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I know this has probably been covered before, but for some of you more experienced modelers out there, what are some of the best ways to strip paint from models, including those with Greenstuff all over them?

I use DOT 3 Brake Fluid, but I haven't tried it on green stuff or plastic. However I also use it to clean brushes and it doesn't seem to bother anything.

If you use the "Search" function for STRIP and PAINT, you'll find about 102 articles on it.

For me I've only found two I like:

For metals: Straight up Pine SOL or Brush Conditioner (in a can from Home Depot)

For plastics: Super Clean (purple bottle, from Castrol, found in automotive repair stores). Even stripped off the primer and cleaned the FW resin safely.

*edited for spelling

Save yourself the trouble and use Castrol Super Clean (in the purple bottle). CSC works great on plastic and metal, isn't nasty toxic (DOT 3 brake fluid), and is easy to get.

If you're in the US and using somethign else, you're wasting your time and money.

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Skinnattittar wrote:I use DOT 3 Brake Fluid, but I haven't tried it on green stuff or plastic. However I also use it to clean brushes and it doesn't seem to bother anything.

Brake Fluid has been the first and last in cleaning metal for me, pretty impressive stuff. Wouldn't suggest it on GS or plastic if you want them to live, recall hearing it melts them something fierce. Didn't know it worked on brushes, might give it a try on some ancient paint-wrecked brushes I've got sitting aside.

JohnHwangDD wrote:Save yourself the trouble and use Castrol Super Clean (in the purple bottle). CSC works great on plastic and metal, isn't nasty toxic (DOT 3 brake fluid), and is easy to get.

If you're in the US and using somethign else, you're wasting your time and money.

Hmm, never tried it out, might just have to. Brake Fluid's toxicity is a concern for me, and something that works on plastics as well as metal would be a groovy thing to have.

- Salvage

I was really hoping someone would be familiar with something that would be safe to use on GS.

I don't think it's safe to strip Gs. The GS would probably dissolve as it's less tough than plastic or it would weaken it's hold if it got soft from the liquid.

You could always test it by GSing something random throw on some paint and see what happens with various chemicals. I think i would have fun with that experiment actually, it sounds like something i would have done 10 years ago.

That has a potentially awesome ending. I can just see a little mushroom cloud of green smoke rising over a house. Or on the other hand maybe you'll cure cancer. Or even better...Aids!

snorkle wrote:That has a potentially awesome ending. I can just see a little mushroom cloud of green smoke rising over a house. Or on the other hand maybe you'll cure cancer. Or even better...Aids!

Cure? No, im not that lucky. I would probably accidentally create the human techno virus then take over the planet. But thats a story for another time...

That would be even better!

Skinnattittar wrote:I use DOT 3 Brake Fluid, but I haven't tried it on green stuff or plastic. However I also use it to clean brushes and it doesn't seem to bother anything.

If you ever lick your brushes to shape / point them, oh my gawd...

This thread is getting better and better.

JohnHwangDD wrote:

Skinnattittar wrote:I use DOT 3 Brake Fluid, but I haven't tried it on green stuff or plastic. However I also use it to clean brushes and it doesn't seem to bother anything.

If you ever lick your brushes to shape / point them, oh my gawd...

Ew, if i used that to clean my stuff i would be dead, blind or both by now.

Blind zombie ftw.

Boss_Salvage wrote:

JohnHwangDD wrote:Save yourself the trouble and use Castrol Super Clean (in the purple bottle). CSC works great on plastic and metal, isn't nasty toxic (DOT 3 brake fluid), and is easy to get.

If you're in the US and using somethign else, you're wasting your time and money.

Hmm, never tried it out, might just have to. Brake Fluid's toxicity is a concern for me, and something that works on plastics as well as metal would be a groovy thing to have.

I've tried a bunch of the so-called "best" strippers, and there isn't anything out there that is more effective than CSC. And CSC is stupid simple - just dunk, let soak for a couple hours, and scrub.

Considering how seriously bad DOT 3 is - evilly poisonous and you can't legally dispose of it yourself, I'm surprised anybody still uses it.

FearPeteySodes wrote:

JohnHwangDD wrote:

Skinnattittar wrote:I use DOT 3 Brake Fluid, but I haven't tried it on green stuff or plastic. However I also use it to clean brushes and it doesn't seem to bother anything.

If you ever lick your brushes to shape / point them, oh my gawd...

Ew, if i used that to clean my stuff i would be dead, blind or both by now.

Blind zombie ftw.

No, you would be a mewling Chaos Spawn.

snorkle wrote:I don't think it's safe to strip Gs. The GS would probably dissolve as it's less tough than plastic or it would weaken it's hold if it got soft from the liquid.

GS pretty much always dissolves in any kind of decent stripper strong enough to take the paint off.

If you want to protect it, you can try sealing it with CA or polyurethane, but I'm not sure that would be so effectve - any little crack / gap, and you will have problems.

Westley's beach white. It's a tire cleaner.

Will it work with GS?

Yep. It is non-destructo.

Simple Green cleaning product. Might be in the auto section, at least it is at my Target. It's non-toxic, works well (doesn't too so good taking primer off metal), is safe for plastic. And I speak from experience, you can leave stuff in it for over a year and it's fine.

You guys are lucky you can get stripper. I don't know what to use here in Europe so I just scrape the paint of with a knife until I cut myself.

snorkle wrote:You guys are lucky you can get stripper. I don't know what to use here in Europe so I just scrape the paint of with a knife until I cut myself.

I always just used Windex and patience.

You can buy Westley's in Europe, or buy it off any website and have it shipped. If you tell me what country you are in, I can probably find you a local automotive shop that'll have it.

You can get Simple Green in the UK. It should be possible to order it for delivery to the rest of the EU.

Brush conditioner strips metals models a treat but don't use it on plastic. I don't know about Green Stuff -- probably OK but I would do a test first.

Stripping has been extensively covered in other threads, you might want to to a bit of searching for them.

For real? Cause I'm actually being serious. It's a hard life up in the swiss mountains. But Friday I get to go skiing. Nanana

New Hampshire has some pretty decent mountains, but I don't think I can compare them to the Alps.