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I got some free "Nail Polish Remover" with Acetone, and want to use it to strip the paint of some old metal raptors. My only available container at the moment would be a plastic 500ml water bottle.

The question, would the acetone melt that plastic, or should it withstand the product?

Cheers.

Hard to say, but my gut says "yes, yes it will."

Acetone + plastic = bad for most definitions of plastic.

I found another container.... a metal can of soup that I just ate and used afterward.

No need for the bottle anymore, but like it appears that it would melt it, I won't give it a try for now. Maybe once I am done stripping those 20 raptors...

Depends on the plastic I think. It's best off to keep it in a glass bottle or metal can.

i work will acetone in my microbiology lab. Its stored in plastc water bottles....actually they feel thinner than a typical water bottle. no acetone alone does not have the ability ot eat through a water bottle....its safe to store it in there

Element206 wrote:i work will acetone in my microbiology lab. Its stored in plastc water bottles....actually they feel thinner than a typical water bottle. no acetone alone does not have the ability ot eat through a water bottle....its safe to store it in there

That is good news.... i will probably transfer into a water bottle once the current batch is stripped then... More height instead of more width in my current can.

Why does acetone melt plastic figurines then? Or does it?

Howard A Treesong wrote:Depends on the plastic I think.

Yes, it is ENTIRELY dependent on the plastic. There is this company out there called Nalgene who makes plastics that are specifically designed to be chemically resistant. In the lab where I work, 100% of everything is plastic (HF+glass=bad news bears). As for the plastic they use in a pop/water bottle or a milk jug, you just have to test it.

PP or PE bottles should be fine, it's PS that it will have for breakfast (Polystyrene - the same stuff that your plastic minis are made from).

You are looking for chemical compatibility. More than likey a plastic water bottle is Polyethylene (PE, LDPE, HDPE) or Polypropylene (PP). Here in the states plastics are marked with a code that can be used to determine the composition, but I am not sure if that same system is used outside the US. Here is a link to a chemical compatibility table:

http://www.camlab.co.uk/sitefiles/RTP_instructions/Plasticomp.pdf

I wouldn't use PE but PP should be acceptable.

Also some metal cans are coated on the inside with a plastic that may also be dissolved while you are stripping your raptors.

Yeah, same here in blighty.

daedalus wrote:Acetone + plastic = bad for most definitions of plastic.

Gonna have to disagree with you. Acetone (fingernail polish remover) is what I use to remove superglue from plastic figures I buy/trade for. They come out pretty well, if a little soft on the surface, even after a lengthy soak. Then again, i'm not soaking them in pure acetone either.

The stuff for 'sensitive hands' (lol) contains more IPA than acetone compared to normal nail varnish remover, and is less harsh on yer minis as such.

Comes in a plastic bottle too (PP or HDPE iirc).