Best way to strip cluster panel paint?

[redfourjohnd]

Hi, I'm trying to prepare my dash face for painting. I'm not going to rechrome, just paint with black and silver for a driver quality finish.

What's the best way to get rid of the loose black paint that's peeling from the chrome? I've tried washing, rubbing, brushes, dental picks, scotchbrite pads and wheels and there is always a piece of black paint ready to flake off after I'm done. I've rigged up a little baking soda blaster that shows promise, but it seems like overkill.

Will paint remover melt the plastic? Will new paint hold the flakes from falling off?

Thanks!

John D

[UFO]

I used easy off( yellow can) oven cleaner to strip mine.
Need a container with a lid,lots of ventilation when first spraying it on,I left mine overnight then use a toothbrush with warm soapy water.Rinse with plain water.Occasionally you have to redo the stubborn areas with another shot.

[redfourjohnd]

Thanks!

I'm trying it now. The switch bezels cleaned up immediately. The black paint is taking longer to loosen up, but I haven't had it on there too long yet. I searched about using easy off and modelers use it all the time to remove chrome plating.

Great advice and thanks again,

John D

[redfourjohnd]

It's the next day and it worked!

I covered it with easy off and put in a plastic bag overnight. Rinsed it off and nearly all the paint and chrome is gone. Took a while, that chrome is a lot tougher than I would have guessed. Didn't bother the plastic of the dash or the plastic bags at all.

Thanks,

John D

[UFO]

 

[ktneifert09]

I just finished re-doing mine and thought I'd throw in a tip if you're not going to get it re-chromed.  I found a silver marker at a craft store that was great for the little silver letters and all...let me know if you want to know more about how I did it.

[Dans 68]

I just finished re-doing mine and thought I'd throw in a tip if you're not going to get it re-chromed.  I found a silver marker at a craft store that was great for the little silver letters and all...let me know if you want to know more about how I did it.

Yes, some of us do. 

Dan

[stripedelete]

I just finished re-doing mine and thought I'd throw in a tip if you're not going to get it re-chromed.  I found a silver marker at a craft store that was great for the little silver letters and all...let me know if you want to know more about how I did it.

Yes, some of us do. 

Dan

I'm all  ears.

[ktneifert09]

I debated sending it out to get rechromed but decided that with all the money I'm spending, this was an area I wasn't willing to do right now.  So I cleaned the plastic with simple soap and water - gave it a good going over with a stiff toothbrush to get the caked on dirt out off.  I thought I might have to strip it but I was lucky - the paint was pretty smooth.  I shot it with black semi-gloss - I think it was just Rustoleum but I've been using both Krylon and Rustoleum so it might have been Krylon.  I went to a craft store and and bought a set of varying size (but all small) paint brushes and some silver paint.  I used those on all the areas that were fairly large - rings, etc, everything but lettering.  Here's a funny thing - I found out that for me, I could only do this in the morning in my dining area which has bright sunlight - every other time of day I was either too shaky or the light was wrong to do it right.  The point is, my first few attempts were in the evening and they were awful.  If you don't do well on your first shot, try a different time of day or differently lighting.  I had to go over everything about three times to make it really look right so be ready to be patient. 
I bought a silver sharpie at the same craft store and did the letters - same thing as far as number of times I went over it.  Here are some pix.  I think it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.  Certainly good enough for a driver, which is what I'm after.