Stripping Paint

[PiousVanDorn]

Hi Guys,

I'm based in the UK and need some advice on stripping the paint off some of my Cryx - are there any must have products/advice? I'm worried that I'm really going to chuff them up...

all posts appreciated :)

[manymoles]

Metals can be stripped with almost every thing out there. Only the plastics tend to melt away. Use some thinner for easy and cheap solution.
But there are many stripping guides out there in several forums ;) I have only some german one in my favorites, but you should find some quickly

[KjetilKverndokken]

Break fluid - melts can soak over the nigh, and just scrub the paint and primer gently off with a toothbrush - plastic can lie in it for about 30 minutes.

Then there are Simple Green thats in the UK that is gentle on anything, but have not tried it myself as I'm in Norway.

[MinionOfCthulhu]

Simple Green (if you can get it over there) works perfectly. Environmentally friendly, works like a charm, smells nice! Leave it for 24 hours and work the paint off with an old toothbrush under running warm water.

[Melvin007]

Just use Simple Green. This way your plastics and greenstuff won't turn to mush.

Soak for a day/over night in simple green. Scrub with an old toothbrush. Use a hobby knife to clean out the details that may still hold paint.

[Valander]

Simple Green is good stuff. Castrol Super Clean is better. You don't need to use gloves w/ the Simple Green, but you should if you use the Castrol Super Clean--it will dehydrate your skin something fierce, as well as start breaking down all the oils in your flesh. Weirdly, it's still biodegradable and safe to pour down the drain (in fact, one suggested use on the bottle is "drain opener").

[gaminguy]

Just use Simple Green. This way your plastics and greenstuff won't turn to mush.

Soak for a day/over night in simple green. Scrub with an old toothbrush. Use a hobby knife to clean out the details that may still hold paint.

Plan to devote some time to cleaning out the details. It's worth it, but it's kind of a pain.

[tedwin183]

I second Simple Green. I use it for everything model-related. From cleaning them before priming to stripping. It works really, really well.

[halbard100]

Simple Green is what I've always heard about being one of the best for paint stripping.

[TimVanBoening]

Simple Green is good stuff. Castrol Super Clean is better. You don't need to use gloves w/ the Simple Green, but you should if you use the Castrol Super Clean--it will dehydrate your skin something fierce, as well as start breaking down all the oils in your flesh. Weirdly, it's still biodegradable and safe to pour down the drain (in fact, one suggested use on the bottle is "drain opener").

Castrol Super Clean all the way. It was good enough to get the grease off the engine of my Nova, and it's good enough to get the paint off my second hand Bane Thralls. That's what I use and wouldn't use anything else. You drop the models in a little container with it, swish it around, wait two or three hours (or overnight if you plan ahead, it won't hurt them) and you have brand new models. Yes, do wear gloves. I never do, though. I just put lotion on afterwards and I am good to go.

[Valander]

Castrol Super Clean all the way. It was good enough to get the grease off the engine of my Nova, and it's good enough to get the paint off my second hand Bane Thralls. That's what I use and wouldn't use anything else.

Yeah, pretty much after the first time I used it (read about it in a plastic model forum for stripping plastic fighter jets), it's my go-to for stripping. It's safe on metal and plastic, and even resin if you don't let it sit for longer than 8 hours. Plastic and metal are fine overnight, though I've noticed metal will sometimes darken a bit, but so what, you're gonna prime and paint it right? ;)

[Capsfan34]

Also it tends to make the glue come undone with metals not so much on the plastic. I leave it in the solution overnight and the paint just falls right off. Not to mention it only cost five dollars for a gallon jug at Wal-Mart.

[TimVanBoening]

Yeah, pretty much after the first time I used it (read about it in a plastic model forum for stripping plastic fighter jets), it's my go-to for stripping. It's safe on metal and plastic, and even resin if you don't let it sit for longer than 8 hours. Plastic and metal are fine overnight, though I've noticed metal will sometimes darken a bit, but so what, you're gonna prime and paint it right? ;)

Yeah, a tad darker, but you can't tell under primer.


Also it tends to make the glue come undone with metals not so much on the plastic. I leave it in the solution overnight and the paint just falls right off. Not to mention it only cost five dollars for a gallon jug at Wal-Mart.

I haven't noticed any type loss of glue with my models.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

I used Simple Green to strip some models. You do need to clean the details out. And these were metal models with a lot of details XD

I let the models soak for, umm, a week or two and kept topping off the cup hahaha.

[Amarel]

We don't get Simple Green over here, but some other pine-based cleaners contain the same active ingredient that makes it so popular (I think I recall the Sainsbury's own brand version being listed as one of them). For lead though, just about any domestic cleaner that cuts through 'grease and grime' will do (just make sure you give it enough time and the odd 'swirl' if there's nothing too thin and bendy in 'the cleaning jar'.

[Raven Abaddon]

Industrial Paint Thinner for metal
Brake Fluid for plastic

That's what I use
I'm not responsible for the relevant health hazards resulting from the use of said fluids.

[KjetilKverndokken]

Industrial Paint Thinner for metal
Brake Fluid for plastic

That's what I use
I'm not responsible for the relevant health hazards resulting from the use of said fluids.

Though Brake Fluids do melt plastic if it stays longer then about half an hour.

[Nion]

I've used brake fluid, mild acetone, and Simple Green, and must reccomend the Simple Green, unless you also need to break down some glue.

Simple Green is non-toxic, and I have left models in for over a month with no harm to plastic or glue. It WILL permanently soften green stuff if you leave it in for more than a few days.

Mild acetone, in the form of nail polish remover, removes the paint a little better than Simple Green, but not that much better. It will destroy plastics, and weaken glue. Pure acetone should remove the glue entirely, but I haven't bothered to pick any up.

The brake fluid has, surprisingly, done the worst job. The paint it removed came off cleaner than with the other two, but it removed LESS paint, even after two days.

[PiousVanDorn]

Is this the Simple Green stuff you guys are talking about?

http://www.simplegreen.co.uk/haushalt_01.php.htm

[Valander]

Is this the Simple Green stuff you guys are talking about?

http://www.simplegreen.co.uk/haushalt_01.php.htm

Yup, that's the stuff.

[Bert_the_Turtle]

That's the stuff. You use it concentrated, right, out of the bottle.