AB40k Maintainers

Hi Guys,

Just skimmed off a Lighning claw Terminator on e-bay, but as expected the paint job looks like.. well you know..

Anyway, I started with putting the little dude into a bath full of high percentage Alcohol, so far no results to speak of. Since it' s a good ol Heavy Metall Miniature I was thing of stepping up to Nailpolish remover next, and ending with break fluid, as long as you do not come up with a better Idea or have some experience that might be of help.

Im actually only concerned about the base might get gooey, but that's ok for me..

Suggestions?

I use a bucket of Simple Green. Works Great on metal and so-so on plastic but I have yet to have plastic melt from it.

I do the same thing as jlong.

I use Simple Green too, I leave them in for about a day...
with metal models you can use a brush to get the nooks and crannies. On plastic models, I suggest a soft cloth rag to get the nooks and crannies, as they do seem to me to start to get soft.(but it could just be me)

Some people have used brake fluid, thats a good one but very oily.
I have also heard of people using paint thinner, but that hasn't worked for me.

Brake fluid on Metal minis is one of the best stipper agents. Unfortunatly, it melts plastics very fast.

I found that out the hard way... I lost a whole Land Raider

well.. with a little luck it migh still become a nice piece of terrain...? defenetly something you don't see in a game every day, a landraider wreck I mean.., right?

Sorry for your loss, thanx for the input!

Here is my results.. The ethyl alcohol did start to solve the paint after 3 Days in the "bath", but since it did not had come off jet, I switched to the nail polish remover (it said it was Aceton free, but I have doubts..), that stuff managed to get the paint runny within 10 Minutes it clearly just came uff touching it, and started to make the base gooey within another 10. Plus the Film can I used (since the Miniature fitted in nicely) took it quite well, but the cap became gooey and ripped after half an hour. Seems like the softner in the plastic is highly reacting to the Nail Polish remover.

So after these results for striping Platic models, I'd now either use a ethyl alcohol bath and taking the time of 3 Days plus or for quicker results up to 10% NailPolish Remover + ethyl alcohol for bathing, but under supervision (like check every 10 Minutes) or wash & Brush with a maximum mixture of half half.

I don't have to mention that these liquids are highly flamable, and should NEVER beused unsupervised or in closed rooms, right?

I also hear people use Oven Easy Off. or oven cleaner. I'm not sure how they respond to plastics though. :/

Nail polish remover. Non acrylic nail polish remover. Acrylic remover for metal models just make sure to remover the base first. It is what I use.

warriorstwilight wrote:I also hear people use Oven Easy Off. or oven cleaner. I'm not sure how they respond to plastics though. :/

Melts Plastics.

The best stuff ive ever used was Castrol SuperClean. Its the purple bottle of cleaner sold at automotive shops like Checker and Pep Boys. Doesnt harm plastics, and works wonders. I suggest you leave the models in it at a 50-50 mix with water for an hour, then take it out and scrub it with a toothbrush under the sink faucet until its clean. Make sure you rinse it good, because if theres residue left on the model, the residue will make the new paint not dry, and wipe right off. On old, tough models that dont clean very well, leave it in a non-diluted bath for 24 hours, then scrub and rinse.

Mircowave the simple green it is more effects. Nail Polish remover may take the glue with paint.

proudfit wrote:Mircowave the simple green it is more effects. Nail Polish remover may take the glue with paint.

I never tried microwaving the simple green, does it make that much of a difference?

I've tried Simple Green myself with stripping miniatures but found it to take too long to start working properly. It tends to vary in effectiveness on different kinds of paint. Not only between acrylic/enamel/etc, but also with different brands and pigment types (metallics/foundations). It is normally safe on plastic and metal models, but does require a fair bit of scrubbing with a toothbrush to get everything off.

My personal favorite product is Dettol (an anti-septic cleaner normally used for cleaning wounds) which is available both here in Australia, and apparently in the UK and other places too. It is also very safe with plastics and metals. (I've left stuff soaking for over a week without any problems). Normally it will start working after only half an hour or so.

Soak models in a container with a lid full of Dettol for at least an hour. Scrub with a tooth brush and rinse the brush off in the container of Dettol again to clean off the brush. Wearing gloves is recommended as it will wrinkle the skin fast before starting to burn. The smell of it can also be strong so leave a window open.

The only real problem I've had with it is that it can make the paint sticky. You can not rinse off with water until the very end as it neutralizes the Dettol almost instantly making the paint stick to the model/toothbrush again after you've started peeling it off. After using Dettol, it is best to soak or scrub for a bit in a bath of dishwashing liquid diluted with water or Methylated Spirits before trying to paint again...

Rayne wrote:The best stuff ive ever used was Castrol SuperClean. Its the purple bottle of cleaner sold at automotive shops like Checker and Pep Boys. Doesnt harm plastics, and works wonders. I suggest you leave the models in it at a 50-50 mix with water for an hour, then take it out and scrub it with a toothbrush under the sink faucet until its clean. Make sure you rinse it good, because if theres residue left on the model, the residue will make the new paint not dry, and wipe right off. On old, tough models that dont clean very well, leave it in a non-diluted bath for 24 hours, then scrub and rinse.

this stuff is THE BOMB

I have used it straight from the bottle and left plastics in it for over a week (testing..not cause I forgot)

promise you....wear gloves...it will drain oil out of your skin to the point you crack and bleed

Never had Break Fluid hurt plastic once, and I used to use it a whole lot on plastics specifically, and used pure Acetone on metal. Once I discovered Castrol Super Clean/ Purple Power (same stuff) I use it on plastics as it is much faster in general. Though it will stain plastics purple if left a month or so. I also still use Acetone when I need to remove superglue from metals as it dissolves the glue into the acetone. However mostly the purple power works well on both as well as resin.