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I ran out of Purple Power so used that last jug of simple green and I noticed that simple green just isn't as good as purple power. It smells worse and doesn't do a good a job stripping stuff. I get more paint and primer simple green won't get off while purple power does a better job.

What are other people's experience?

Kirika wrote:I ran out of Purple Power so used that last jug of simple green and I noticed that simple green just isn't as good as purple power. It smells worse and doesn't do a good a job stripping stuff. I get more paint and primer simple green won't get off while purple power does a better job.

What are other people's experience?

After seeing the guys you stripped for me using purple power, I was amazed. I frankly thought you hadn't painted them. I've never had results quite that good, esp. in cracks/crevices on the ornate GK armor, using simple green.

I may have to try purple power....Although, simple green smells wonderful, don't know what you're talkin bout there.

In my experience, purple power is slightly more effective, but it's not as safe as Simple green on the skin. However, a very high concentration of SG works almost as well.

What concentration were you using for the green? This can be a tricky issue because certain places sell it at different strenghts, even though they often say concentrate. Look at the back and see what they recommend for "Heavy Duty Cleaning". The more parts water per one part SimpleGreen they recommend, the stronger it is.

I stick with Simple Green because it works as well as I need it to, and I can pluck a figure out of my soaking vat whenever I want and scrub it in the sink without worrying about gloves or other safety issues.

I always thought they were pretty much equivalent products, if purple power is as different as it sounds, is it also safe for plastic mini's?

targetawg
I had to scrap the crevices out with tiny metal rod was a pain but it came out a bit cleaner then the latest batch in simple green.

Eillif
I use simple green straight no dilution find that works best. I get the gallon jugs from Lowes.

Kirika wrote:targetawg
I had to scrap the crevices out with tiny metal rod was a pain but it came out a bit cleaner then the latest batch in simple green.

Eillif
I use simple green straight no dilution find that works best. I get the gallon jugs from Lowes.

Is purple power plastic safe?

Purple Power is safe for plastics.

I've used both, and while I prefer Simple Green - simply for the fact that it doesn't turn my hands into feeling like soap grime, I've noticed no real difference between the two.

I think the majority of the time, folks think that they can toss minis into a tub of SG or PP, and expect them to come out pristine within a day or two - for really old paint, or very thick paint, it's a process of soaking, scrubbing, rinsing, and repeating.

I picked up an ultrasonic cleaner, which has made an immense difference when it comes to getting stubborn paint out of crevasses - YMMV, however.

Kirika wrote:targetawg
Eillif
I use simple green straight no dilution find that works best. I get the gallon jugs from Lowes.

That's the stuff I use. I use it full strenght. IIRC, it calls for a 1 to 5 mix with water for heavy duty cleaning. I found a smaller jug this week at Walmart that calls for a 1 to 10 mix. If I ever get another jug, it will be the walmart stuff.

Folks should know that Simple green and Purple Power both share the same main active ingredient, but Purple has an additional active agent which is likely why it is not non-toxic as Green is.

targetawg
I'ved used purple power to strip most my plastic tanks. Simple green just doesn't do quite as well.

Yeah stripping can mean soak, scrub with brush/rod/knife, wash in soapy water, soak again and repeat up to 3 or 4 times to get it cleaned. Sometimes primer doesn't want to come off especially on plastics but it can be livable.

Eilif
I'll have to get some from Walmart next time and try that.

I am using Blue Wolf. I guess I am the odd one...

Sorry for the threadomancy. It was either start a new topic and get yelled at for not searching the forum for advice...or dig up an old thread and get told off by the forum for annoying the original posters. I chose the latter, please don't shoot .

This is all very good advice guys. I went ahead and got some Purple Power and dropped a bunch of Epic stuff in it the other night...how long should I let it all soak for between scrubbing and rinsing sessions? And can the same solution be used over and over? Some of my stuff has pretty thick spray primer coats on it...

I use only Purple Power and Super Clean and it is rare to ever have to put something back into the solution.

I would put models in on a Friday night and by Sat morning I could already rub off majority of the paint and primer, by Sun I had bare plastic models.

This is how it is with sealed minis and with minis I had painted 10+ years ago. You can usually get away with using the same solution for a few months but it really depends on how much you are stripping. If not a whole lot id go 1-2 months 3 max before changing fluid.

I run my cleaning product in an ultrasonic cleaner and I am loving taking my old minis or ebay finds and tossing them in without a care and waiting a few days and getting fresh new models out.

What exactly do you have as far as a sonic cleaner? and how much did it set you back? I just went and checked after work, the stuff sloughs off pretty good after 2 nights in the bucket...the plastics seem to hold the primer allot more stubbornly...my two mega gargants especially have barely let the paint go and only on the very flat areas...the primer was shiny black though...so I'm afraid the previous owner may have used enamel spray on them :(

As for how long, it depends on how tough the paint is. I've had some figures come clean after a 4 hour soak. On the other hand I've had figs in the bath for a week that still needed another soak, though those are usually figs with enamel paints on them.

Don't be affraid to use a wire brush to abrade the surface of the paint before putting it to soak.

Also, if they are plastic epic pieces they might never come completely clean. Some of the products in spray paints act as a solvent to plastics so in some cases the primer can become bonded in a way that is permanent. You can usually get enough off to repaint, but sometimes plastic models will just not come completely clean.

You can reuse Purple power for a while. Coffee filters in a funnel (you can get 3 for a buck at dollar tree) will take out alot of the gunk. When you've been reusing it for a while, you will notice when it becomes less effective. Sometimes the color will change and become lighter for some reason.

Lastly, when you take the figs out of the purple power, scrub the with a toothbrush BEFORE rinsing them off. I've found that the lather/foam/bubbles formed by this is far more effective than rinsing and scrubbing. After rinsing them, if you need to keep scrubbing, dip the toothbrush in the purple power.

Thanks again for the tips! I'm hoping the epic pieces (several warlords, 2 mega-gargants, and about a dozen Imperial knights) come mostly clean, they are rather rare and would be expensive to replace in the second-hand market...

 Fango wrote:
What exactly do you have as far as a sonic cleaner? and how much did it set you back? I just went and checked after work, the stuff sloughs off pretty good after 2 nights in the bucket...the plastics seem to hold the primer allot more stubbornly...my two mega gargants especially have barely let the paint go and only on the very flat areas...the primer was shiny black though...so I'm afraid the previous owner may have used enamel spray on them :(

i use an ultrasonic cleaner similar to this one in every way except this is digital and mine has dials that do the same thing. Mine also said it was 6.2 liter vs this 6 liter one.



this is also cheaper and has free shipping, mine was over $300.

Some things to note.

1. This comes from China, shipping takes a bit and the instructions are completely useless except for a good laugh at horrid translations.
2. Even though the tank has handles it does have a valve on the side, if you intend to buy a decent size ultrasonic cleaner buy one with a valve!!! The tank + liquid + stuff in it is really heavy and the valve lets you drain the tank without making a mess. If you put some mesh over the drain hole you can also find any little bits that have come off during the cleaning process.
3. This size tank is large enough to put a land raider in the basket and a baneblade without sponsons in the tank.