Flak 38 Magazine Box Paint Removal

[Tulahex]

Hello,
I recently received this flak 38 magazine box. At some point in its life a coat of green paint has been added to it. In many spots this paint has peeled away and revealed ordnance tan paint underneath. I believe that this is the original paint but I'm not completely sure. In some spots I can see red primer under the tan. The inside has also been completely repainted. Is it worth it to try to remove this green paint? Does anyone have tips for doing this? I've searched the forum and found many different methods but was wondering what the most recommended for something like this is.

[earlymb]

You could try to put some brake fluid (new or used) on a small area. It will take the topcoat off in a few hrs but I'm not sure if it will damage the underlying paint so you'll need to find out first.

[BlackCat1982]

The outer green looks like Bundeswehr colour. You could try some paint stripper on the bottom of the can as a test. Stripper will remove the outer layer if paint as long as you don't leave it on there too long.

[Gunny Hartmann]

You could try acetone, it's not too harsh so may not damage the dark yellow.

[Tulahex]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'll probably end up getting one of each to see what works best.

[kradman]

Could also be Finnish Green paint .As Finland used quite a few Flak 30 /38s

[Kateri]

I agree with Gunny.
Acetone can often simply wipe off post war paint and with immediate rinsing with water where possible,the chemical has a very short time in contact with your precious item,unlike some strippers which seem to need more care in their use.
Lots of clean rags will help avoid streaks and residue.
Good luck,hoping to see your results.

[Tulahex]

Ill be sure to post the results once I am done!

[Tulahex]

Here is a quick update on the paint removal:
Unfortunately the acetone doesn't remove the green paint as well as I had hoped. It does soften it up but not to the point that I can just wipe it off. Because the postwar paint is not bonded very well to the original color, I decided to try to gently scrape it off with a razor blade. The acetone helps to soften it up a bit and make this easier. This works pretty well, it is just time consuming as I have to be very careful to not remove original paint as well. It appears that good portion of the original paint remains except on the curved edges and bottom.

[PotatoDigger]

Looking good so far.
As for acetone I've had mixed results with it, especially regarding dunkelgelb.
Seems like it really depends on the manufacturer, some stays on rock solid but I've had a few instances (most importantly the camo M40 I got yesterday) where the acetone dissolves the dunkelgelb as easily as the post war black, so in that case I'm having to use a sharpened screwdriver to very tediously remove the paint
Keep us posted on your box though!
Luis