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Stripping die cast with MEK; The wonder of Methyl Ethyl Death!
Topic Started: May 3 2012, 09:02 PM (808 Views)
eilif
Raider
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Anybody else doing this? After experimenting with a few different chemicals, I've settled on Methyl Ethyl Keytone (MEK) as my agent of choice.

Sure it's incredibly volatile and toxic, but with a few simple precautions, solvent proof (not ordinary household latex) gloves and a couple wire brushes it's the fastest thing I've found for bringing die cast cars bodies to the bare metal.

I also use it on metal (it will melt plastic) miniatures when a few rounds of Purple Power won't strip the paint.
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mattblackgod
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Big boss warlord dude!
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Sounds nice and toxic! Good results though. I haven't used it.
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eilif
Raider
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Some pics of the process

Started with this Kinsmart Police Hummer.
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Hummer body (all plastic parts, lights, etc removed) in MEK. Left in overnight, though a few minutes is usually sufficient to loosen paint.
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Supplies:
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-Solvent resistant gloves (about 3 bucks a pair from Menards)
-Forceps for taking cars in and out. Helps to avoid splashing
-Eye protection (not pictured)
-Wire Brushes Copper and steel, 50 cents each from Harbor Freight

-Take car out
-Immidiately cap up jar of MEK
-Rinse car under water. Paint comes off better before rinse, but the less MEK you're splashing around the better
-Scrub car with steel brush. Save copper brush for delicate detail or indents where the steel doesn't reach.
-Rinse again and if necessary either put back in MEK or take a pic or hobby knife and remove any remaining paint.

Hummer after scrubbing. Almost all gone.
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Rather than another soak, I'll just pick out the remaining paint.

To give an idea of how strong MEK is, the black spot on the hood is all that remains of a plastic hood section that I forgot to remove!
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Here's A challenger body after I used a hobby knife to pick out the last couple bits of paint.
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Too Bo Cu
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Wastelander
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May I ask, why not just paint on top? I use matchbox scale and use their paint as my 'primer', so far with good results.
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eilif
Raider
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I've done a fair amount of paint over, and while it usually works, stripping away the (usually quite thick) toy paint makes the details really pop. It's quite noticeable on 1/43, and when you strip a hot wheels size car, you really see how much detail is softened by the toy paintjob.

That said, I do often keep the stock paint job, and just apply a matte finish (much better paint adhesion) and then weather.
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Too Bo Cu
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Wastelander
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Cheers!
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Inkwell
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Toenail cutter / Tin can licker
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Looks very effective!
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Ironblood
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Cannie!
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eilif
May 3 2012, 10:40 PM
I've done a fair amount of paint over, and while it usually works, stripping away the (usually quite thick) toy paint makes the details really pop. It's quite noticeable on 1/43, and when you strip a hot wheels size car, you really see how much detail is softened by the toy paintjob.

I agree 100% When I first started modding hotwheels I stripped them with "goof off" and was astonished at the ammount of details the thick gloopy baked on paint covers up.
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Cpl Punishment
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Ghoul
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This is my Stripper of Choice
I used a product called "Kleen Strip" (Paste) :boobies:

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Edited by Cpl Punishment, Nov 24 2015, 03:47 AM.
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shadowbeast
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Tribal Savage
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I just use acetone. It's much the same stuff but thinner. Also, some of the details the thick paint is hiding are actually blemishes and outright poor mouldmaking and casting. You can either strip and correct these smeg-ups, or hide them and deal with awful paint.
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