Removing Paint from Brass Engine

[knewsom]

I have a Brass locomotive that has an extremely bad paint job. I would like to take all of the paint off and shine up the brass. Is there a best way to strip the paint off of the brass and a good way to clean it up.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Virginian]

Disassemble it, make sure you remove any plastic pieces, and you can soak it in anything from acetone, to laquer thinner, to Pine Sol. Metal does have it's advantages. To clean up any underlying tarnish you may find, you can use Brasso on a Q-tip or one of the chemical dip tarnish removers. Remeber as soon as you get it down to clean brass, spray it with clear laquer as raw brass tarnishes very quickly.

[orsonroy]

Unfortunately, if you dip a brass model into a cleaning solution and then start scrubbing at it with a toothbrush, you might quickly discover that there are a lot of cold solder joints on the model, and parts will start falling off. And it'll be amazing if you actually end up with a shiny brass engine when all is said and done, considering all the bronze, solder, and annealed (and discolored) brass that's on most of them. That's why virtually all brass imports are painted in shiny brass paint.

I recommend a media blaster to remove the paint from the model, followed by a quick vinegar pickeling and a repaint. The results will be much better, and the model will look better once refinished.

[mikebonellisr]

I've gotten good results from using a Badger mini sand blast gun.It would help if you have a compressor with a regulator, but the job can be done with a can or two of propel.The sand blaster kit will run about $40-$45.The abrasive is reusable as long as it does'nt become too contaminated with the removed paint---A extra 5 lb. tub of abrasive should run about .$20.Remember that it is also good for other projects around the house,removing rust from tools,etc.__At least that's what I told MY wife.I bought mine from Micro-Mark a few years ago ,so the price may have changed+ or-.But I would guess+Then do as suggested above