Does anyone have experience with removing latex paint from plastic lenses? Which solvent will work without attacking the plastic? I have some old teardrop marking lights that I removed from a 30's-40's house trailer/RV. I want to use them on my teardrop camping trailer that is nearing completion. Sam
You can try some Pine Sol. One of the model car guys turned me on to it. I bought an old AMT 32 5 W coupe that was thick with paint. I got a wide mouth jar and soaked it in pure Pine Sol from the grocery store. It took a week or so but it all came off leaving the plastic unaltered. It's not quick but it worked for me.
Had some over spray on my Harley windshield and front fairing/headlight cover. Meguires plastic polishing worked like charm by hand. just wet sanded my sisters head light covers on a Pontiac sunfire, buffed them up like new with the same stuff.
Try tarter control toothpaste to polish the plastic after you get the paint off. A friend turned me on to that to shine up the plastic headlights on my wife's OT mini van.
I used Preparation H ... on my head ... made my head shrink and gave the appearance of having more hair. Oh sorry, different problem. My mistake, carry on.
Soak'em in brake fluid. Paint will lift and slide right off (might need a toothbrush, not your current one, to get around any molded in lettering or crevices). Wash lenses in soap and water and polish them out.
Wet sand the lenses with 600 paper, then polish them out with brasso polish in the blue and white tin. Works great for plastic speedo faces too. Pat.
Soak in Simple Green ! Its a slow go, but it will not harm the plastic. Works good on model cars also .
2nd the Pine-Sol. It took the paint right off the plastic center cap on my '55 Mercury steering wheel. Took a few days but didn't hurt the plastic one bit. -Andrew
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! I THIRD THE PINE-SOL! I collect and restore old telephones from the 1900s to the 1970s. You would not BLIEVE how much house paint you find on these - folks just painted around them! Pine-Sol is all I use. Just soak 'em in a busket of it. It does not hurt the plastic ONE BIT. After a few hours you can wipe the paint off as it separates from the plastic. It's kind of gross, but keeps scratches off the plastic, as it pretty much re-liquifies even 50 year old house paint. USE GLOVES! Treat this stuff as you would carb dip. It'll burn unprotected skin like carb dip does. But it really, really works, and leave the parts pine-fresh! DO NOT USE GOOF-OFF!! IT MELTS PLASTIC!!! After the dip & clean (might take a day or two if it's real stubborn), you can usually get away with a buffing with Novus Plastic Polish. There's three grits - start with #1 (light), then #2 (medium), then #3 (heavy), then buff with #2 agdin, and finish with #1 and you'll have 'em looking better than when they were new! The Pine-Sol/Novus method takes an overnight soak, 20 minutes of wiping the latex off, and 20 minutes of hand buffing for each lens. No sandpaper required. The only possible monkey wrench that could be thrown in the works is if some paint didn't come off, which would require another few hours' soaking. ~Jason
Krud Kutter will remove dry latex paint, so will alcohol. Worked in a paint store, got that ? all the time!
yes, just hot water ( real hot,to touch - not boiling) i had a plastic 1940's kitchen wall clock that somebody painted , and that softened the latex paint and took it off without any damage to the finish on the original plastic
RE Hot Water. I strip old home hardware with a crockpot and soapy water. Leave on low overnight and the latex will roll right off.
Since these are old lights, are the lenses made of plastic or glass? Glass ones will be easier to clean up, regular old paint remover won't harm them.
Kept the lenses submerged in pure Pinesol overnight and the latex is coming right off. The lenses are rather thin plastic (2 yellow & 2 red)but are in good shape. Tonight the bases will go into a molasses bath to remove light rust. The bases are in good shape-they were probably preserved by the coating of latex. I'll try some of the polishing recommendations over the long rainy weekend ahead. I sure appreciate all the responses and the good tips. The teardrop will be finished within a couple of weeks and I'll post some photos. Sam
Here's the kick-ass shit when it comes to buffing plastic: http://www.novuspolish.com/ Like I said before, use #1, then #2, then #3, then switch buffing wheels/rags and use #2, then switch wheels/rags again and use #1 to clean it up and it'll be PERFECT. ~Jason
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