RedHeadKevin Posted December 3, 2022 Share Posted December 3, 2022 I'm currently stripping the chrome off the parts from an AMT Burton Batmobile. I soaked the parts in Simple Green, which took the chrome right off, but it looks like there's a hardened, yellowed clear-coat still on the parts. It's a nasty shell, and you need a toothpick or something to get it off. Do they varnish the parts before chroming? Seriously, this undercoat, plus the chrome makes every part look like a piece of chewed bubble gum. When you strip the chrome off, they're beautiful parts. But does anyone have tips about a "varnish" on the parts? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southwestforests Posted December 3, 2022 Share Posted December 3, 2022 (edited) I want to recall that yellow-ish undercoat is some kind of lacquer. I do know that lacquer thinner and model kit plastic do very much not play well together. For a number of years I did far more model trains than aircraft model kits & stripping paint of factory painted model train plastic body shells has been a thing since at least the 1980s & there are several plastic-safe paint strippers marketed in the model railroad world. Those are what I have used to get chrome and that undercoat off plastic model parts. Even with that you might still have to pick now gummy coating out of a couple of the interior corners on the parts. EDIT: and from the 'buried in the reference bookmarks' files, this 11 page chrome stripping conversation running from 2006 to 2013 on a model car forum, quite a number of serviceable household and automotive products are mentioned, as is the lacquer, http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/1527-removing-chrome-plating/#comments Edited December 3, 2022 by southwestforests found the bookmark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted December 3, 2022 Share Posted December 3, 2022 Southwestforests already summed it up perfectly, it is a lacquer undercoat to help the chrome adhere. The AMT undercoat is very difficult to remove! I have not found a consistent repeatable way to strip it. Most times I can manage to loosen it by soaking Isopropyl alcohol, after removing the chrome, but I still need to pick at it with a toothpick. I usually strip chrome because the part is not chrome on the real car, and it is so thick it obscures details. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted December 3, 2022 Share Posted December 3, 2022 I use oven cleaner. Just finished a bunch of AMT '55 Chevy parts. some were clean and some had yellow lacquer. I just painted over the lacquer, got to paint them anyways. Oven cleaner sprayed on in a zip lock bag, 5 to 10 minutes and they are pretty much done. AMT does take a bit longer sometimes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caudleryan Posted December 9, 2022 Share Posted December 9, 2022 DOT 3 brake fluid. Will strip just about anything off and safe for plastic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dann Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 I use brake fluid too Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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