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Stripping paint from models


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According to a friend of mine, Simple Green appears to have changed its formula and it's no longer stripping paint from his models. I have a bunch of Sisters and vehicles I purchased off of eBay and I'm curious if anyone knows of any way to remove paint from these models without eating the paint or detail.

 

Thanks in advance!

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If the figures are metal, just dump them in some acetone, that will melt the paint right away and leave the metall unscarred. Otherwise I would suggest Brake Fluid, but with that one please be careful when putting plastic and resin stuff in. For resin no longer then 20 minutes or it will soften up (Hardens again after a day or two) and for plastics not more than a day. WIth both agents you should work in a well ventilated area. :)

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Dakka_Modeling_FAQ:_How_to_Strip...

 

Dunno if it's a faux pas to link to them, but this has worked for me with metal and plastic; haven't tried with resin or finecast yet, all i heard was that the paint 'stains' into the resin/finecast. I've used the castrol super clean, and it works like a champ.

As far as I'm aware, the Simple Green formula had changed in 2013. They took out the 2-butoxyethanol, allegedly the part that's most effective in stripping paint. 

 

I can't comment on the paint-stripping capacity of 2-butoxyethanol, but I bought my last bottle last year (in New Zealand, mind you, we're a bit behind with a number of things) and it works well for me. I use the concentrate, undiluted, and let models soak for a couple of days minimum. I recommend investing the equivalent of a clampack character model in a cheap ultrasonic bath for more difficult cases. 

 

Having said that, I find that the primer and paints used, and the amount of primer and paint used on a model, are the most important variables in determining the success of any single stripping method.

 

I've no idea why your friend thinks the formula has changed; maybe he's just having a hard time with a few particular models?

I'd heard even Fairy power spray had changed their formula of late, but I'm still going through my old bottles so cannot confirm this.  I have used dettol as well in the past and that works well on metal, less so on plastic in my experience.

As if cleaned by the Emperor's own hand... could it even destroy blessed 2nd Ed paint on 20 years old models? Where might one get a decently priced one in the UK? Also for monetary reasons - what other useful purposes other than stripping models can it be put towards? :lol:

Here is a pic some harlequins painted over twenty years ago and how they came out;

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/20150524_210504_zpsk8hg1f7u.jpg

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/20150525_202442_zpsudpzrscl.jpg

 

The cleaner cost me around thirty pounds from amazon. And it's designed for cleaning jewelry.

Its whisper quiet and a couple of five min sessions and you're done bar a little light brushing with a toothbrush. And it's cool watching the paint 'vibrate' off.

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/5_zps509a21da.jpg

As if cleaned by the Emperor's own hand... could it even destroy blessed 2nd Ed paint on 20 years old models? Where might one get a decently priced one in the UK? Also for monetary reasons - what other useful purposes other than stripping models can it be put towards? laugh.png

Yes, they're meant to clean jewelry. I use mine to clean prescription glasses and also more delicate airbrush parts (nozzle pieces, needles, etc.) too.

I myself have used a mixture of chemicals through the years.

 

The one i've used the most is red spirits( don't know what it's called in english(t-red?) but it's used for keeping frost away from cars)

 

Throw the stuff in it for a day or two, and the paint falls off, although the plastic will get a bit miscoloured.

 

The best paint removal ever is nail polish, though you use it at your own risk when it comes to resin, nearly sponge-ified 150 pounds worth of cataphractii terminators with it.

I didn't know there was a new recipe. Last time I used it was about 4 months ago and it worked as good as usual.

 

From the look of the bottle, it's the old variety - rather than the new Lemon one! 

 

I'd be interested to see if the Ultrasonic made any difference with the new variety...

Thanks a lot brothers, sounds like I need to visit Amazon for a purchase once my ship comes in! thumbsup.gif I have plastic models to strip mostly, I gather Dettol is the best for them?

Look no further than Dettol, my friend. Toothbrush, latex gloves (it will eat at your skin) and mind the splatter youll get from the toothbrushing - it gets everywhere and is hard to remove. Also beware the stink. Especially detrimental to the happiness of significant others in the vicinity. Light some candles in whatever room you're doing it in to help with all that.

Dont be afraid to do multiple treatments/soaks if the first do not remove everything, and dont be shy to dunk your toothbrush into the Dettol as you go.

I can only say what worked miracles for me. I did a lot of asking, browsing and reading, but ultimately I settled for a cheap solution. For metal models: dump them in any type of solvent. For plastics and resin: get a bottle of DOT 3 or DOT 4 break fluid - it's pretty efficient (though you need to do some brushing after bathing the models) and extremely safe: I even once left my models in the liquid for two months and nothing bad happened to them, apart from the smell "mechanical" that is.

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