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Simple Green...is made of people!


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Thanks for the excellent little article, Narthecium. I've been looking for a reliable paint stripper for a while now.

 

So, I just soaked several GW plastic models, a couple of metal bits and a FW resin dreadnought. In my case, even the plastic and resin items were shedding their paint in just a few hours, probably because I was at one point dead set against spray-priming any of my models.

 

After scrubbing these pieces, all of the flat surfaces scrub completely clear, but I've found that the plastic and resin is still left with a significant amount of Chaos Black paint (not primer) left in the cracks and recesses. My question is whether or not it is safe to spray-prime over the models that are in this state. The remaining Chaos Black paint is a bit flaky, coming off without much resistance in the places where I can actually reach it. If I spray over this stuff, will it end up causing the primer not to stick?

I would say it will be safe as it will be forming a whole new seal over top of the old primer, sealing it in. Would be just fine imo.

 

Try using a toothpick to take some of the paint out of the recesses, or a needle. It might be a pain but heavily built up primer or paint in recesses can easily destroy model detail. I'm priming a whole squad of sweet converted guys I bought off someone recently because he primed them way too thickly.

Great! Thanks for the input.

 

And yeah, I'm definitely going to do whatever I can to retain detail on these models. I've put too much work into converting and modeling them to settle for goopy results.

 

 

Yeah it can be a real headache if you don't do every little step right.

 

Carpenters say "Measure twice, cut once."

the simple green i have been using is an engine degreaser formula. found it at a hardware store.

 

works really well. the longest i had stuff soaking was a little over a month. i use a mason jar (canning jar) filled to half.

 

the paint practically washes off with water you only have to srub in the nooks and crannies if there is anything left there give a dental pick a go. it usually ends up with a clean mini.

 

let dry & primer so you can try again.

After reading about all of this stuff, I went down to a local industrial supplier, and picked up some Simple Green. (If you live in Australia, give your nearest J Blackwood & Sons a call).

 

Main reason I picked it up is I have purchased an old Armorcast Reaver Titan from eBay, and it's caked in badly applied paint. And some weird greasy stain on one of the legs.

 

So I currently have 1x spare Titan weapon, 1x Metal Assault Marine and 1x Plastic Marine soaking in their Green Bath. I'll leave it overnight, give them a light scrub and see how they go, then probably dunk them back in for another soak. I'll keep you posted with results.

 

 

[uPDATE!]

After an 18 hour soaking in the (Concentrated) Simple Green, here are the results:

 

Armorcast Resin: Paint starting to lift. Came away with hard scrubbing, but still very resistant to movement.

 

Metal Marine: Paint was really glopped on by the original owner. After a light brush over, some paint peeled just running it under water. Some more persistant paint in the details.

 

Plastic Marine: Same original owner, but paint came off easier than the metal(!). No loss of detail, no adverse effects on the plastic (so far).

 

So after a short bath and a light scrub all three are showing signs of improvement, but I've dunked them all back in for some more time in the Green.

 

 

One other question: does it matter if it's left in the sun? I've got mine outside the laundry, which gets direct sunlight from about lunchtime till dark. Any adverse/positive effects to a little additional heat?

As far as sunlight goes, I couldn't honestly tell you other than to say I wouldn't leave your plastic minis in the sun (or even resin) as they might very well melt under direct sunlight.

 

However whether sunlight effects simple green stripping process or not, I have no idea..my tupperware sits on top of our refrigerator. <_<

Well, I've moved my Green Tub from direct sunlight to a dark corner behind the house.

 

Update (cont.):

 

Armorcast Resin: Stripped almost all the paint (some crappy, persistant spray) with a hard scrub. Small crack across the piece developed green tinge even after rinse, and was a little soft. I will now only be putting Resin in Green for less than a day at a time (Mind you, the bottle I have says "Concentrated"). One day in, scrub, let dry. Lather, rinse repeat.

 

Metal/Plastic minis: Stripped all but the deepest, deepest crevices with just a toothbrush. Dental pick and scalpel took care of the rest. Will try to paint them up to post comparisons of unstripped vs. stripped for paint jobs.

  • 2 weeks later...

I've soaked plastic and metal models in undiluted simple green for over a month with no adverse damages to the models.

 

Well, the metal figures did look less shiny than new, but the paints just rubbed off with my thumb.

 

I've soaked some really old termies in simple green for a few weeks, the paint scrubbed off, but the white primer is a nightmare.

 

It seems to have fused with the plastic or something, because nomatter how hard I try, I couldn't get the white primer off.

 

Black primer comes off real easy.

 

PVA glue is easily removed.

 

Soaking doesn't seem to affect the plastic glue and superglue.

Here is my results with Simple Green.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e253/Biggun25/DSC00452.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e253/Biggun25/DSC00451.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e253/Biggun25/DSC00450.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e253/Biggun25/DSC00449.jpg

I've soaked plastic minis for about three days at a time. The plastics seem to retain a fair amount of paint even after intense scrubbing, but for the most part its extremely faded and seems like I could prime over it safely. Not sure though. The metals strip almost totally, though some small crevices retain glimmers of paint, but I can't get them out even with several minutes of elbow grease.

 

Ideas?

Try tooth picks or even a sewing needle on your metal guys..just watch the sewing needle so that you don't snap it and get flying splinters of metal. Last thing you need is a piece of steel in the eye.

 

As far as the paint left on the plastic goes, I think plastic is simply harder to strip in general. Maybe it's the porous nature of the plastic? Only a rough guess here, but seems to me like the primer bonds a LOT more strongly with the plastic than the metal. If it's thin enough not obscure any detail I'd say it's safe to prime over top of (as that's what I've done on several occasions).

 

If it obscures detail, soak and soak some more. I've left a few stubborn minis in simple green for weeks at a time. Not really a bother because I always have more stuff to paint than I have hours to paint them with.

I was told that pinesol works pretty good but is it true? I bouth this after i could not find a good amout of simple green. im still trying to find a store that sell's it. Its frustrating to hear how easy it is for some of you guys to find the stuff.
I was told that pinesol works pretty good but is it true? I bouth this after i could not find a good amout of simple green. im still trying to find a store that sell's it. Its frustrating to hear how easy it is for some of you guys to find the stuff.

 

I would not recommend PineSol. It will melt plastic, and tends to discolor pewter. Some folks swear by it, but I don't trust the stuff.

I was told that pinesol works pretty good but is it true? I bouth this after i could not find a good amout of simple green. im still trying to find a store that sell's it. Its frustrating to hear how easy it is for some of you guys to find the stuff.

 

 

As rhino said above, pinesol is pretty dangerous. Let's go down the list:

 

A) It's a SOLVENT. This means it will MELT your plastic minis. You'll end up with a goopy looking mass of plastic. Maybe if you wanna do a nurgle conversion you should use it...but no really, if you want usable plastic minis, avoid pinesol at all costs.

 

B ) It terribly discolors metal. We're talking above and beyond what simplegreen will do, it almost corrodes it away.

 

C) The fumes are very toxic and it is dangerous to breathe in. You need a VERY well ventilated area.

 

D) Pinesol will BURN you. It will literally leave you with blisters as it chews through your skin. Chemical burns aren't fun. Just ask Tyler Durden.

 

 

At any rate, where do you live? USA or outside of? I can probably point you in the right direction to find some.

  • 3 months later...

Regarding the loss of shine to metal minis when SG is used to remove paint, I have a 'resurfacing' remedy.

 

I often use a white vinegar soak to remove mold release agents, skin oils and other painting deterents from new metal minis. It's a mild acid that removes those substances with an ultra-mild etching action. It also removes any oxidation that paint removing solvents (like Simple Green) can cause on certain alloys used for minis. It can help restore the surface of the metal after stripping, and can sometimes (depending on the paint) loosen the remaining stubborn, stuck-in-the-cracks paint.

 

It's safe for plastic, too!

A little more info for everyone--

I just returned from 6 months at sea, and discovered that I had forgotten about some minis in a sealed jar of SG. When I checked on them, most of the paint came right off under running water, most of what was left came off with a toothbrush, and the nooks-n-crannies were easily cleaned with a dental tool. No problems with the plastics; the metal did discolor a little bit, but hey, I'm going to be repainting them, so no big deal. Now, I wouldn't recommend doing this but since I tested it inadvertently, I figured I'd share the results. I'd also second the above warning about Pinesol; clean your house with it, but keep it away from your minis!! I learned this the hard way. Thankfully it was only one WFB chaos warrior who gave his all to dicover this. And yes, he has since joined the services of Nurgle. :D

Magnus, I'd go with either the original "mint" green, or the lemon stuff. Not sure the crystal stuff is one of their products, as it isn't shown on their website.

I've not seen thelemon stuff in stores, so I'm not sure if it's 100% the same product as the original.

 

Crystal Simple Green is the same stuff with no pigment and less smell. Same company, same effect. Buy it by the gallon.

 

http://industrial.simplegreen.com/ind_prod_cry.php

Magnus, I'd go with either the original "mint" green, or the lemon stuff. Not sure the crystal stuff is one of their products, as it isn't shown on their website.

I've not seen thelemon stuff in stores, so I'm not sure if it's 100% the same product as the original.

 

Crystal Simple Green is the same stuff with no pigment and less smell. Same company, same effect. Buy it by the gallon.

 

http://industrial.simplegreen.com/ind_prod_cry.php

 

 

 

Mmm...reminds me of Crystal Pepsi!

  • 3 weeks later...
Magnus, I'd go with either the original "mint" green, or the lemon stuff. Not sure the crystal stuff is one of their products, as it isn't shown on their website.

I've not seen thelemon stuff in stores, so I'm not sure if it's 100% the same product as the original.

 

Crystal Simple Green is the same stuff with no pigment and less smell. Same company, same effect. Buy it by the gallon.

 

http://industrial.simplegreen.com/ind_prod_cry.php

 

 

 

Mmm...reminds me of Crystal Pepsi!

 

 

 

Except it turns out you shouldn't drink Crystal Green...weird.

 

Bump to the top to spread the love.

Hey, I just traded a portion of my Imperial Guards for a friend's band of Khornate CSM. He was so crap at painting that he COVERED ALL details. Would Simple Green get rid of the layers of excessive paint? I know I can wait for 6 months or more because I've still got a lot of Wolves and Guards to paint and game.

 

So would Simple Green work on my Khornate berzerkers or will I just waste my time?

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