Hello,
I've been slowly starting on another secondhand 'project' locomotive which I purchased, in this case an older Mantua 0-4-0 switcher. It runs well enough (especially after installing new magnets in the motor!) but it's exterior needs a bit of work.
I'm still a beginner in many ways, but I really think I would like to learn how to repaint it (partly as practice), though I'm not exactly sure what's the best way to do it. Stripping the paint sounds like the best option (especially as how the old paint is flaking off around several edges of the metal shell, and the entire loco was only given one solid coat of black anyway, blah). I don't know what it was painted with, though, and so I'm worried about using the wrong thing to take it off (after having read some things elsewhere...). Besides the boiler shell, the cylinders were coated in some dark-brownish-blackish substance which partly allows the metal underneath to show through (in other words, it reminds me of the look of something that's been evenly tarnished; except that it is some kind of coating).
Is there a good (or maybe even cheap?) product out there that might be good for removing whatever might be on a given engine? Does the paint/coating matter, or just whatever the material is underneath (plastic, zamac, brass, etc.)?
Thanks for any feedback!
Low cost options:
1. If this is a metal shell, automotive lacquer thinner usually works very well in paint stripping metal model railroad equipment shells. I had success with it in stripping a metal S-scale Pennsy K4 for a friend of mine years back. Check at your local autobody supply store. "Wash" lacquer thinner (used to clean spray guns) usually ranges between $12-$20 per gallon, depending upon which part of the USA you live in.
2. 91% Isopropanyl alcohol. Submerge the shell in a tub or container. I posted years back). If you take this route, make sure the bottle shows 91%, not 70%. Of course, the shells in the link are plastic, but if the paint on your unit is similar then it should come off as well.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/146219.aspx
3. Superclean - available at Walmart. Also very effective in paint stripping most enamel and lacquer paint off of scake model shells.
For scrubbing keep a medium bristle toothbrush handy. The Dollar store versions work just fine. You may also need tooth picks to reach stubborn paint flakes in corners.
Hope this is helpful!
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
A good article on paint strippers:
http://www.bonediggers.com/1-3/strip/strip.html
One man with courage is a majority!
AntonioFP45 Low cost options: 1. If this is a metal shell, automotive lacquer thinner usually works very well in paint stripping metal model railroad equipment shells. I had success with it in stripping a metal S-scale Pennsy K4 for a friend of mine years back. Check at your local autobody supply store. "Wash" lacquer thinner (used to clean spray guns) usually ranges between $12-$20 per gallon, depending upon which part of the USA you live in. 2. 91% Isopropanyl alcohol. Submerge the shell in a tub or container. I posted years back). If you take this route, make sure the bottle shows 91%, not 70%. Of course, the shells in the link are plastic, but if the paint on your unit is similar then it should come off as well. http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/146219.aspx 3. Superclean - available at Walmart. Also very effective in paint stripping most enamel and lacquer paint off of scake model shells. For scrubbing keep a medium bristle toothbrush handy. The Dollar store versions work just fine. You may also need tooth picks to reach stubborn paint flakes in corners. Hope this is helpful!
My NAPA autoparts store sells superclean, too. As long as you're at the autoparts to buy lacquer thinner or Superclean, you can also fall back on the old standby, brake fluid. I had an open bottle left over after some brake work and stripped an old Tyco/Mantua Little 6:
I built this kit when I was 12 and most likely brush painted it with those Pactra Enamels they used to sell at Woolworths. The old toothbrush I used was too soft, so I didn't think it was working until I ran my thumbnail along the shell and paint came off. A brush with more "bite" was found and it cleaned up nicely:
I primed and painted with Rustoleum rattle cans:
Gary
Depends upon what the Mantua is made of. If it's a metal Zamak casting, things are good. The casting won't be attacked by the paint remover. You can use anything. Lacquer thinner, EZ off, brake fluid, 91% alcohol, hardware store paint remover, nothing is going to attack a metal casting. Go ahead and use anything you like to get the paint off.
If it's plastic you gotta be a little more careful, plastic is chemically simular to paint, and stripppers that eat paint can also eat plastic. On plastic I would avoid lacquer thinner, hardware store paint remover. I have had good results with 91% alcohol. I have never used brake fluid, or EZ-off. You need a container that will let you completely immerse the model in the paint stripper. With plastic, you want to remove the model from the stripper as soon as the paint is soft enough to clean it off with a toothbrush. If you leave the plastic exposed to the stripper too long, bad things may happen.
When it comes to repainting steamers I like rattle cans, Krylon or Rustoleum dark gray auto primer.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
I use Pine Sol...it's cheap and it works very well. Ultrasonic immersion helps but just soaking for a few hours and then scrubbing with a toothbrush will also work.
Your Mantua switcher is a great little locomtive...have one.