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Is it possible to strip a resin model without damaging/warping the model using my regular stripping chemical Simple Green or is this too harsh on the resin?

If there is another method to strip resin models without harming the resin itself, I am open to suggestion.

You can strip resin with pretty much anything you use to strip plastic.

Yup, i did that with my FW avatar. Didn't harm the model at all.

Good to know i usually avoid buying second hand resin miniatures on eBay.

But don't you normally have scrape the last bits by hand?

Alright, great, just needed to know because you don't want to end up regretting the fact that you screwed up/rushed your painting because you know you'll end up scoring the model if you try to start over again.

Thanks for the advice.

If you use a soft toothbrush it should not do any damage to the model.

Pipboy101 wrote:If you use a soft toothbrush it should not do any damage to the model.

Yeah, but sometimes I find you need a pin to clear the recesses. Also the uk version of simple green is a bit weaker

If you use one of the new nifty sonic tooth brushes- when you're about to toss out the old used up brush end- save it.

You can use it for detail cleaning miniatures

Combined with a soak in some simple green or super clean you can get those pesky bits out of the recesses pretty easy. Probly works great on dentures too

Polyurethane resins are pretty durable from a chemical standpoint, anything you put on them that would damage them signifigantly is going to do far worse things to human flesh- so, if its ok on you skin, its ok for resin.

Just so you know, when some paint strippers you use might also dissolve superglue. Keep that in mind when strippng resin.

Just so you know, when some paint strippers you use might also dissolve superglue. Keep that in mind when strippng resin.

lol I bought some off brand graffiti remover and let some models soak in it for a few days and luckily the glue didn't dissolve but the green stuff did

Commander Endova wrote:Just so you know, when some paint strippers you use might also dissolve superglue. Keep that in mind when strippng resin.

TBH I have never seen Simple Green do anything to super glue, and when i'm stripping models with too much super glue around the joints (some GK models require most of my attention) I have to dig it out with a knife or my hobby cutters - a pain in the behind if you ask me. If there's a stripping agent that doesn't harm plastic but dissolves/softens super glue i'd be HAPPY to get my hands on some. Usually when I want to strip metal model I break them into their individual pieces so I get all the gunk out of the joints and make sure there's no residue paint/glue that's there to clot up the sharp joints.

Simple green doesnt do much to super glue.

But SuperClean nomnoms superglue Trust me- it really does.

Dunno if they sell Super Clean in Australia, never seen it before, even at Bunnings...

Try Kmart.

It's an engine de-greaser.

We have Castrol, you might just have to look for it a bit.
My local stocks it - by I use brake fluid to strip models (as most of the 2nd hand ones I get are metal).

chromedog wrote:Try Kmart.

It's an engine de-greaser.

We have Castrol, you might just have to look for it a bit.
My local stocks it - by I use brake fluid to strip models (as most of the 2nd hand ones I get are metal).

Castrol Super Clean is the full name of the "super clean'" i used with great success in the past.

Castrol doesnt own the name any more- http://www.superclean.com/index.php

Not sure about its availability overseas- but I dropped a bunch of cadians (that looked like they had been dipped in super glue and rolled in bits) in a bucket of this stuff for a couple days, and they just sorta fall apart when you brush the paint off them.

It has a nice citrus-y scent too- but- wear gloves, dries out your hands something fierce (and use some goggles lads- proppa safety and all )

And brake fluid? seriously, why? It has like no redeeming qualities and is such a nuisance to work with- this isnt 1995 (the dark ages of miniature stripping) we have the technology to do better! And be eco freindly...

Why brake fluid?

Because the only painted minis I buy 2nd hand are metals.

Because I have an Auto supplier around the corner which I can walk to.

The nearest store with superclean is a 10 minute drive away.

I dispose of the waste through a local car repairer's drop (he gets it picked up for disposal) for a small fee - I only go through about 500ml every year or so.

for metal, brake fluid gives me results almost as good as MEK (which is harder to get due to its various nasty properties).

Also, I've worked in an electroplating shop, so adequate ppe is 2nd nature, and compared to hexavalent chromium fumes, brake fluid is a breath of rose scented air.

superclean is evirofriendly and works great on metal, and here at least a gallon costs less than a quart of brake juice And I've used my last batch to clean...I think Im on my 5th batch of stripping and the stuff is about a year old.

But Im happy to hear that you dispose of it properly, most people dont :(

I can understand on the plstics though- just too easy to get some botched figs that take too much effort or cant be saved.

One warning about break fluid. DON'T! as in don't use it on resin miniatures such as Forge World kits.

A friend would use the stuff all the time on his plastic minis. In fact it worked so well that he repainted his Tau Army 3 times. Kind of a nut that way.
Anyways, back to the OT. Not quite happy with the paint job on some FW Remora's ( the larger gun drones with folding wings) he he dropped them in the fluid tank.
When he came to fish them out they were pretty much dissolved so badly that they were pretty much ruined.

Hope this helps,
Dark_Gear

just a note: Break fluid and resin are NOT a good combination. I stripped a second hand FW Hive Tyrant and ended up softening the resin quite a bit. In fact, it was so soft that the soft toothbrush broke off quite a bit of detail before I noticed what was happening.

Alrighty so I guess the lesson for today is - and feel free to correct me:

- Use either Simple Green or Super Clean for your everyday models
- With resin models, after soaking in the stripping agent, use a soft-bristled toothbrush
- Resin is delicate and can warp easily when pressured even in just warm water
- Use brake fluid when you absolutely HAVE TO strip everything from a metal model that isn't metal - but make sure to use proper safety precautions
- Brake fluid and resin do not mix well

Brake fluid=metal only. And then only if you have the means to handle it safely and dispose of it properly. It melts many plastics (not all- but some) and does bad things to resins. Its really a poor choice these days unless you dont have another option or its terribly inconvenient to get anything else.

Acetone nail polish remover is much better on metal models in those circumstances, provided they aren't too large. Easier to get hold of than break fluid, not going to do nasty things to your body, not going to do nasty things to the environment (at least comparatively) and chews through super glue. Sometimes on thicker joints the super glue doesn't dissolve as much as going really soft and gooey but a light tug will separate the parts and the remnants can be peeled off pretty easily. It can take a little longer than some other compounds. I had a badly caked incubi master I was stripping and I tossed it back in a few times to get the thick paint out of the really deep crevasses.

I just need to find some of the Super Clean over here in Perth, it seems. Haven't had much luck so far.

Alrighty, now I'm a little confused...

So SuperClean is it's own brand...and unfortunately it seems the website only shows me stores that stock it in America. Which particular product from the SuperClean line am I supposed to use for stripping models? Also, has anyone in Australia (even better if you're in the NSW/Sydney region) managed to get their hands on this product and if so from which chain of stores (took a look in Kmart today and couldn't for the life of me find any)?

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=ultra+sonic+cleaner&Submit=Go

One of these and some simple green or Superclean = clean unpainted fig.