Removing paint from a die-cast engine

[steve1946]

Many thanks to those of you who submitted sugestions for removing paint from the #2055 I am restoring.  The one suggestion I tried worked for me.  Castrol Super Clean did the job but there are a few cautions I learned in the process.  It is no long labeled Castrol but it is in a purple jug and it is called Super Clean.  Be sure to read the instructions.  I let the engine soak overnight and the liquid ate through the aluminum pan and ran into the sink leaving the pan empty, the locomotive dry and covered with a gross white powder and the bottom of the laundry room sink etched! After I cleaned up the mess I soaked the engine in a hot dish liquid soapy bath of water and did a lot of scrubbing to remove the white stuff.  When working with the Super Clean make sure you have a fan running, protective eye-wear and rubber gloves. Super Clean works good and fast but don't soak overnight unless it is a container other than aluminum.  Read the instructions.

 

Steve

[Firelock76]

Yikes!  What's IN that stuff?

[sir james I]

Man some good old fashion paint remover would have been so much simplier.

[tinplatacis]

sir james I

Man some good old fashion paint remover would have been so much simplier.

 

AGREED!!!

[teledoc]

I have used Super Clean exclusively for stripping diecast shells.  The one thing that should be mentioned is what to put it into, (not aluminum pan-disposable type).  My suggestion is to use a (yard sale/fleamarket find) baking dish, or what I have used, which is a rectangular plastic "spackle tray".  It is large enough to soak a complete engine, and the Super Clean can be re-used a few times, but will be rather dirty.  It works in usually less than 4 hours of soaking, and does work pretty fast.

If you have it scrubbed down to bare metal, when you are ready to paint, give it a quick wipe down with "Isopropyl Alcohol 90-91% if you can find it. That will get rid of any oils from your hands when handling the shell.  My preference is Krylon Ultra Maxx primer, followed by Krylon Satin Black.

[Firelock76]

Ummmm, hate to raise any paranoia here, but that stuff's (Super Clean) not going to have any long-term effects on die-cast, is it?

I mean, if it eats aluminum for breakfast, what's it going to have for lunch?

I don't think I'm going to bother with it.

[rtraincollector]

BURP!!

[LL675]

I have a brass wire wheel on my bench grinder. I took a junk section of a boiler shell, and it tok all the original paint off, and did not damage the casting in any way.

[webenda]

Firelock76

Yikes!  What's IN that stuff? 

SUPERCLEAN DEGREASER

Color: Clear, light purple

Ingredients:

Water (H2O)

• Appearance: Clear.

Sodiuim Metasilicate (Na2SiO3)

• Appearance: White powder. 
• Use: Precipitating colloidal particles so they do not reattach to the part being cleaned.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) 

• Appearance: White powder.
• Use: Drain cleaner. Does not attack iron, so iron pipes are safe. Eats brass, copper, zinc, tin, lead, aluminium, and beryllium. Our die cast trains made from alloys of Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium and Copper. After cleaning with SuperClean, our diecast engines should have a nice etched surface and hold paint really well.

Surfacant (Secret).

• Think-- 409, Simple Green or Laundry detergent.

Citrus oil.

• Use: helps soften and loosen grease, oil and grime.

[Firelock76]

Well, thanks for all the information!  Looks like Superclean's just the thing for cleaning and degreasing engine blocks or steel auto components, but after reading the above I've got serious reservations about using it on die-cast.

Should the day ever come I think I'll stick to a good grade of enamel paint remover and some serious elbow grease.

[TRAINCAT]

I use super clean to remove chrome plating from model car parts and to strip paint from them. It does not remove laquer well nor does it remove primer well. I use a heavy rubber maid type tray and a lid. I don't see this product as good for train engine shells. Oven cleaner, the really smelly type, works well.

Roger