Best way to strip old paint off Brass Engines

[B&O SteamDemon]

I just bought 2 old brass E-8's A-B set that had a custom paint job on them.  The paint job is not bad, but I plan to repaint them in the B&O livery.  What is the best way and solvent to use to strip the paint without damaging the Brass?  The Brass engines I do have were already bare so all I had to do was primer and paint them.  Adventuring into uncharted territory with this one.  Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

SteamDemon 

[Mark R.]

For paint removal from brass, the best way is to air blast them with baking soda. That's pretty much the only guaranteed way of getting all the paint out of those tight spots.

Barring that, most any commercial paint stripper (or even lacquer thinners) will work just fine - unlike plastic, there's nothing you can melt !

Mark.

 

[tinman1]

I have used ez-strip several times on both steam and diesel locomotives with no problems. The only advice I can give if you do this is to put it on with a stiff brush, wait a few moments and then use the brush on it again to pull the paint off. If you allow this stuff to dry or sit too long, it just doesn't seem to work as well. I will work on one part at a time until it's done, but the whole process only takes 15/20 minutes anyhow. I also have a small tray of low VOC paint thinner to get the stripper off. Also keep in mind the stripper is caustic, so WHEN you get it all over your hands it's a good idea to get it rinsed off in a timely manner.

[Forty Niner]

If you have access to an Ultrasonic cleaner that would be the best solution, barring that lacquer thinner used "outside" would be my choice..........

Mark

[twhite]

Iuse water-soluble Jasco paint stripper, an old paintbrush, an old soft toothbrush, and a container of warm, soapy water.   I use the paintbrush to paint on the Jasco, let it set for about three or four minutes until it's all bubbly, then dip the model into the container of warm soapy water and scrub gently with the toothbrush.  Messier than all get-out, but after about two applications, I've got a nice, shiny brass model that's ready for cleaning, priming and painting. 

Jasco comes two ways--water and thinner soluble.  I use the water soluble because I have heard that the 'thinner' soluble version CAN attack some of the solder joints.   I don't know if this is true or not, but so far, the paint remover has worked very well for me.

Tom

[PRR_in_AZ]

Just finishing one this weekend.  Laquer thinner for the win.

Chris