paint question

[raynmaker]

I recently painted my new body with Tamiya paint and it is flaking off. I washed the body before painting but that didn't seem to help. I have had this issue with this paint before but that is the only one that had the colors I wanted.

My question is How do I remove the paint so that I can redo it? Or is it a lost cause?

thanks

[konaman]

tamiya makes a few different kinds of paint are you sure you used the ploycarbonite kind?
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[konaman]

oh and if you can get all the paint to flake off you may be able to reuse the body... but for the most part i dont think you will be able to. you probily have to paint the outside of the body and use it as a bashing body
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[hijacker]

There is a few reasons the paint may be flaking off.

1. As konaman suggested, the paint may not be compatible with lexan and therefore it won't flex when the lexan does and the paint will crack.

2. The body was not clean enough. You said you washed it before you painted though, so this probably isn't it.

3. The paint is old. Even though you just bought it, the paint may still be old.

4. It was too cold to paint. If it was too cold to paint the body, ie: less than 60f. then the paint may flake off.

5. You applied the paint too dry. If you hold the spray can or airbrush too far from the body, the paint will already be partially dry when it attaches to the body. This will not give the paint enough time to bond to the lexan.

Hope these tips help.

Chad

[-desertracer-]

Just to add to the above suggestions:
1) short of getting it all to flake off, which I highly doubt, there's no way to "save it"
2) with all the fancy-smancy soaps now out on the market people often make the mistake of using some sort of handsoap either lanolin-based or with moisturizers in it, and both leave residue behind that will inhibit paint from sticking. I use some sort of dishwahing soap that has a degreaser in it like dawn.
3) check to see if you paint was specifically for lexan, it should say as much on the can, because if yours is enamel paint it will not stick as it doesn't contain a bonding agent.

[raynmaker]

Thanks guys.

I was afraid that there was no hope for it. I think it is a combination of old paint, wrong soap, to far away with the paint can, and I suck at painting.
The thing that puzzles me is when I use Plactra I don't have this problem.

[chiefmasterbeast]

from what i understand, Pactra is a far superior paint than Tamiya...

[hijacker]

Pactra is much better than Tamiya paints. I think the Tamiya paints are more for static polycarbonate models and therefore don't have the flex-agent in it that R/C specific paints have.

I have had decent luck getting old paint off bodies with nitro fuel. Some darker colors will sometimes leave a "stain" behind, but the body is usually reusable.

[raynmaker]

cool. I have some old nitro i will try. thanks

[iluvny081]

I have an idea for you. you could try to strip the paint off by using aircraft paint stripper that can be found at your local automotive parts store. its pretty potent stuff though. it might warp the lexan. you could probly pull it off if you were paying close attention and sprayed it off as soon as the paint started to peel. (water deactivates the active peeling agent, so you spray it on, and when the paint peels, spray it off with a hose) if you try this be sure not to get any of the overspray into your mouth or around your face or touch your face after you use it before washing your hands. (like I said, its potent stuff)

[-desertracer-]

Oct 21, 2008 7:47:54 GMT -5 iluvny081 said:

I have an idea for you. you could try to strip the paint off by using aircraft paint stripper that can be found at your local automotive parts store. its pretty potent stuff though. it might warp the lexan. you could probly pull it off if you were paying close attention and sprayed it off as soon as the paint started to peel. (water deactivates the active peeling agent, so you spray it on, and when the paint peels, spray it off with a hose) if you try this be sure not to get any of the overspray into your mouth or around your face or touch your face after you use it before washing your hands. (like I said, its potent stuff)

I'm not saying that it "couldn't" work -- but I am curious if you've actually used this product on an RC body yourself? If not it's just wild speculation.
From my experience - I've seen lots of things "tried" over the years and none of them actually work, because of two reasons: lexan paint contains a bonding agent that etches the lexan to help it adhere and impregnate the lexan, and any semi-toxic paint removal product will either fog or melt lexan thereby ruining what you had as well as drying out the platic and making the body more brittle so that it all but explodes on impact.


I understand how people can be upset at wasting 20- or 30-bucks on a body when a paintjob goes bad or jsut doensn't meet their expectations, but I also hate hearing about people that spend even more in the hopes of fixing what they have only to have it all go down the drain.

[raynmaker]

I did some experimenting last weekend. I found that carb cleaner/brake cleaner leave that lexan milky. However, laquer thinner used on a paper towel will remove the factory paint with ease and if you are careful it will leave the grey graphic affects. It removed the tamiya paint with some effort but left the lexan a little hazy.

desertracer: thanks for moving the post for me. I started it before I realized there was a Paint Booth!

[frankfka]

WHY dont u buy the proline slash bodys???

[raynmaker]

Oct 27, 2008 18:06:38 GMT -5 frankfka said:

WHY dont u buy the proline slash bodys???

1. You going to give me $30?
2. I already bought one and was trying to save it.
3. Please (how to say?nicely?) post responsibly!