thornygravy

About a month ago I painted the frame of my IBM model m beast of a keyboard. And of course the paint is starting to come off from everday use and **** hitting it and what not. So I looked up a solution and vinyl dye seems like it would do the trick.

Well basicly the topic says it all? Doesn't anyone know of a paint remover that will work on soft plastics? I'm afraid of buying the heavy duty stuff because I'm guessing it will eat right through the plastic.

Thanks for any help or input.

HatesFury

most any paint remover is going to eat your keyboard becuase it is made of soft plastic. What kind of paint did you use on the keyboard when you painted it? Different kinda of paint can be removed in different ways, so are even as easy to get off as simply using alcohol on them.

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thornygravy

Hmm, not sure of the exact brand, but it was a spray on "made for plastic surfaces" deal. Think I should try nail polish remover.

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HatesFury

Nail polish should be the win (or really high concentration alcohol). If it's a "made for plastics" it's probably not an overly tuff paint as it's meant to flex. Nail polish remover won't eat your platic and should remove the paint, but you're probably going to have to put a lot of elbow grease into this project.

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Laz

(stewey saying to brian )
It'll be a hell of a lot easier just to ditch your old keyboard, use it for experimenting on and buy a new one and do whatever your experimentation reveals. It's plastic not gold or any precious metal right ? not one of those led/lcd keyboards ? Something that costs maybe $20-$30 or so, that you might find in a bin if you look around a bit ? or free if you just ask someone if they have an old one they're not using ? eh ? hmmm?

003

Umm, most nail polish remover has acetone in it, which breaks down many kinds of plastics (but not all).

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ice_owl

Low odor varsol should work with a rag. It has worked for me on plastics, just dampen the rag with it and rub until the paint is gone. Come to think of it I used it on my keyboard that I had to repaint 3-4 times.

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aksthem1

brake fluid works well. just let it sit not for too long though 20-30mins top, and wipes off easy most of the times anyway.

CyberDruid

I would start off with some denatured alcohol and a lot of rags or paper towels

If that does not get it bust loose try using some Ronsonol Lighter Fluid. I have great results with lighter fluid on delicate surfaces. You could also try WD 40 (spray on rag) and you could try "Goof Off" from the HW store.

Try using a green Scotchbrite pad with the lighter fluid to add some abrasion that won't hurt the plastic.

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