Kato Shell in 91% Alcohol... Fat Lot of Good That Did...

[ednadolski]

Is there any chance of igniting the vapors from the Alcohol while using it like this in the video???

Well Brian still seems to be intact.  It does look to me that in the video he might have an open door nearby.  Personally, I use the alcohol in the spray booth anyway, not just because I have a closed space and the vapors are irritating, but also because that is generally good practice for using paint strippers and volatile solvents.

Presumably, anyone who is stripping paint the paint from a model with the intent to re-paint should already have the requisite equipment and environment for painting safely.  However if you want more than an anecdotal assurance, then you have to be more specific about the conditions under which you will use it:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol:

Isopropyl alcohol vapor is denser than air and is flammable, with a flammability range of between 2 and 12.7% in air. It should be kept away from heat and open flame.[22] Isopropyl alcohol has been reported to form peroxides which may explode upon concentration.[23] Isopropyl alcohol is a skin irritant.[22]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammability_limit:

Lower explosive limit (LEL): The lowest concentration (percentage) of a gas or a vapor in air capable of producing a flash of fire in presence of an ignition source (arc, flame, heat). The term is considered by many safety professionals to be the same as the lower flammable limit (LFL). At a concentration in air lower than the LEL, gas mixtures are "too lean" to burn. Methane gas has an LEL of 4.4%. If the atmosphere has less than 4.4% methane, an explosion cannot occur even if a source of ignition is present.

Percentage reading on combustible air monitors should not be confused with the LEL concentrations. Explosimeters designed and calibrated to a specific gas may show the relative concentration of the atmosphere to the LEL—the LEL being 100%. A 5% displayed LEL reading for methane, for example, would be equivalent to 5% multiplied by 4.4%, or approximately 0.22% methane by volume at 20 degrees C. Control of the explosion hazard is usually achieved by sufficient natural or mechanical ventilation, to limit the concentration of flammable gases or vapors to a maximum level of 25% of their lower explosive or flammable limit.

Upper explosive limit[edit]
Upper explosive limit (UEL): Highest concentration (percentage) of a gas or a vapor in air capable of producing a flash of fire in presence of an ignition source (arc, flame, heat). Concentrations higher than UFL or UEL are "too rich" to burn.

Bottom line: it's up to you to figure out how to safely handle any materials, tools, etc.;  otherwise you will have to seek out alternate methods.

Ed

[Kisatchie]

Well, after 3+ days of soaking and scrubbing in 91% alcohol, I managed to get about 85-90% of the paint off the Kato SD40. Never again.


Hmm... anyone wanna
buy some used 91%
alcohol...?

[learmoia]

Well, after 3+ days of soaking and scrubbing in 91% alcohol, I managed to get about 85-90% of the paint off the Kato SD40. Never again.


Hmm... anyone wanna
buy some used 91%
alcohol...?

Don't get discouraged - 80-90% is pretty good for Kato - The paint is soo thin, as long as you can get the lettering removed.... after a coat of gray primer.. you'll never notice..

~Ian

[peteski]

Well, after 3+ days of soaking and scrubbing in 91% alcohol, I managed to get about 85-90% of the paint off the Kato SD40. Never again.

Nobody said that custom painting is easy. 
If you got a hold of 99% IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) it would have been a bit more aggressive.  I buy it in gallon size at the local hardware store (not the big box stores) in their paint thinner section.  Sometimes they have to special order it for me (at no extra cost).

[kondor]

I had good luck with the 91% IPA.  I just stripped 2 Kato F40PH shells, both had different paint schemes, and yes one stripped a little faster than the other one.  The toughest one took about 5+ days in the bath which was a sealed glass pasta sauce jar.  Every morning I would agitate it by swirling a little and when I got home from work I would give it more swirl and maybe scrub the shells with a toothbrush, and continue the process the next day.  Maybe total 1 hour of my time was spent actually touching the shells and scrubbing, and swirling over the course of the week.

It really wasn't that bad and I'd certainly use the alcohol method again.