Removing black background- Plexiglass

I found this bit of info on line and you could try a small test area and see if it works for you:

Re: How do I safely remove paint from Plexiglass once it has dried?

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I appreciate all the help everyone. I decided to take a chance and try some nail polish remover. It's a generic "non-acetone" kind thats supposed to be gentle on your fingers. LOL It worked great. Just soaked a rag in it and let it sit on the surface for a while, then wiped the paint away. Had to do a little bit of scrubbing but it worked and the plexi-glass didn't fog up

I figured I'd try it on one spot and if it fogged in just that one area I'd be okay with it. Turns out it didn't fog up at all

Again, I appreciate everyones willingness to help and thank you for your kindness
 
Ummm, I would not.

RodInCALIFORNIA said:
just go to home depot talk to a experienced employee like the paint dept manager and ask them what you should use for this. they will be able to advise you and show you the different options. the employees of my local home depot are always very helpful.
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I have found that lowes and home depot pays just above minimum wages to its' employees. I have not been impressed with their advice either. In fact, unless the question is a real no-brainer, they don't know. You just don't get decent help when you offer minimum wage or a bit above. Most employees are gone before they even get one years experience under their belt.

But, everyone can choose for themselves.
 
i dont agree with you at all in my experience talking to the home depot employees i find them very helpful with years of experience, not all home depots are staffed by 18 yr old folks. most employees at my store are i would guess 35 and older.

But like you said everyone can choose for themselves.
 
Age in lieu of intelligence or knowledge, really?

RodInCALIFORNIA said:
i dont agree with you at all in my experience talking to the home depot employees i find them very helpful with years of experience, not all home depots are staffed by 18 yr old folks. most employees at my store are i would guess 35 and older.

But like you said everyone can choose for themselves.
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What I am saying, the stores, lowes and home depot, seem like they are staffed with 35, or even older, employees which, quite obviously, dropped out of school well before 18. Well, it looks like that anyway. LOL But, they can read the labels on the products, usually.

However, the reference librarian at your local library might be a good information source, she will be required to have a minimum of a master, most likely a doctorate, and well experienced in finding answers to any questions you pose to her or him. It is their job.

But, like I say, a guy with 20 years of experience in working in a paint store, or a painting contractor with such experience would be my best bet.
 
home depot pays what they pay ACCORDING to your experience. granted, they usually pay less than that experience is worth. they depend on the benefits and the opportunity to retire as a selling point for you to keep your employment with them. most folks that work in fields related to home depot's products are getting the shaft somehow by their employers and likely don't have benefits, so it's a good selling point in most cases. then some get tired of lower pay, some don't want to deal with all the red tape about everything and corporate drama, some simply don't make it in retail, some can't stand being boxed up...

when i worked there they hired a contractor for building materials and paid him $35/hr to start... and i saw it for myself. my uncle gave up his successful business to run a pro desk... he was already in charge...

they do only hire so many people with useful experience and the rest they try to place accordingly... every successful business needs a gopher. can't pay everyone top dollar to stock shelves or run a register...
 
WoW what a jerk

WinstonCourt said:
What I am saying, the stores, lowes and home depot, seem like they are staffed with 35, or even older, employees which, quite obviously, dropped out of school well before 18. Well, it looks like that anyway. LOL But, they can read the labels on the products, usually.
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Nothing like a high and mighty snob attitude. Especially when you dont even know the people working there, sure dont know what we would do without your advice on here.......
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Chill out, guys :uhoh:

Thanks for all of the help. Different people have different opinions, and, of course, different stores with different employees.. But I really do appreciate all of the replies.
 
No problem.

Bree7 said:
Chill out, guys :uhoh:

Thanks for all of the help. Different people have different opinions, and, of course, different stores with different employees.. But I really do appreciate all of the replies.
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Just wanted to make sure you had all the proper cautions. What always makes me want to cry is when someone, somewhere, offers info on using a methylene chloride based remover, or other solvent, and the user finds it dissolves the plastic of the aquarium much better than the paint they are attempting to remove. The stuff, methylene chloride and solvents, can be used on glass, if you keep it off the frame, just not on plastic. But, methlyene chloride will even 'crack' or de-polymerize the silicone used to cement the aquarium together, it is great in getting old silicone off glass. Show me another material which can attack silicone, they are rare.

The rest is just a fact of life. I am sure you have noticed, store employees are not what they used to be. I have learned the hard way, but I never, and I mean never take the advice of a lowes or home depot 'associate.' I do my research first and then tell them what I want. I just refuse to waste time with them. I have ruined stuff in the past with their good advice.

And, I have learned to error on the side of applying too much caution. I just hate it when someone comes back and says, 'you should have told me, I ruined my tank!' I am sure you can understand that.

You should also be aware, there are large differences between Plexiglas and acrylic plastic aquariums. Different adhesives are used in the construction of them. And, different solvents are tolerated differently by each.

Hope your tank turns out well.
 
WinstonCourt said:
Just wanted to make sure you had all the proper cautions. What always makes me want to cry is when someone, somewhere, offers info on using a methylene chloride based remover, or other solvent, and the user finds it dissolves the plastic of the aquarium much better than the paint they are attempting to remove. The stuff, methylene chloride and solvents, can be used on glass, if you keep it off the frame, just not on plastic. But, methlyene chloride will even 'crack' or de-polymerize the silicone used to cement the aquarium together, it is great in getting old silicone off glass. Show me another material which can attack silicone, they are rare.

The rest is just a fact of life. I am sure you have noticed, store employees are not what they used to be. I have learned the hard way, but I never, and I mean never take the advice of a lowes or home depot 'associate.' I do my research first and then tell them what I want. I just refuse to waste time with them. I have ruined stuff in the past with their good advice.

And, I have learned to error on the side of applying too much caution. I just hate it when someone comes back and says, 'you should have told me, I ruined my tank!' I am sure you can understand that.

You should also be aware, there are large differences between Plexiglas and acrylic plastic aquariums. Different adhesives are used in the construction of them. And, different solvents are tolerated differently by each.

Hope your tank turns out well.
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Thanks so much, I totally understand. And I really appreciate how much you care that my tank turns out well.
 
Please folks, let's get Bree's thread back on topic. The debate on employee capabilities at hardware stores can be handled some other place.

Thanks.
 
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