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QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard Another product you might try... Simple Green... It is a all purpose cleaner/degreaser, found in almost all auto parts stores....will not harm plastic. I used it on a Bachman GP30, love it. As a test to see if it would harm plastic, I soaked a old scrap PA shell in it for over a year, just to see... No damage to the shell at all, and not a speck of paint, it even cleaned out the grill work. Take a jar or coffee can big enough to hold the shell, fill it 3/4 with simple green, drop in your shell, fill the rest of the way with water, close it and soak over night, use a soft tooth brush...you can re soak it as often as needed... The small amount of water you will add seems to activate the process, and I found that scrubbing the shell with a toothbrush and soap, then rinseing clean first makes it work better. I have yet to find a paint it does not release...last time I striped one, the factory paint came of in big sheets. The stuff is also great for cleaning just about anything you want too. I would stay away from brake fluid, it can ruin some plastics, as can alcohol and acetone....paint thinner, naptha, all of these are solvents. Pine-Sol, Simple Green, most of these types of cleaners use citric acid, either synthetic oil based, (pine-sol) or organic/natural, like simple green or the orange cleaners, as the cleaning agent. You will find that any area with a small defect in the paint, such as a scratch or where the paint is lightly applied, will release first. Where there is a scratch, or a hole, such as where grab irons were installed, this stuff works under the paint first, and destroys the bonding agent in the paint, where as brake fluid, and all the other solvents, disolve the plastic or the pigment in the paint itself, and if they can disolve the paint, they can disolve the plastic shell. As a added bonus, when your done, you can recycle it, just pour it through a old coffee filter to screen out the particulate, put it back in the jar for next time. Simple Green is non toxic, no gloves needed, although I would wear eye protection when scrubbing. Final step, rinse with tap water, then do a final rinse in distilled water, (no mineral deposits), let dry and paint. Try the simple green, or the pine-sol first, you have nothing to lose but a little time, and then, if they dont work, you can move on to other, more harsh products. Ed
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