On using Simple Green...

[Azarias]

Hello all. I picked up some Simple Green about a week ago to try and strip some old Chaos Space Marines. They've spent a week in the jar (though they've been taken out at odd times to undergo the trial of the toothbrush), and while I see that the green bath is working it's taking a lot longer than I'd imagined it would. Most are stripped clean of the paint, leaving only the basecoat of black. However, even this is oddly stubborn in places. For example, I've got one shoulder-plate still half-covered in chaos black and half bare gray.

 

I've just got a bunch of questions. Is it normal for it to be taking this long? Does the chemical only work up to a certain point? The plastic seems stained in places by the black - is this normal? Or do I need to be a little more diligent with my brush? Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

[maverike_prime]

Hello all. I picked up some Simple Green about a week ago to try and strip some old Chaos Space Marines. They've spent a week in the jar (though they've been taken out at odd times to undergo the trial of the toothbrush), and while I see that the green bath is working it's taking a lot longer than I'd imagined it would. Most are stripped clean of the paint, leaving only the basecoat of black. However, even this is oddly stubborn in places. For example, I've got one shoulder-plate still half-covered in chaos black and half bare gray.

 

I've just got a bunch of questions. Is it normal for it to be taking this long? Does the chemical only work up to a certain point? The plastic seems stained in places by the black - is this normal? Or do I need to be a little more diligent with my brush? Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks, in advance, for your help.

 

Yeah a week isn't unusual for striping models in simple green. I've had some scouts making the dive for over a month and I still have some spots of primer on them. Primer is especially stubborn to strip off. It is designed to partially bond with plastics after all. With plastic models, depending on how long the primer as been on the model, it can stain the plastic permanently. It's rare but not unheard of.

 

Best advice I can give for stripping models, doing a week at a time. Drop the models sunday morning, let them soak till saturday afternoon. Remove, clean up as best as you can, if needed dip and repeat.

[time wizard]

I use simple green too. Sometimes it takes awhile for it to strip the paint off and sometimes you need to brush the mini and then place it back in the simple green for awhile longer.

The staining I've never had a problem with since I am going to re-prime them anyway.

The best thing about using simple green is that I've never had it damage the plastic.

I once had a model I forgot about. It sat in the SG for over a month!

I just gave it a quick scrub, all the paint came off, and the plastic was good as new.

[xPeRt]

Pick up some Purple Power, cheaper and much more effective.

[maverike_prime]

I use simple green too. Sometimes it takes awhile for it to strip the paint off and sometimes you need to brush the mini and then place it back in the simple green for awhile longer.

The staining I've never had a problem with since I am going to re-prime them anyway.

The best thing about using simple green is that I've never had it damage the plastic.

I once had a model I forgot about. It sat in the SG for over a month!

I just gave it a quick scrub, all the paint came off, and the plastic was good as new.

 

there was a post I read somewhere, the poster left a plastic rhino in a tub of simple green for other a year. He said the only thing it did was take the paint of the model. No damage to the model what so ever.

[PyronusSouria]

Brake fluid does the same job as simple green does, but faster. I've put my guys in brake fluid at 6pm, taken them out, cleaned them off and dried them at 9pm, and still had time to prime them again before I went to sleep.

[Subtle Discord]

A few things I've noticed with Simple Green.

 

First, if it's just primer with no acrylic paint on top, it will take more time to strip. For some reason primer that has a coat of paint on it will get 'lifted' much easier. Many times this is why you'll have stubborn nook-and-crannies that stay 'dirty'. Odds are they have very little, or no, paint on them.

 

Second, make sure you're not just seeing 'staining' on the plastic. Many times I've found that the actual layer of paint has been removed, and it just a stain that's being left. Once primed, it vanishes. Naturally, if there's still obvious paint, it needs more soak+scrub time.

 

I don't have experience trying to remove really thick coats of paint with Simple Green, but everything I've done with it was ready for the first scrub after about 24-to-48 hours soaking. Usually this enough to get it clean, but sometimes I'll give it a second 24 hour soak, and a second scrub if I want to make absolutely sure. Even when it's clean, I'll always have some staining in the nooks-and-crannies.

[GumbaFish]

I agree with the above, sometimes my miniatures are tinted black from the primer but you can tell that it is smooth plastic and not paint and once you prime it again you will have a perfectly smooth surface to work from with no issues. It seems from my experience certain primers and even certain paints are just a bear to strip while others come off after about a 15 minute soak.

[red_starrise]

I've used brake fluid & simple green both. I adamantly prefer the latter. Simple green is alot less caustic to your own skin (admittedly, I'm a country boy so my skin is usually pretty beat up anyway but still), it's not toxic (though I wouldn't advise making cocktails w/ it) & it's good for multi-tasking. I don't believe in having a uni-task product. Brake fluid doesn't have applications my wife can use to help justify buying it. Plus, brake fluid will ruin minis if left in too long, I've found, whereas simple green I've never had a problem w/.

 

To the OP, are you buying it in the concentrate or in the squirt bottle? If you buy it in the squirt bottle it's pre-dilluted & won't work near as well, if at all honestly.

[Subtle Discord]

To the OP, are you buying it in the concentrate or in the squirt bottle? If you buy it in the squirt bottle it's pre-dilluted & won't work near as well, if at all honestly.

 

I can attest to the 'diluted' Simple Green working just fine. Maybe concentrate can work faster, but I haven't had any problem with the spray bottle Simple Green.

 

I actually started a new clean up last night and have been paying attention to the time it's taking. I dropped the items in late last night, and let them soak while I slept. A while after I got up this morning, I gave the parts a first scrub. They've soaked for about 12 hours, and this first scrub removed 90% of the paint, right down to the resin. Many people would be happy with this result, but I've dropped them back in to soak for the day, and I'll give them a second scrub later tonight. After that second scrub, they'll be done.

 

24 hours and it's good-to-go for re-priming. There may be faster methods/products, but I agree that the fool-proof and non-toxic nature of Simple Green is a hard combination to beat. I could have left these items in for a week with no ill effects on the miniature, period. And, red_starrise is correct. Simple Green is great for all sorts of other clean up job around the house. I find it's been replacing other cleaning products for all the reasons why I like it for stripping miniatures.

[NemFX]

the best thing i ever did was forget my plastic models in it for about two months. the paint came off about as effortlessly as possible.

 

i have had mixed results with metal models though, so i dont usually do those that way.

[Subtle Discord]

Agreed. With metal, chemical paint stripper is the only way to go. Harder to work with, but you can't deny the results. But with the way things are going, metal is becoming a soon-to-be dinosaur.