One problem solved...

I posted the other day about having a problem stripping the paint off of some old Athearn Blue Box locomotive shells. I solved the problem today...quite by accident.

I was going to give the carb cleaner a try, until I read on a website that carb cleaner can sometimes ruin plastics. So, I gave it a shot on a cab that I wasn't going to use anyway. The cab now has fingerprints and paper towel permanently stuck to it. Good thing I didn't spray it on the shell.

So, I was thinking about getting some 99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Sudbury and dunking the shells in that...and then I tried something different.

I looked under the kitchen sink and found a bottle of Vim. Vim is a cleaning product made (at least here) by Unilever Canada. I poured a little on the side of the locomotive and started scrubbing with a toothbrush. The Family Lines/SCL paint began to fade away, with the lettering going first, then the yellow paint...the red paint was a bit more painful, and then some of the black came free. The L&N gray and yellow was a bit easier.

Now, the paint isn't completely off. There are some spots that need a bit more work. I'm going to pick up a dollar store electric toothbrush, as it will help take the paint off faster and get into the nooks and crannies a bit better than I could with a manual toothbrush.

So, there you have it. When all else fails, look under the kitchen sink.

Pictures will be coming as soon as I have access to a digital camera.

Now to begin doing the cutting work...