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I know about simple green for paint removal but I have heard from a couple people it doesn't work so well on plastic models. Is this true and if so what is a better medium for paint removal from plastic models?

Works fine for me on plastic models, just let it soak for a good long while.

How long do you recommend soaking them for?

Purple Power is one of the most effective paint removers I've come across. You can get it at automotive stores, and it's pretty dang cheap and very safe for plastics. Often times the paint all washes off as you take the mini out of the bath! It's even cleaned minis that I'd previously soaked in other cleaners like citristrip.


It's not universal, but more so than any other I've tried. Soak overnight for most things; sometimes a couple hours will be enough.

[edit] I should point out that it performs much better than Simple Green, and usually requires much less scrubbing to get the paint off. Where SG usually causes the paint to weaken and flake away, PP often breaks the paint completely down to pigmented slush that can simply be rinsed off followed by some light brushing to get it all out of the recesses.

Overnight seems to be fine for most stuff. If you're unsure, a little longer doesn't hurt.

I have some old RT-era Marine models that have been floating in a jar of simple green for about 2 and a half months now (just haven't got around to fishing them out)... paint's mostly worked itself off by now

Ok cool I was just curious, because a friend of mine had a serious problem getting paint off of some of his plastic models, but then again he does tend to put on way too much dull coat so maybe thats why.

Insaniak, you might want to check on those guys. I've found that prolonged soaking in Simple Green (about a week, I think it was) will cause the plastic to become rather crumbly around the edges. I think it might pull the plasticizer out of the material over time.

Or keep them floating/digesting for the lulz.

Gearhead wrote:Purple Power is one of the most effective paint removers I've come across. You can get it at automotive stores, and it's pretty dang cheap and very safe for plastics. Often times the paint all washes off as you take the mini out of the bath! It's even cleaned minis that I'd previously soaked in other cleaners like citristrip.


It's not universal, but more so than any other I've tried. Soak overnight for most things; sometimes a couple hours will be enough.

[edit] I should point out that it performs much better than Simple Green, and usually requires much less scrubbing to get the paint off. Where SG usually causes the paint to weaken and flake away, PP often breaks the paint completely down to pigmented slush that can simply be rinsed off followed by some light brushing to get it all out of the recesses.

Sounds just like Super Clean (also found in Automotive stores) and their is an article on the process here...

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

BTW, not made by Castrol anymore.