Removing paint from a vintage silca pump

[dirttorpedo]

So I got a vintage silca pump as a gift - I'm guessing late 70's or early 80's vintage. It appears to have been painted (it shows red under black). Wondering if anyone has any suggestions about how to gently remove paint from this old plastic

 

[stefthehat]

It might have to be via various grades of fine wet and dry ,I’d suspect cellulose thinners or 2k thinners will actual soften/dissolve the plastic if used in any quantity which from memory isn’t a more modern moulded thermoplastic ,I suspect the vintage Silca’s that are resprayed same time as a frame are lightly dusted with the 2k primer after prep and allowed to dry before topcoat prep and obviously checked for any ‘reaction’ with the original paint left after initial prep such as in corners etc

 

[Mod-Master]

Maaaaaaate, don’t even wetndry it just hit it with some 1 grit I’ll take it of like the covers on a wet summers day (kidding of course)

If your trying to take of the surface layer of paint (black) and keep the original paint (red) then wet’n’dry will do fine with something like 1500 then work up to smooth it out. Judging old paint it would take a nuclear reactor to take that red paint of (don’t take my word for it I’m not that sure) but take it sloooooowly.

 

[dirttorpedo]

Was the colour of the original silca pumps achieved by paint/coating of the original plastic? Hmm, maybe just better leave well enough alone.

 

[Mod-Master]

Do you have a picture?

 

[dirttorpedo]

Do you have a picture?

Not at the moment, but I can grab one when I'm home later.

 

[Old Ned]

I've often used brake fluid to remove paint from plastic models. I've got an old jamjar of 'old style' fluid. I'm not sure if the modern stuff will work in the same way though.

 

[dirttorpedo]

 

[Mod-Master]

I see…

Yeah wet and drying it will be your best option, unless the orange underneath is the colour of plastic(?) then paint stripper will be better.

 

[dirttorpedo]

I see…

Yeah wet and drying it will be your best option, unless the orange underneath is the colour of plastic(?) then paint stripper will be better.

I think the orange/red underneath is plastic. If I look inside the handle its the same colour. My gut says it looked like this originally