Remove Paint on WE 500 Shell

[debeaune]

I have a nice pink 500 shell that someone painted black and was wondering if anyone had a technique for removing the black paint without damaging the pink that doesn't start with sanding.  I could probably sand it down but wanted to see what other options are out there.  Any advise would be welcomed, thank you.  Tim

[JorgeAmely]

I would try oven cleaner first.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Yes, try EasyOff first. If it's Polane, the EasyOff will flatten the finish at best. If it's spray paint, it will come off after a few applications of the solution.

If the plastic is ABS, it won't be affected at all. If it's Tenite, the finish will develop a 'snakeskin' pattern, and wetsanding will be required. Even though it roughens the surface, it's a lot easier than sanding the paint off.

[RotarDad]

I would recommend LA' s Totally Awesome cleaner, from the Dollar Store.  I am experimenting with a painted 500 bakelite cap right now.  This degreaser cleaner dissolves the paint slowly.  I've got the cap completely submerged in a small container, and see huge results in 24 hours.  About 90 percent of the paint is gone with some gentle fingernail nudging.  Next I plan to find a 500 sized container to submerge a painted Rose Beige shell.  First I need to try to preserve the date stamp somehow - a clearcoat that is not impacted by the cleaner perhaps?

All credit for this approach goes to Bellsystemchristian here.  He pioneered use of this cleaner on both a Med. Blue and Oxford Gray 500 with very good results.  He posted about both projects.

[jsowers]

First I need to try to preserve the date stamp somehow - a clearcoat that is not impacted by the cleaner perhaps?

Would Vaseline work? It does when bleaching, but I haven't tried any other processes to know.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

I would recommend LA' s Totally Awesome cleaner, from the Dollar Store.  I am experimenting with a painted 500 bakelite cap right now.  This degreaser cleaner dissolves the paint slowly.  I've got the cap completely submerged in a small container, and see huge results in 24 hours.  About 90 percent of the paint is gone with some gentle fingernail nudging.  Next I plan to find a 500 sized container to submerge a painted Rose Beige shell.  First I need to try to preserve the date stamp somehow - a clearcoat that is not impacted by the cleaner perhaps?

All credit for this approach goes to Bellsystemchristian here.  He pioneered use of this cleaner on both a Med. Blue and Oxford Gray 500 with very good results.  He posted about both projects.

Thanks for the credit; I don't really deserve it!

I almost forgot about LA's Totally Awesome! The stuff works well, but you need to have a large bowl or container to hold it in, plud fit the housing in somehow. Also, the chipping off gets pretty irritating pretty fast. Not really an issue, but it seeks impatience like you wouldn't believe!

Worst case, soak the housing in the solution, and start sanding it. The paint becomes soft and easy to loosen off the housing.

[HarrySmith]

From the looks of the overspray it appears to be a rattle can paint job. Any of the suggested cleaners plus many more will probably work to soften it up and some elbow grease  to remove it. The last phone I had that was painted that way I soaked in CLR overnight and the paint wiped right off with a sponge. Denatured alcohol will probably produce the same result. Also Citri-Strip works very well with no odor!

[debeaune]

Great ideas, thank you all.  Will jump on it later this weekend. Take care

[RotarDad]

Jonathan - A late reply to your Vasaline idea to protect the date stamp: I'm guessing the oil-based Vasaline will be dissolved by the degreaser, but not sure.  I may simply try to keep the date stamp out of the cleaner since it's near an edge.  The Vasaline idea might be a good protector in that case.  Thanks for the idea.

[TelePlay]

If you need something stronger than Vaseline to protect a date, I've found that pure lanolin is thicker and tougher than Vaseline. I use pure lanolin on dry skin in the winter and after rubbing it on, I can not get it off my hands. It comes off but takes a bit strong "soap" and a lot of rubbing under water to get if off. I've used it to protect dates. And, it comes off plastic a lot easier than skin. It might stand up to paint removers better than Vaseline.

It's a bit pricey but a little goes a long way. You can find it in any pharmacy or on line. The first image is the stuff I use, found at Walgreens but cheaper at Target and the second is what it looks like from this eBay listing:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pure-Lanolin-Anhydrous-USP-GRADE-You-Pick-Size-1-oz-and-Up-/390661057604