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So, the power of green wasn't so impressive on a bunch of models I received recently. What would you suggest instead?

Oh, and don't suggest different tricks for making Simple Green work. I've already been down that road with no better results.

Thanks.

What exactly do you mean by "it's not working"? Like it's not sloughing off like it should be or what?

Because the only feasible paints I can think of that wouldn't make Simple Green work are enamel and lacquer, but even enamel would come off after a good 24 hour soak.

Knowing this information helps make any suggestions better, so help me to help you Breotan.

First I'd make sure your leaving the models in undiluted Simple Green for along enough time, overnight seems to work best.

Second I'd use Super Clean, in my opinon it works better.

Last if its a metal model you can use an actual paint striper like Zip Strip.

Use "totally awesome" instead.



It has worked for me when simple green has not.

However there may be some staining of the plastic, not that it matters since you will be painting over it again I assume.

Totally Awesome is good stuff.

Plastic or metal?

If they are metal, you could use Nitromors so long as you treat it like nuclear waste and wear as much protection as possible, the most important thing being the nitril gloves.

Just give up and buy new models. J/K I have found that if you can set your parts on something that vibrates it really helps the process. I had a bucket of old PM that I put in Simple Green and then set on top of my dryer whilst I was washing clothes...I learned this from an old Dakka post. Anyway it helped considerably it even took the paint off of the plastic backpacks. I have also found that warm simple green works better. Recently tried Totally Awesome, and I agree it works as well or maybe better than Simple Green.

For non plastic parts acetone, not nail polish remover Acetone from the paint section.
For plastic: Totally Awesome, Purple Power, a 20 dollar ultra sonic cleaner from Harbor Frieght with heat, DOT 3 brake fluid: but it's greasy smells bad and makes plastic brittle.

For metal, Nitro Mors. It will completely and utterly annihilate paint, but destroys plastic (COMPLETELY) and burns your fskin if you don't wear gloves. Oh, and it eats through latex gloves.

I'm trying to get plastic figures stripped. I've no troubles with metal as I just soak those with Easy Off oven cleaner. Quick and very easy but not the best stuff to use on plastic.

What stores sell Totally Awesome? I don't think I've seen it before.

I find purple power works better then simple green. It being warm seems to help as well.

Hell, use gasoline for metal models. Or light them on fire!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Breotan wrote:I'm trying to get plastic figures stripped. I've no troubles with metal as I just soak those with Easy Off oven cleaner. Quick and very easy but not the best stuff to use on plastic.

What stores sell Totally Awesome? I don't think I've seen it before.

I'm pretty sure Walmart has it.

I've seen totally Awesome at the dollar store. I've used it at work for cleaning before but haven't tried it on minis.

The stuff I use is a concrete cleaner from walmart. It's non-toxic (wear gloves ofc), safe on pewter and plastic no matter how long it soaks, and runs about $7 a bottle. It's reusable too, I just pour mine back into the bottle when I'm done.

Been using the same bottle for almost 2 years now.

totally awesome didn't work for me, but that could just be the paint I used

I recommend braker fluid for metal metals, (although it toesn't leave your mini's smelling nice like simple green)

I've heard of vallejo working but I've never used it, nor know where to find it

I grabbed some STP Break Fluid. I'll post with the results when I get a chance to try it out.

Brake fluid is corrosive as hell dont do it!
You'll "Break" your models!

Seriously, it will melt off detail.

Is dettol not available in the US? I've had no problems getting paint off with it, sometimes less than an hour. Yes your figures will stink to high heaven but at least your army will be germ free! Especially if you play Grey Knights!

Kanluwen wrote:What exactly do you mean by "it's not working"? Like it's not sloughing off like it should be or what?

Because the only feasible paints I can think of that wouldn't make Simple Green work are enamel and lacquer, but even enamel would come off after a good 24 hour soak.

Knowing this information helps make any suggestions better, so help me to help you Breotan.

Simple green doesn't work so well on spray painted models.


If the models are metal use oven cleaner, it will strip any kind of paint but will damage plastics.

If they are plastics, then you may have to just live with it, you can use a little 400+ grain sand paper to smooth things out though.

Super Clean FTW. not had a single problem with it. stripping most of everything I own right now for some repainting times. good stuff.

Doomthumbs wrote:Brake fluid is corrosive as hell dont do it!
You'll "Break" your models!

Seriously, it will melt off detail.

QFT

If worst comes to worst, quickly sand off whatever you have left with very find grit sandpaper and reprime with black. Chemicals like simple green are touchy and I try to stay away from them as much as possible.

brake fluid is fine...as long as you use dot 3...I've used dot 3 till it won't strip models anymore...which is about 20 boyz..so 2 batches of 10...anyhoe if you are too nervous to use that, go to your home hardware or home depot or whatever you have in your area and pick up a big jug of industrial purple...it's 12 bucks in canada, it is an industrial degreaser...use gloves for this stuff...cause it makes your hands slick and slimy feeling...it's gross, I could only imagine what it was doing to my hands...anywhore, pick up some of that stuff nothing seems to strip primer off plastic...but maybe that is because I always use too much primer on my models? so the spray bonds to the plastic? Not sure...yea industrial purple..comes in large quantities, love it, wear gloves though...it's like sex, wear a glove and you have lots of it...

2 words Super Clean!

Need rubber gloves for STP Dot 3 break fluid?

Breotan wrote:Need rubber gloves for STP Dot 3 break fluid?

Yes, break fluid is very bad for you. I also recommend getting it nowhere near any plastic miniatures.

I'm having the same problem with Super Clean. Black primer just will not come off most of the time, and I'm beginning to think it's more than just a stain because on parts where I have glued metal to plastic with superglue the black primer easily comes off in chunks in a region up to a couple centimeters from where I had actually applied glue. But anywhere else it's like an impenetrable shield. And this is after leaving parts soak in pure Super Clean for 48 hours and leaving them to soak in half-Super Clean/half-water for over a week.

One might say, "Why worry about the stain?" but as I'm planning on ebaying some of these pieces I want them as clean as possible.

Have you tried scrubbing with a toothbrush? Cheap electric ones are supposed to work well. Also putting the models while soaking on something that shakes, like a clothes drier, might help loosen stuff up.

I've spent the morning scrubbing with an electric toothbrush. It did nothing. Nothing!

Okay. Break fluid seems to be working for me. Thanks for the help, guys.

Please read this;

So question; has anyone had a more difficult time stripping GW brand Primer and Paint off plastic figures and vehicles?

I just did a paint strip-fest (to bad it was not a different type of strip-fest, lol) anyway, I had a bunch (2 LR, Rhino, WW, Vind, DPod, 3 Dreads, and about 50SM) of plastic models from various trades/old/etc. that I needed to repaint, so I got out the Simple Green.

ALL the models stripped fairly well, except three vehicles (a whirlwind, LR and Vindicator painted; green, blue, and assumed primed black) and 25 SM? What the heck?

So then I got out the "Easy-Off" oven spray...

Again, these models did not strip? What the heck?

So, I did some thinking, where did I get those models?

I got them from my buddies’ son, when the local GW closed and he wanted to get out of the hobby, and I gave him a better deal than his Dad, lol...

The reason this is strange, is he “only” used GW products (Paint and Primer) to paint the models, as he “specifically” wanted to be “independent” of the way his father and I did it.

(I just gave the vehicles a “light” sanding and repainted them, btw, but the figures???)