Remove clearcoat from Brass Model

[robert.]

Easy off oven cleaner. I use this on antique bronze sculptor to remove all knew of coatings .

[De Bruin]

Yes- Easy Off, basically aerosal lye works great on thick acrylic coats on virtually any carbody material that at least I have used it on.
Mostly wood and metal to be honest though.
Caveat is it also "works" on mil-surp rifle furniture grime , baked-on pork-beef-poultry tallow and human skin.
But good suggestion nevertheless as my alternate nuke option with acetate is worse.
If you go that route my experience is you have soak off the residue in H20 alternating with rubbing down repeatedly, a lot
as the residue is as nasty as Strip-eeze.

[sarge]

To be clear, my suggestions were only intended for brass (diecast probably fine, though).

In that usage, Stripeez is easy. A thorough rinse with hot water and a toothbrush (Caution to the winds! How many tomes say, "use an old toothbrush"? You can afford the loco you're stripping and a good airbrush and compressor and you can't buy a new toothbrush with some stiffness in the bristles for the job? ) to remover the scum which you will get no matter the chemical stripping method because it is the desolved paint, which is the idea. Afterwards, another wash or a trip through the dishwasher (set with hot water) with no soap.

Stripeez is easier to clear off than brakefluid, and anything you find that will do this job chemically rather than mechanically is inherently messy and unkind to your skin or bits.

I've never tried Easy-off, so I'll add that to my list (gotta learn something new even at my age). Thank you!

I learned much about the painting trade from a marvelous painter, Roy Schnoor. He is the one that instilled that "wait a minute" notion about clearcoats in me, and it has stood me in very good stead over the years. The whole thing about the religious stripping because "everyone says so" (what is it, some Kalmbach book?) makes as much sense as the nonsense in books about you have to size DCC decoders by testing for stall-current draw. Looking at it sensibly might lead you down a different and more sensible path.

If its solid I shoot a colour coat and inspect. A vast majority of the time the coat is as good as your eyes told you, and away you go. When the occasional time comes its too thick, or has runs, or hairs, or whatever, its the same effort whether you put that colour on it or not, and often it's easier to tell you have it off cleanly and completely if you have put a colour on.

No matter how you strip it, its a messy ugly job. I go against the mainstream wisdom, never had a return or a complaint, and still love painting (for myself and a select few) after decades. If every job started with a nasty strip and either a sore back standing before the booth or lye-burns where a little splash got on my forearm, I would have come to loathe painting many years ago.

Now, stripping DPO paint jobs, there's a different kettle of fish...

[Robert]

I'm content with Sarge's initial recommendations.

I will make sure it's all squeaky clean, and accept the existing clear coat as a reasonable starting point.

Once a paint coat is applied I'll make the decision as to whether to proceed with decals, or a better stripping is needed.

I'm not after a museum quality paint job...just as nice a job as my personal skills can accomplish.

Robert

[Rufus T. Firefly]

.............. "use an old toothbrush"? You can afford the loco you're stripping and a good airbrush and compressor and you can't buy a new toothbrush with some stiffness in the bristles for the job?

Well, do consider the audience there that will when seeing a $100 bill for sale for $10 will invariably ask if it's available for $1.

Personally, I prefer to use a small soft brass wire brush. I will confess however that my airbrush is at the bottom of the barrel and that my compressor was salvaged from an old A-60 or T-60 NMR instrument and adapted to my needs which are kept to the minimal.

I probably can't afford the loco either either psychologically or it simply falls outside the boundary conditions

The whole thing about the religious stripping........

Might get more folks to attend (or run away...) from church, but I suspect it might beat snake handling.

[milepost57]

There are as many methods of painting brass as there are recipes at a country pie contest. Some remove the lacquer, some don’t. some use primer and some don’t. there are many methods of cleaning and preparing the brass surface. For example, bead blasting using aluminum oxide. Using vinegar, cleaning with dish washing detergent, putting the model in a dishwasher, using an ultra-sonic cleaner etc…
This is my method for painting brass cars:
If the car is lacquered I will always remove it as it may contain dirt particles that will not show up until the paint is applied. Some lacquer can also be very thick obscuring fine details. Quite a few times I have had to do repair work on the car and soldering on it has burned the lacquer coating dark.
Using a metal pan I will start with a liquid paint remover. This works most of the time. I have had lacquer coatings that where more difficult to remove completely and resorted to using a more powerful gel type paint remover.
Then I wash all the paint remover off using a stiff brush and detergent. Rinse the model under running water and in a sink.
Next, I will treat the brass using phosphoric acid. You can get this at home depot. I used to use a product call metal conditioner made by Dupont. This is no longer available as Dupont combined the etching chemical into the primer and eliminated the metal conditioner product. Phosphoric acid will do the same thing. It will clean and etch the brass surface helping the paint to stick. Warning: DO NOT GET THIS STUFF ON YOUR SKIN.
You will then notice that the brass is now shinny like a new penny and it now important to not touch it with your fingers. Use non-powder latex gloves.
Now for the primer debate. I always prime using scalecoat gray color. This is not a true primer that is used as a substrate to adhere to the brass. It’s just a undercoating of paint that help me when applying the final paint color. Some colors such as yellow or white are very difficult to apply to bare brass. It will effect the final color shade. This also helps to make sure that the final colors get full even coverage and that I don’t miss spots. Before applying the primer color use a tack cloth all over the car to make sure you get all the dust off. Just blowing air will not do it as it may be clinging to the model by static.
After the primer color Is applied I will bake it on in the kitchen over at the lowest setting 170 degrees for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and let it sit until completely cooled. By doing this the paint will be very hard and durable. I have tested it and the paint Is very tough and had to scratch off.
Now you can paint the final color and bake again.
Decal the car at this point.
For overcoat I like my model to be satin. Not to shinny and not to flat. I will use a 50/50 mix of scalecoat flat and gloss. No baking that this point