what is white spirit?is this the same as mineral spirits here in the US?
this is what i can tell you this from my experience
do not use meths-ie denature alcohol in the US-it will leave a white haze that is a pain to remove-i know this first hand
i might suggest the following , in order;
first very warm water with lots of dish detergent and a mildly abrasive sponge-
for even more effectiveness-remove the shell and simply let it soak in detergent water overnight-or several days -sometimes even mineral based paint will release unless it was well prepped and/ or primed-you may be surprised how paint may release if simply left in strong detergent water for a very long time-ie over a week
next -use mineral spirits (white spirits??) on a cloth and rub-test as mentioned first-spirits seem to come in different potency-perhaps a cotton swab-if your loco is painted from the facotry-it is very likely that you will affect the original paint-as little as changing the sheen, or removing it entirely-lettering will likely be reomved
do not use
laquer thinner, or acetone-both WILL soften the plastic-i know this first hand -
however if you are adept, and willing to test, and brave -using a lint free rag-laquer thinner can cut right through light mist paint-it WILL smeer a bit, and if left long enough-it will affect the paint-from dulling the sheen to softening it, if say, you flood it and make it wet-repeat applications in a short period will also likely cause softening
i have repeatedly heard on the US forums that auto brake fluid works to remove paint very well without harming the plastic-but
i cant personally vouch for this, and i presume you would like to preserve the underlying paint -
another possibility-and now im stretching to try and help you-is naptha-ie lighter fluid-it doesnt seem to hurt anything-but it does seem to have the ability to get under anything-ie paint-just a thought -
could you post pics-it might help a bit with thinking through a possible solution
)
