On Mon, 25 Aug 2003 14:36:57 EDT, dhelec wrote
> Got some Stewarft cars and want to remove some the numbers. The best
> way without damaging pain would be?
>
There are several ways of removing factory lettering, but it varies with the
specific lettering ink/paint used by various manufacurers - I haven't tried
an Stewart cars, so I don't know for sure - here is my sequence of
progressively more intrusive methods for general reference - just go down the
list & hope something works!
1. If you can locate the original Champ DecalSet, it appears to be the most
vicious of the decal setting solutions. You can also try MicroScale (the red
bottle), Walthers or Micromark . . . Puddles the decal solution over the
unwanted lettering and let it sit . . . occasionally prod with a needle. If
it begins to flake, then brush over it with a stiff-bristled brush,
dislodghing as much of the offensive lettering as possible . . . wipe the
brush often & try to "fish" stray paint crumbs off the surface with a twisted
cone of paper towel . . . repeat as necessary (if it's working at all) . . .
Next up in strength would be isopropyl alcohol - not less than 90%
concentration - look for rubbing alcohol at your drugstore. Puddle it on &
watch for the lettering to begin softening. Blot it with a paper-towel-
cone . . . again, if it's working - repeat.
If it still isn't working, try the Incredible Hulk of finish-removal . . . .
brake fluid - but be warned that it is likely to attack the paint, and you
will have to be quick - (It seems that the way brake fluid affects paint is
by forcing it to expand, thus breaking the surface bond. You want the
lettering to de-bond from the surface finish before it, in turn, breaks
loose).
Finally, there is mechanical removal: Either chisel the paint off with light
passes of an X-acto chisel blade (this is tricky - if you allow the blade to
twist, the "down corner" will gouge the surface paint or even the underlying
plastic) . . . OR - get one of those vanishingly rare typewriter or ink
erasers - the gritty kind - and trim the tip to a chisel-shape for control.
Use it to "sand" the lettering off.
Either the X-acto or eraser method will change the surface sheen of the
underlying paint, regardless of the care you take. You can return the
surface finish(or at least come close) by polishing the affected area with
jeweler's rouge until you feel you have a close match. It won't matter if
you miss a bit - your clear overcoat after re-decaling will cover it up/blend
it in.
I am not recommending it, but a modeler I *once* knew claimed that the best
method was to place a hunk of dry ice over the lettering for 10-12 minutes -
he claimed it made the lettering brittle enough to chip off without a trace.
(I was not impressed - at the time he told me, he was wearing bandaids on
three fingertips to protect the frost-burns he'd gotten by not wearing
insulated gloves with dry ice . . . )
Good luck & let us know what works on Stewart paint!
Marshall Thayer
Mt. Pleasant, IA
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