesn't loosen joints, so it will not disassemble glued parts.

• Some people apply the Easy Off and put the part into a sealed plastic bag.  This is good for a single part, but bad if you are doing the exterior of a model, but don't want to strip the cockpit paint.  I've never found a need to put the parts in a plastic bag when stripping off the paint with Easy Off.  

• Do not leave Easy Off on a model for more than 30 to 60 minutes.  I've heard of Easy Off affecting some plastic.  I've NEVER had this problem myself....but it has happened to modellers I know, so be careful.

• Rinse parts well and wash with dishwashing soap to thoroughly remove all easy Off Residue 

• Please wear safety gear....this is very dangerous stuff.

Notice the red Autobody finishing filler that was only very slightly affected by the Easy Off.

Photos and Text © by Steve Bamford

If you'd like to use this article in a monthly club newsletter etc....all I ask is you e-mail me for permission.