RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

hi, i was just wondering if anybody could tell me if and how i can strip paint of a pan without damaging the anodising? i have a nice pan with no scratches that has been sprayed blue over the top. it looks nice but for what i'm building i want the pan re-anodised blue.

i spoke to a man at a company that will do it for me for a good price, he said he'll strip the old anodising off no problem but would have to bead blast the paint off (which would/could mark the aluminiun, which obviously i dont want).

i was just wondering if any of you know a way i can strip the paint off while preserving the finish of the pan?

secondly, are there any illegalities in taking a mould from a new clear body and reproducing them?

any help would be greatly appreciated.[/i]

Sand blasting will ruin the finish forever. Regardless of whether you re-anodize it or not. The metal grain or pores will be opened, and even with polishing, you won't have an original finish.


There have been guys who have stripped off paint by soaking things in SuperClean or Simple Green, but I can't tell you how long you should soak to save the anodizing. I don't know if it will attack anodizing in the bath.

i know it's probably stupid, but what about normal paint striper ? would that affect the finish on the anodising seeing as 'anodising' isn't paint?

You might try laquer thinner, it will take off quite a few paints with out damaging the annodizing

thanks for the suggestions, like i said, the bloke there said he'd strip the anodising off before re-anodising, it was the finish or sheen/lustre of the alumminium that i was concerned about. if i used thinners would it alter the surface of the aluminium? would the new anodising look as good as new?

I'd try brake fluid. It strips paint and I don't think it would hurt annodizing. I haven't tried it on anything annodized, but it seems like it would be fine.

cheers, i guess i just need to get my sleeves rolled up and give it a go eh?

Well i bottled it. i spoke to a few metal treatment companies and all scratched their chin and looked worried when it came to taking the paint off without ruining the anodising. shame, cos it puts my project back a little (sideways actually).

gonna need a NIB pan for what i really want to do, but knowing how little we get seeping through to the UK on ebay i know i'm gonna have to bend over for the price.

go with melvin and use brake fluid, this should not hurt the annodized metal as many aftermarket and racing brake calipers/master cylinders are annodized finish. Just get a couple pints, enough to submerge the chassis in an old baking tray or something and let it soak.

ok, i'm going for it. got some brake fluid and am going to start soaking it now .

heres a before shot.

Wow! What are those tires? sorry it a bit off topic.... What weels do you use also?

the rears are trinity triads (that are too big for the rims actually ) and the fronts are trinitys also. the wheels are race masters for now.

how long should i soak it for? its been in there for about 5 hours now and nothing is happening

when i stripped a body the other day the paint came off in no time.

Two pack paint? Might need abrasive action to remove...

templeofspeed wrote:Two pack paint? Might need abrasive action to remove...

i think you're right, it's a pretty nice paint job really but it's not how i want it to look. at least it's not ruined through trying.

back on with the search for a new pan and noseplate then