Remove paint from faceplate?

[Axtman]

Some genius in their infinite wisdom decided to paint the faceplate of my Sunn amp with flat black paint. I am hoping it is latex house paint but fear it is spray paint. Is there a way to remove this paint? The faceplate is etched so I am hoping I won't remove the paint in the "valleys".

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Jon Snell]

I would use a proprietory paint remover and when clean, refil the valeys with either white enamel or a colour of your choice.

[Axtman]

Here are the photos.

[glebert]

I recently did a post on removing paint from a bass headstock. Here is something I found from Glidden paint: "Dip a cotton ball into a small amount of denatured alcohol. Rub it over a small area on the surface. If the paint does NOT come off, it is oil-based paint." I would start there. I was lucky that mine was water based. If it is oil based you can start with gentle solvent and work up to harsher stuff, hopefully with a bit of solvent and elbow grease you can get off the stuff.

[Axtman]

Glebert, per your advice I did put some alcohol (is Scotch okay?) on the tip of a Q-Tip and did a test spot. It looked like the paint did rub off with some vigorous rubbing.

[Axtman]

Okay after trying alcohol, naphtha, mineral spirits, paint thinner and goof off I found that lacquer thinner did the job perfectly. It worked quickly and did not remove the old painted numbers/letters. I will post pictures as soon as my headache goes away!

[Mick Bailey]

That's a really nice result. I'd me really pleased if that was my amp.

It reminds me of when I was a kid and a neighbour gave me a bike. It was brush painted all over in bright blue - chrome and everything. It looked like it had come from the dump. I didn't like it one bit because all the other kids had new sparkling bikes. One day I came home from school and there was a gleaming metallic gold bike in brand-new condition sitting there waiting for me. My mum had spent all day taking off that enamel paint, scratching it off with a fingernail on the chrome parts and using metal polish on the rest. There wasn't a bit of the blue to be seen anywhere. Even the decals (we called them transfers) were all intact. I was really proud of that bike.

[galaxiex]

I'm surprised the lacquer thinner didn't damage the original paint/lettering.
Lacquer thinner is a pretty aggressive solvent.
Glad it worked for you.

[glebert]

I'm surprised the lacquer thinner didn't damage the original paint/lettering.
Lacquer thinner is a pretty aggressive solvent.
Glad it worked for you.

I wonder if the paint manufacturers use is more resistant to solvents either because of the type of paint or heat curing. Usually surfaces aren't prepped all that well when someone takes a spray can of paint to something, so that definitely works in your favor when trying to remove it.

[Axtman]

My luthier friend gave me a list of solvents in order of aggressiveness that I tried in order. I too am surprised that lacquer thinner did not remove the old paint. It worked out really well.

Lacquer thinner sure is stinky stuff. I worked at a sink next to a window and still got high and a bad headache. I hope that I don't have to strip faceplates ever again.

[J M Fahey]

Original lettering was either "eteched"/anodized on front spanel if Aluminum (both chemically or electrochemically attack aluminum surface) or silkscreened with 2 component epoxy paint, later fully cured in an oven.

Both stand lacquer paint thinner, which as mentioned above, is VERY aggressive, usually contains acetone and/or ethyl ether and/or butyl glycol or even and/or methyyl ethyl ketone (MEK) BUT only for a certain time.

If you leave panel soaking overnight for deeper cleaning you may have an ugly surprise next morning, so donīt.

If this means something: "rely more on hand rubbing than chemical-solvent softening"
You can stop the first one the instant you notice you have gone too far, the second one damages before showing it up.

[Chuck H]

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

As a finisher I can tell you for certain that lacquer thinner IS hot enough to soften and sometimes dissolve even some two component or heat cured finishes. So, you have surely "affected" any non anodized coloration on the face plate. How permanently or detrimentally I can't say. Most often the softening affect is limited to a reduction in sheen of the affected finish and overall hardness returns when the solvent evaporates. I probably would have stuck with the least hot solvent that still got the job done and used more time and elbow grease. JM2C.

You can always restore some luster or at least create a uniform sheen on the whole face plate by spraying it with a hard, clear finish if you're not satisfied with the appearance otherwise. Since lacquer thinner didn't dissolve the original printing I would use Deft spray lacquer. Super easy and user friendly to apply. Available at most hardware or paint stores in satin. semi gloss and gloss.

[Mick Bailey]

You can temper the action of an aggressive solvent by mixing it with either an inert solvent or by diluting it. For example, lacquer thinner can be mixed with white spirit to give a gentler action and more control.

[glebert]

Mick, that is a good tip.