uses for household items

[bushman32]

I was wondering what uses everyone has found for acetone, alcohol, vinegar, and any other household items. On thing I found out is don't use the higher concentration of alcohol on plastic.
Thanks,
Ron W.

 

[Quaralane]

Acetone can be used as a paint stripper.
I've heard that vinegar can be used in place of some versions of decal set.

 

[spud]

bleach for chrome striping, Nail polish remover for thinning Tamiya putty and using it as a paste to stipple, Acitone will do the same.

 

[bushman32]

These are great uses, anyone else has any to add? I am trying to make up a list, organize it, then post it as a quick reference for everyone so please add to this.

 

[Dusky]

Acetone is a strong solvent which is used in paint thinners like lacquer thinner. It can be used to strip paint, but straight acetone or hardware store lacquer thinner won't take long to melt the plastic. However, some fingernail polish removers contain a tiny bit of acetone which is useful for spot stripping and smoothing out putty. You can technically make your own acetone using isopropyl alcohol, but I wouldn't try it at home.

I've heard about using vinegar and some kind of alcohol for decal solutions, but I've never tried them since I have full bottles of MicroSet and MicroSol.

Windex and Simple Green can also be used to strip chrome. They also work well to strip acrylic paint. A long enough bath in SG will even strip enamel with a good scrub.

You can use old style toothpaste for polishing.

Toothpicks go without saying.

 

[Gundamhead]

Denatured alcohol is a fantastic paint remover that has not harmed any of my plastic yet.

 

[Dusky]

Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol (ethanol) with additives to make it toxic. Someone with some high proof alcohol should see if it strips paint.

 

[Grendels]

91% isopropyl alcohol will strip paint. So far I have had it strip acrylic, lacquer and enamel. I will also strip off Mr. Surfacer, and I suspect certain types of putty.