I need some advice for painted plastic

[cliff2302]

Here's the deal. I just bought a nice 200x with good plastic, but its been painted over twice and looks real shitty. Is there any way i can get the paint off without ruining the plastic? its a shame because the plastic is crack free. thanks
Joe

[jenndnn3]

Yeah, your local hardware should carry some stuff called MEK. It will clean off the paint.

[jay]

i bought a yt175 for $25 and the guy had painted it camoflauge. looked like crap. i scraped every inch of the plastic. luckily i could use steel wool on the stickers and when i got done it looked good as new. alot of work though

[TimSr]

Yeah, your local hardware should carry some stuff called MEK. It will clean off the paint.

They also carry a hundred other brands of paint stripper, and they all work fine, wont hurt plastic, but will remove vinyl decals and stickers.

[mymint87]

i would say alot of work too....


usually strong solvents like M.E.K. will do a great job but jeapordize the restoration by allowing the chance of actially melting the plastic and dulling out the finish...

come to think of it...there are alot of professional restoration experts that are members of these forums....funny how you always see them on here showing their wares and indulging in hidious habit of self-promotion..


But you NEVER see them kicking down a few tricks of the trade that might help some of us "Flunk's" here in the forum

[jenndnn3]

I used MEK On plastics and it wont come no where near melting a plastic. It evaporates to fast. But Tim is correct, it takes stickers off. I actually use it just for that purpose, or one of many.

MEK IS a very good product to have around, Yeah its a chemical, but another use, those of you that have water in your gas tank. Drain and flush with MEK. Then refill with gas..

[edog]

To take the paint down by sanding it with a orbital sander.This wiil cut the time in half.Then when your done you can wet sand it down.I would only do this if the plastic wasn't cracked.And how rare the plastic is.Need plastic work done call .......Ha Ha Ha :-D

[TimSr]

come to think of it...there are alot of professional restoration experts that are members of these forums....funny how you always see them on here showing their wares and indulging in hidious habit of self-promotion..
But you NEVER see them kicking down a few tricks of the trade that might help some of us "Flunk's" here in the forum

No habits are so hidious as that of casting blanket attacks hidden by vagueness so as not to have attacks answered by whatever individuals they are meant for.

[ATCMedic]

This might sound a little crazy, but Castrol Super Clean does a great job of taking most acrylic and enamel paints off of plastic. A little light scrubbing with a nylon stiff bristle brush works like a charm. It has the added benefit that it won't harm the plastic. I've used it to clean several sets of fenders with good success. Use rubber gloves with it or it will dry out your skin.

[Kook]

There are very few chemicals you can buy off the shelf these days that are any more hazardous that methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). IF you use that crap, please do so outside, wear a respirator or at the very least use it in your garage with all the doors open. Also DO NOT light a cigarette or use it near any open flame. The vapors from MEK are more flammable than gasoline. PLEASE be careful with that stuff, it's been linked to more respiratory illnesses than you can imagine and is a very strong, known carcinogen (causes cancer). The methylene chloride in paint strippers is also hazardous to your health (again, use it outside, w/open doors or wear a respirator), but not explosively flammable like MEK.

[edog]

That mek is prone to starting on fire.I used to work at a place where they made vinal productd for atv in Mass.I saw this guy cleaning off one of the big rollers that this vinal comes off.Well anyway there was a tub that had MEK in it on wheels.The tub is spose to be grounded with a wire,Well it wasn't,the tub went up in flames and so did the guy.Not a nice site.After that people were very weary of what they were doing.So watch out,static electricity can cause it to catch on fire.

[cliff2302]

thanks for the advice guys, but i have a few questions. It i sand it with an orbital sander, what grit should i use? i just read one of the restorations and the guys said he uss a torch and burns the top layer of the plastic off? ahave any of you tried this? once again, thanks for all our help.
Joe

[vartiak15]

i would use 500, when you get close to the plastic. how deep is the paint 1/8 in or so?

[edog]

Don't use a torch what ever you do.That guy is on crack.