Grit Blasting

[Anonymous]

I have been thinking about getting a grit blaster to strip decorated models instead of the the old brake fluid and other strippers.
Any comments on that? Any suggestions on where and what to get?

[dano99a]

SAVE MONEY!!

Buy 91% isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol) (99 cents at the grocery store) let a model soak in a tupperware dish for about 15 minutes and the paint comes right off with a little helpfrom a old tooth brush!

Let it soak over an hour and the paint will fall off, rub off with your finger.

Just be sure to get the 91% stuff NOT the 70%
No, it will not harm the plastic of the model at all, I've soaked loco shells that had 3 coats of old paint on them over night and everytthing turned out great.

Enjoy and use the money on an engine or something. [:)]

[AntonioFP45]

Is this unit similar to a sand blaster or a plastic bead blaster? What kind of air pressure does it run?

I would suggest asking the vendor to give you a demonstration before investing in a unit. If he or she is agreeable to it, take an old model "shell" that you don't mind using as a "lab tester". (I have 3 or 4 old LifeLIke car and loco shells to test paint on [:p][^] )

If it works out well, this would be a time saver, but beware that on some of the higher quality models the plastic shells and the paint on them are "thinner" than in the past. So you have to check carefully for "surface marring". [8)]

BTW: Just like Dano, I'm using the 91% alcohol for stripping cars. Bought two bottles at Walgreens, cheap. As I type this I have a passenger car shell "Standing By" to take a swim. It's an HO Bachmann Metroliner (no longer made) that I'm painting and "metalizing" to Penn Central.

Hope it works out for you! Peace out! [;)][8D][:D][:)]