Narthecium Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 First off, forgive me if this thread is not in the best organized manner. I tried. My forum style needs work, but my dragon style is strong. Second, this is my own personal experience with Simple Green, and my own personal research. Results may vary, but they're fairly indicative if you ask me. If you go dipping something that I haven't covered here (or even that I have covered) into Simple Green or any other paint stripper and screw it up, don't blame me. You're responsible for your own actions, we're all adults (or close to it) here! Thirdly, this is not a sales pitch, I have zero interest in Simple Green's sales (I wish I did though!). But being a relative newcomer to tabletop, I see a lot of threads every day asking how you can strip models safely, of all types. So I'm throwing my own models into the pungent green stuff to find the answers for all of you. Short Version: SIMPLE GREEN is your FRIEND. I tested it out on three different materials, and here are the results. I will list the material, overall length of time stripping took, and final results. Longer Version: Plastic: Works nearly flawlessly. Stripping time is a bit slow, took a rhino that had one thick layer of Primer Black Spray and several layers of Scab Red and Boltgun a few days soaking in the stuff. Then hit it with the toothbrush. Easy as cake. Model tested was your everyday Space Marine Rhino. Pros: Comes off cleanly. ZERO damage to plastic. Cons: Comes off slowly. May have issues getting some paint out of the deeper recesses. May require several resoaks and brush applications. Overall: Excellent, so long as you're patient. And patience is a virtue when it comes to stripping expensive plastic models! Metal: Works flawlessly. Paint was ready to strip within a few hours, only leaving paint in a few deep recesses. When left in simple green for an extended time period, some models (unknown what variable it was here, because some did it and some didn't) once stripped seem to lose some of their luster, as if the metal itself was slightly corroded. Didn't effect final painting of models at all, or the actual look of the model past the shininess but just wanted to note it. Models tested were several metal Kasrkin models, both painted in a combination of silver and scab red, and some just basecoated Chaos Black. Pros: Strips QUICKLY, CLEANLY! Cons: May require one or two resoaks to get stuff in crevices, but this is typical of stripping paint. Extended soaking period (several days worth) seems to reduce luster of some minis. Overall: Even better performing than the plastic, this only took a few hours for me to get a good clean strip, using just a simple hard bristle toothbrush from Wal-Mart. FORGEWORLD Resin: You know it. You love it. You took out a second mortgage on your house to afford it. That's right, it's Forgeworld resin. For the benefit of everyone here (and my own curiousity) I exposed my prized Inquisition rhino doors to Simple Green for several days in a row and monitored them accordingly (yes, the doors that cost basically as much as a rhino by itself does). Just for the record, this was the LIGHT, off-white colored resin, not the dark resin. I make absolutely no claims to the safety of dark resin, since I didn't test it yet (but I will soon). Worked nicely, much like plastic actually. These were also painted with a heavy basecoat of Chaos black, and several layers of boltgun and scab red. Pros: Came off clean. Stripping time was more like that of plastic (measured in days) than that of metal (measured in hours). Zero damage to forgeworld material, even after being soaked for almost five days straight. Cons: A long soak (again, measured in days, not hours). Patience is key here. May require several resoaks and reapplications of the good ol hard bristle toothbrush. Overall: Bingo. Forgeworld costs way too much to be risking to engine cleaners, bleach concoctions, or any sort of solvent (especially since most of those melt plastics!). Simple Green is where it's at for clean, SAFE cleansing of your (light colored) Forgeworld resin pieces. In Conclusion: Try it. It's worth far more than the five bucks it costs. If you're scared, use some craptastic models like I did at first. For my metal, I threw in a single Kasrkin with hellgun (MSRP like 4 bucks). For plastic, I threw in the captain guy from Macragge (MSRP like nothing, he's worthless except for conversions!). For resin...well that's a bit more tricky. NOTHING from Forgeworld is cheap. Just have to take your chances, but these are my results after nearly a week of nonstop, 24/7 soaking in Simple Green. Hope you guys enjoyed my (disjointed) report, and can glean some knowledge and security from it. Soak to your hearts content. Disclaimer/Warning: Results may vary, I make no guarantees, you are responsible for your own actions. Do not use Simple Green in a non-ventilated condition, it has fairly potent vapors. Tthough it is labelled as "non-toxic" you should never consume anything that is not intended for consumption (which Simple Green is NOT!!!). Keep out of reach of children and pets, just like you would any other substance of this nature! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hailfyre Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 where could I get some? some of my older models are in dire need of a bath... *laughs evil-ish* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narthecium Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Wal-Mart sells it in the car cleaner section. It's like five bucks for a fairly good sized container, and is reusable. Pour some into a tupperware container (with airtight lid obviously) and you can save it on top of your fridge or in a cabinet or wherever for quite a while. The same dip that did my rhino is now handling some servitors and a mystic or two. May need to strain out some of the paint you brush off though Again make sure not to use it in a poorly ventilated area or in an area where your pets / younger siblings / whatever might want to get ahold of it. It's way less dangerous than a lot of potential paint strippers you could use but it could still be dangerous if used improperly. It didn't cause my skin any irritation, I didn't need gloves, but I'm used to handling crazy stuff all day long (I'm a career firefighter, so my hands aren't exactly soft these days) so if you have sensitive skin it wouldn't hurt to wear some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthier Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Nice guide, but I'm wondering why the title states Simple Green is made of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane of War Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Nice guide, but I'm wondering why the title states Simple Green is made of people. It's a reference to the very famous last lines from the classic 1973 film Soylent Green. Charlton Heston discovers that this new foodstuff, Soylent Green, is made from people. Detective Robert Thorn: It's people. Soylent Green is made out of people. They're making our food out of people. Next thing they'll be breeding us like cattle for food. You've gotta tell them. You've gotta tell them!Lt. Hatcher: I promise, Tiger. I promise. I'll tell the exchange. Detective Robert Thorn: You tell everybody. Listen to me, Hatcher. You've gotta tell them! Soylent Green is people! We've gotta stop them somehow! Nice reference, Narthecium - I giggled like a schoolgirl. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narthecium Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Nice reference, Narthecium - I giggled like a schoolgirl. :nuke: Haha thanks. I knew someone would catch it. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narthecium Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 I'd like to direct everyone to my article in the Librarium that was scooped up by Sigismund. :) http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.p...showarticle=211 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boreas Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Just out of curiosity, would it clean the mold release agent off FW resins better than scrubbing with dish soap (which does an passable to ok job)? Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narthecium Posted January 6, 2008 Author Share Posted January 6, 2008 Though I cannot say "yes" for sure, I believe so. It's more effective a cleaner than dish soap, albeit a bit harsher (but still very gentle...like I said I did it totally gloveless and had no problem). Unfortunately the resin doors I tested were already scrubbed...when my dreadnaught comes in I'll hit one of his arms with it and tell you the results, as I already know it's safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squiggoth Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 I bought Soylent Green last year, but Simple Green is unavailable here. For those unfortunates who live in prehistoric lands where Simple Green doesn't exist: use brake fluid for plastics and paint thinner for metals. It may not be green, nor simple, nor made from people, but paint thinner is The Best Stuff for cleaning metal models - takes about ten minutes to get them in mint condition. Even Robert Thorn would love the stuff. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VetSgtNamaan Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 "How does Soylent Cola taste? " "It varies from person to person. " Back on topic, For metals I tend to use pinesol since it is pretty much availible everywhere and the new formula comes with new lovely scents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narthecium Posted January 7, 2008 Author Share Posted January 7, 2008 PineSol is another one you shouldn't use on plastic models, but thanks for your addition Squig and Vet. Definitely worth adding to this discussion! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narthecium Posted January 8, 2008 Author Share Posted January 8, 2008 "How does Soylent Cola taste? " "It varies from person to person. " Hahahahaha that's great :devil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalSpaceMarine Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 Wow, I didn't even know you could use Simple Green to strip minis! I use it all the time to wash plastic and resin prior to priming. And yes, it does a great job, even on ForgeWorld resin. I make a diluted bath of the stuff then soak the minis for a few minutes. Go over them with a soft dish washing brush then rinse them well. My primer sticks pretty good after that! For metals I still use vinegar though. Takes the release and any oxidization off. Just my two cents! Loyal Space Marine +++ Keep your bolters firing +++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katana Posted January 8, 2008 Share Posted January 8, 2008 not that i have any interest in stripping my beautifully painted models (sarcasam for the sarcasm god! <_< ) does simple green work on the other great green of our world... GREEN STUFF!!! :D thuoght this could be useful... katana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horus333 Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Use alcohol man. Dosent melt plastic. Dosent require any soaking time, you can just dip the mini in it and go to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narthecium Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 not that i have any interest in stripping my beautifully painted models (sarcasam for the sarcasm god! ;) ) does simple green work on the other great green of our world... GREEN STUFF!!! :D thuoght this could be useful... katana Again, another one where I have no idea. But I'll be happy to test it out..need to order some greenstuff though, I don't have any on hand atm. I'll update before too long with greenstuff as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tfcdogbert Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Use alcohol man. Doesn't melt plastic. Doesn't require any soaking time, you can just dip the mini in it and go to work. Seconded on that, Methylated spirit is a very good stripper, i tried it along with nail varnish remover, meths worked as well and is cheaper (even with the cheap 99p a bottle stuff), I was stripping my old assault marines and left them overnight, no plastic or metal was damaged, although there were about 4 or 5 stubborn pieces that wouldnt strip no matter what i did, im not sure why because meths does remove varnish... Magical unstrippable jump packs of doom! :blink:. The only thing is that if you stay in the same room as the fumes for more than an hour or so it isn't that good, just cover the container with cling-film or an airtight lid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berzerker Pezz Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I use a simple green soup to soak my garage kits for preparation..but I don't know if there's any fundamental difference between gray and white resin. Otherwise, I love it as a paint stripper. Just remember when working with resin, initially soak it in your choice of degreaser/stripper to remove any and all mold release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Cadaver_ Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 I'm having some trouble recently with stripping plastics. I've used simple green for quite awhile for stripping metal models but I recently tried to strip a primed Rhino and it work on some areas but just kind of balled up and clumped little bits elsewhere and ruined a few of my toothbrushes turned model scrubbing brushes. ( I soaked it for maybe 24-36 hours) I'm really wanting to find a better way to strip plastics with SG as I have alot of models I'd like to start over with, even primed models, but I'm hesitant after this fiasco with the rhino. Any suggestions for better plastic stripping with SG? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother_Drake249 Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 For the more stubborn paints, I've been using a fingernail brush. It's a lot stiffer than a toothbrush and really takes the paint off. (...except for those darn old plastic terminators. Somebody primed them with super white paint. aaaarrgghhh) Not sure where you would find one though, I've had this brush forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madscuzzy Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Im a fan of dettol... cleaned my thawk nice... and any other stuff for the matter. Mainly due to the isopropyl content... though there are others that matter too... There are certain things simple green can't strip... such as certain brands of spray paint...can't say for sure which ones they are right now. It's been a while since I've used it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narthecium Posted January 17, 2008 Author Share Posted January 17, 2008 I'm having some trouble recently with stripping plastics. I've used simple green for quite awhile for stripping metal models but I recently tried to strip a primed Rhino and it work on some areas but just kind of balled up and clumped little bits elsewhere and ruined a few of my toothbrushes turned model scrubbing brushes. ( I soaked it for maybe 24-36 hours) I'm really wanting to find a better way to strip plastics with SG as I have alot of models I'd like to start over with, even primed models, but I'm hesitant after this fiasco with the rhino. Any suggestions for better plastic stripping with SG? Give it another few days soak and hit it again with the toothbrush. Sometimes there's just a hard spot or two...at the edge of the stubborn spot after you soak it a few days, use the back end of the toothbrush (the plastic end, not the bristly end) to scrape at the paint. Careful how hard you do this, as you can scrape your model up too. After a good soak in simple green you can also use your fingernails or a sharp piece of plastic (try a bit of sprue) in order to scrape up the stubborn spot a bit. Again, be very careful how hard you scrape. you don't want to gouge up your rhino in the process (though if you DO gouge it up, you can always repaint this as battle wear!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakelet Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/funny-pictures-soylent-milk.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narthecium Posted January 21, 2008 Author Share Posted January 21, 2008 rofl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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