Kaewt Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 ECS/Simple Green UKDespatch Centre Harmony Road Roche GB-St. Austell PL26 8ES, United Kingdom Phone: +44 1726 891199 Fax: +44 1726 891187 Cel: +44 7773 069177 Contact: Paul Munro Simple Green Global If the UK info doesn't cut it for you. I'm not sure why simple green seems to be so hard to find since they seem to have offices/distributors all over the place. I would just call around and see what turns up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout Doombringer Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I just put my marines in a 1:1 windex:water solution. I plan on letting it go overnight. I can see it already taking effect, with small parts of the painted-over red becoming visible. Is this a safe ratio for 9-18 hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Noble Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Looks like we'll find out tomorrow...LOL! Actually, i think I did use windex once (I've used just about every paint stripper that's been talked about on mini forums... except one... there's some magic paste-like substance in the UK that supposedly is the best, but I don't remember the name.), but it was really long ago, and as I recall it didn't work great. I think they may have been metal minis though... Anyway, keep us informed! -J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout Doombringer Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Windex sucked. It barely stripped the newest layer of paint (black). If you HAVE to use windex, use it undiluted. Right now I'm trying brake fluid with a tiny bit of water. In the first 20 minutes, it seems ok. The good thing about the windex is that it DID loosen the glue enough to be able to snap the arms off. Still, sawing off would cause less cosmetic damage. It also loosened the flock enough to scrape it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Noble Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Thanks for the update. I'm 90% sure I tried windex many moons ago with similar results. Keep us posted on how the brake fluid works... I've heard conflicting reports of it melting plastic, then other denying this claim. My hands-down best stripper for metal is Castrol Super Clean... Supposedly it works on plastics, but it requires gloves and good ventilation (remember, this is used to clean car engines...), so I use... Simple Green for my plastics... I can use it in the kitchen sink, and don't need gloves (although I wear them to keep the Simple Green smell off). If I were to make a Nurgle Army, I'd use Non-Acetone Nail Polish Remover. It softened up some Marines, and made bubbles appear. They're my color/ technique test figs now, but If I were to make papa Nurgle marines, I'd throw all platics in that stuff in a heartbeat... Anyway, please keep us posted! -J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironblood Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Windex sucked. It barely stripped the newest layer of paint (black). If you HAVE to use windex, use it undiluted. Right now I'm trying brake fluid with a tiny bit of water. In the first 20 minutes, it seems ok. The good thing about the windex is that it DID loosen the glue enough to be able to snap the arms off. Still, sawing off would cause less cosmetic damage. It also loosened the flock enough to scrape it off. brake fluid works really well on metals and plastics, but be sure you thoroughly scrub and wash off ALLof the brake fluid and paint. If you don't new layers of paint will not dry on top of the unclean spots and will wipe right off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scout Doombringer Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Brake fluid didn't work well. Tried non-acetone nail polish remover. Worked well, I think it'll work better when I wash off all of the brake fluid with warm soapy water, and then scrub more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamLando Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 For us Swedes there's always "T-röd". Dunno quite what it is exactly, but I know it's some type of ethanol alcohole stuff that you can use for, for example, Spirit Stoves, you know, those portable stoves you can use while you're camping. The fuel for that should be universal, so if you got any you could always try puting your minis into a pot of that. Always works for me, 1 min in there and the paint basically falls right off. A toothbrush later and they're clean as new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igotsmeakabob!! Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 You're in the US. Use Simple Green, leave it in for a day, scrub, stick back in whatever you weren't satisfied with (it takes off 100% from metal, plastic MIGHT need a second dipping). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal van Trapp Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 i have always and will always use greased lightning, it works great on plastic models it gets right down to the plastic every time, and you can leave them soaking for MONTHS before it will start eating away the plastic, i buy it in but gallon jugs at my local home depot for pocket change, just let them soak for atleast 24 hours then take a hard bristled toothbrush to them and watch the paint fall off! Edit: it also works wonders on metal models... it paint literally falls off in the solution and then you just brush them to get it out of the cracks in the models Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vor Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 A small tub filled with Mister Muscle Kitchen Cleaner does the job just fine if you're in the UK. Starts to work within 15 minutes but I leave my metals overnight. I've tried it with plastic for a few hours during the day once and it worked a treat, however it didn't remove the primer... or the the models were stained black during the process somehow. Not sure which it was. Not that that was a problem. Saved me a few minutes of spraying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiplash Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 For us Swedes there's always "T-röd". Dunno quite what it is exactly, but I know it's some type of ethanol alcohole stuff that you can use for, for example, Spirit Stoves, you know, those portable stoves you can use while you're camping. The fuel for that should be universal, so if you got any you could always try puting your minis into a pot of that. Always works for me, 1 min in there and the paint basically falls right off. A toothbrush later and they're clean as new. as in metholated spirits? the purple stove fluid stuff? can anyone show examples of plastic stripping i hear people talking about it, but never seen any pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dezartfox Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I'm going tog et me some Simple Green now Brother Argos has provided me with the link to the European store. Acetone free nail polish remover does work, on some models it works wonders, others it takes a lot of effort to remove the paint. I had it on some metal termies and took me forever. It also cant remove "glossy" enamel paint, it'll just make a horrible mess. Also for some reason it melts bases! XD Simple Green is the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaplain Mecurio Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 You can also leave your models in Simple Green for months on end. I just found a jar in my garage today that had a 5-man assault squad and a captain in it since October. Oops. :lol: I wondered where it went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaplain Mecurio Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I think I figured out how to make money to get more models. I'll become a black market Simple Green dealer to all of my brothers on the other side, and just because I'm a nice guy, I'll only mark it up 125%... plus shipping. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatEscape_13 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 A couple days soaking in Simple Green (you can find it in the "car care" sections of grocery stores, and of course auto stores) and a toothbrush trump all other methods I've tried. Occasionally have a bit in a crevice that needs to be removed with a knife or tweezer, but otherwise great. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyang28 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Is it safe to use rubbing alcohol to clean oily/dirty plastic minis before priming them? Also, is it safe to use rubbing alcohol to clean finished/painted/varnished minis? I asked a clerk at a hardware store this question, and she said it should be ok. She didn't seem that confident of her position however, and I was wondering if any B&C veterans might know for sure. Thanks for your help and generosity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glayvin34 Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I haven't tried it myself, but I really think that isopropyl alcohol (active ingredient in rubbing alcohol in the US and surgical spirits in the UK) will melt plastic. I would try it on a piece of sprue first, then poke the plastic with something and see how soft it gets. If it gets soft at all, don't use the rubbing alcohol. There's a slim chance it would be safe on varnished models, but I wouldn't take the chance. It clean oily or dusty minis, just use dish soap and water. If the tap water in your area leaves hard water stains, then get some distilled water from the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longscope Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I haven't tried it myself, but I really think that isopropyl alcohol (active ingredient in rubbing alcohol in the US and surgical spirits in the UK) will melt plastic. I would try it on a piece of sprue first, then poke the plastic with something and see how soft it gets. If it gets soft at all, don't use the rubbing alcohol. There's a slim chance it would be safe on varnished models, but I wouldn't take the chance. It clean oily or dusty minis, just use dish soap and water. If the tap water in your area leaves hard water stains, then get some distilled water from the market. If it's varnished already, that should be ok. There's a dusting technique using rubbing alcohol and ground up pastel chalks to dust tanks and such. It's a cool effect, but I've never tried it myself. (test at your own risk) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarbonCopy Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Isopropyl alcohol is fine for cleaning UNPAINTED plastic and resin miniatures. However, it can soften acrylic paint. It cuts grease and many types of mold release agents. Just don't soak resin components for too long as they can soften slightly. It's great to shoot through an airbrush to clean really clogged fittings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdeptusDavidus Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I used india ink and rubbing alcohol washes on model tanks and planes for years, never had a problem. It didn't attack the plastic, and didn't attack the enamel (but that's the catch - I was using Testors enamels, the old-fashioned toxic kind, the good stuff). On a whim, I toyed with the same technique on a castoff mini that I primed with Liquitex white gesso, and the alcohol washes stripped away the gesso (as well as previous layers of india inking). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamelli Streamfisher Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Don't use it on painted models!!!!! Rubbing alcohol is used to strip paint of models, it's not a good idea to use it for cleaning models after painting. Before they are painted it's fine. For cleaning painted minis, I would suggest using a can of compressed air and maybe a damp cue-tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonforge Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 To clean unpainted miniatures use a old tooth brush and a small amount ( few drops) of some mild detergent like dish soap in some warm water. Lightly wash and rinse them with warm water and air dry. For painted minis, Use a soft brush and a small amount ( few drops) of some mild detergent like dish soap in some warm water. Lightly wash and rinse them with warm water and air dry. then touch up the paint jobs and revarnish with a good clear coat. Don't use rubbing alcohol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyang28 Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Thank you everyone for all your wisdom! Your input really saved me from making some serious mistakes. Thank you again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaeus Marius Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I'm getting around to stripping about 30 SW minis in a few days, and have not been able to locate this magical oven cleaner that has been mentioned on this forum. I've heard that Simple Green works really well, even on plastics. Just soak em over night and clean em off with a toothbrush in the morning, no detail damage at all. Is this true? I have no "test mini", but I do have Simple Green in the Garage, and I don't want to destroy my models. Will it work if they've been coated with a matte finish? Is it true that it does not work on Black primers? I've done some digging, but can't find any definitive answers. Can you all help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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