Removing un wanted paint from accessories etc

This will be stating the obvious to those in the know, but I have just discovered how good acetone / nail varnish remover is at stripping paint off stuff and wanted to share it with anyone else who doesn't know.

I have a few items that have been customised in the past by their original owners. I tried it on a M3 grease gun which I painted as a kid, and a Germam officer cap which had been painted up and the paint cleaned off no bother. In fact the German cap lost its original Palitoy paint too. I applied the NVR to a cotton bud and gently rubbed, it took quite a few cotton buds as they did not work when clogged with paint.

It seems to me to be a gentler solvent than using cellulose thinners which was my first thought, and neither the plastic or rubber surfaces seem to have suffered any ill effects. I was concerned that cellulose thinners would damage the hard plastic of the gun.

I will be trying it next on my Land Rover which is sporting lovely blue wheels at the moment.



Paul

for tougher paint I use Fairy power spray - works well on stripping scalextric cars without damage but have never tried on VAM so dont know if there would be any damage

Careful with acetone! It can dissolve the plastic too...

Brake fluid is one of the best paint strippers, and Forza Oven cleaner works miracles with hobby paints. It's indispensable too to remove fused scuba suits off reluctant figures   

Thanks for letting me know about the perils of acetone as a paint stripper.