Stripping Dupli-color paint & primer
 

help! i need to remove my paint because my old paint job turned out horribly :(. what should i use to strip the paint? i tried Oops but it only took off the clear coat for some reason. Please help me!

ok with the opps u must soak it believe me i no striped mine for the second time last nite then when it has sat for 20 mins it slids off
if u dont have enough put enough on a spong and let it sit on the car
then scrub

ok, thanks:)

OOps?
All the oops i have is paist.
does it come in any other form?

Brake fluid works too, but you MUST remove ALL screws from the plastic, otherwise it will crack.

so, i soak it in brake fluid or what.
wouldn't nail polish remover work?
I could use acetone or paint thinner that i have but i think it would eat the plastic too.

nail polish remover fogs plastic, paint thinner works, but is strong, so use it sparringly, oops is the best, can be found at walmart.. although id recomend waiting a few days before visiting a walmart, its suicide there now.

on a random note, be careful with opps, i left a model car body in it for a week (forgot about it) and by the time i got to it it was just a ball out goup..

ok, im going after the oops.

a good paint job is a very long process. especially if it's done unprofessionally. for me i think taking time is the best. what i do is just sand it with sandpaper. using different grit sandpaper will help a lot. i use is a 400 grit which is rough enough not to make deep scratches into the body. i'll give you a list of things and a procedure that works for me.

materials:sandpaper(grit size 400,320,2000)

spray can and primer(automotive paint/primer recommended such as duplicolor)

compound(tamiya polishing compound:Finish recommended. not sure if could be found in U.S. from what i've been told. any type of tamiya compound would do.)

car wax(any type)

procedure:1) sand all paint off with 400 grit
2) sand again with 320 grit
3) sand once more with 2000 grit (important not to miss any spots. may cause unwanted scratch looks when painting.)
4) time to primer everything(be sure not to primer it too thick. if there's too many layers, it can cause lines on the body or whatever detail to disappear)
5) let it set for a day or so(or blow dry it for like 5 or more minutes)
6) after you let it sit, wetsand the primer with 2000 grit just to make it smooth so you'll have a cleaner paint job.(if you sanded too much in some spots, you can always go paint that area with primer and sand again)
paint info: painting is all about having the least layers as possible and even horizontal spraying movement. starting from the beginning to the end is very crucial. NEVER START SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE BEGINNING AND END.
7) first spray should be quick like a mist just to get a little bit of paint on. (blow drier is useful to quicken the process of painting. and painting it by holding it at the mounting points will make it easier.)
8) just repeat everything in step 7 until you decide its enough. remember not to overspray and keep the layers to a minimum to keep the body lines/detail on car.
9) let it totally dry for about a couple days
10) Optional: clear coat
11) you may see small orange peel (small enough orange peel to be smooth but not smooth enough) very small orange peel should be the outcome if steps are followed correctly. this is where your tamiya or whatever company compound comes in.
12) spread the compound over every part of the car. let it sit for half a day or so and then rub it off with a lint free cloth. (compound is a gloss eater. it just eats up enough of the gloss to make it smooth. whatever you do, don't be tempted to blow dry it to make the process go faster!! it will make the reaction occur too fast and it will eat up all the gloss. which will leave you a flat color.)
13) almost there. all you got to do is wax it to give it the slick look and then you're done. you should have a clean paint job now.:cool:

it's all about patience. if you have any questions or anything just email me at eckoballa2k3@aol.com with a subject saying you're from tinyrc or instant message me on aim- aznstrtlegend

Having stripped 4 separate bodies (redoing my two bodies), here's what I've found:
Thinner sucks. I used some petroleum distillate thinner from a model shop (~$8) that worked OK with soaking but took some work. So decided to go cheap and try a big tub of mineral spirit-based paint thinner. This absolutely sucked. I rubbed some paint off, but not enough to get to the plastic.
I got turned onto something called ELO (Easy Lift-Off) at another hobby place for about $10. This stuff works like a charm. It's alcohol based, so it won't harm plastic like the thinner will (although they still don't recommend soaking). Basically, you can dip your car in it, let it sit for about 10 minutes, and the paint comes off about like wiping off elmer's glue with a paper towel. It took a few iterations to get all the paint, but it was the best stripper that I've used.

I found ELO on the web, but what stores carry it that I can go to?
Hobby Lobby?

FWIW, I suggested denatured alcohol to a friend of mine who couldn't find ELO (both are alcohol), and he said it worked extremely well. You can pick up denatured alcohol anywhere you can get paint, whether it be Sherwin Williams or Wal-Mart, and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than ELO (a small 8x4x2" can is $11 while a gallon jug of alcohol is under $10)