Remove the plastic coating on Craftsman saw?

[Dick Brown]

I refurbish old Craftsman belt drive saws as a hobby. Build Biesemeyer Home Shop clone fences, fix anything I find wrong, check or replace bearings as needed, build mobile wheel system, and paint. Make very nice homeowner/hobby low cost saws. One thing I have not found an answer too is how to get that plastic film off the front panel. Most of the saws have that coating in not very good condition and it ruins what is other wise a decent looking saw. Have tried Acetone, Lacquer thinner, razor blades, heat and etc. So far, nothing I have tried works or works without messing up the paint. Any ideas??
Thanks,
Dick

[Lee Schierer]

I did some searching for "how to remove protective plastic from old sheet metal" and found the following suggestions for solvent.

Lay the material flat and brush on mineral spirits, let it soak for several days.

Use a soaked a washcloth with lemon ammonia and let it set or household ammonia.

Use ORANGE-SOL 10151/52 Contractor Solvent

Orange TKO "super concentrated cleaner"

The plastic film may be non-permeable so you may have to apply the solvent from the edges and let it soak into the adhesive.