|
Post by Naitsabes on May 26, 2018 21:51:17 GMT
A while back I bought some metal figures that refuse to go nude. Not sure what the paints are, maybe enamel? there are multiple layers for sure. These are 80s figures so possible that generations of painters created the mess.
I have tried: - industrial strength degreaser (like simple green, has worked like a charm for me in the past) - 100% acetone
each time I did weeks of incubation. each time I also tried combining with a sonicating water bath. Still a lot of gunk on the models, particularly in the chain mail, and that is nigh impossible to clean up even armed with lots of patience and a needle.
So, what now? Brake fluid, for that extra bit of toxicity to get the job done? Or any other ideas?
|
|
|
Post by knoffles on May 27, 2018 19:47:17 GMT
Dettol is always recommended to remove paint though is does stink to high heaven. Not sure if it is just a named brand of the other items you listed.
|
|
|
Post by grandmasterwang on May 28, 2018 2:45:48 GMT
Dettol, give it some incubation like you have been doing then attack with a used toothbrush. If that doesn't work I can't think of anything else easy to do.
I had some really hard to depaint oop metals and although they resisted the first dettol attack (left for about a week)... I ended up leaving them all completely submerged in dettol for about 2 months, then actually managed go get the paint off with a toothbrush finally.
|
|
|
Post by Naitsabes on May 28, 2018 5:46:52 GMT
"Dettol"...I am sure I've read that on the internet before as the classic go-to. Seems like it is very British and after some googling I am now a bit confused. Looks like it is a brand that makes a whole host of products from anti-septics to soap to shower gel. which Dettol exactly am I looking for?
|
|
|
Post by grandmasterwang on May 29, 2018 5:07:06 GMT
"Dettol"...I am sure I've read that on the internet before as the classic go-to. Seems like it is very British and after some googling I am now a bit confused. Looks like it is a brand that makes a whole host of products from anti-septics to soap to shower gel. which Dettol exactly am I looking for? It's the normal standard anti-septic liquid in the bottle. It's a brownish liquid that flows almost as smoothly as water.
|
|
|
Post by knoffles on May 29, 2018 9:07:58 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Naitsabes on May 29, 2018 16:08:50 GMT
well, there you have it. It seems a different chemistry from what I tried before, I will give it a try. thanks, guys.
p.s. only a hardy people would use the same product for paint stripping and personal hygiene. Color me impressed!
|
|
|
Post by Horace on May 29, 2018 17:31:19 GMT
I've had a similar experience before. I think I just used neat acetone, attacked it with a brush/needle then repeated a couple of times and eventually it came off
|
|
|
Post by gjnoronh on May 29, 2018 17:58:29 GMT
I've used Pine Sol floor cleaning solution and let stuff sit and had that work even on oil based enamels.
|
|
|
Post by strutsagget on Jun 20, 2018 5:18:32 GMT
So isopropanol is amazing on plastic and pretty decent on metal. Bring an old tooth brush and brush between dips.
If you want the best of the best but hate mother nature go with car brake fluid (bromsväska in swedish)
|
|
|
Post by Naitsabes on Jul 22, 2018 3:41:02 GMT
Thanks to the wonders of globalization I've aquired this bottle from distant shores. Put it to work right away. will report back in a week or so. In my frustration I had left the miniatures out baking in the sun for the last few weeks. but nothing this miracle cure can't handle, or so I hope.
|
|
|
Post by roughtimes on Jul 22, 2018 11:37:40 GMT
I stopped using simple green. It sometimes darkens and discolors the lead (not a big deal) but there is also some info out there that it can weaken metal. I use this goo.gl/images/WB8rexIt works 95% of the time.
|
|
|
Post by roughtimes on Jul 22, 2018 11:39:14 GMT
Maybe it doesn't matter to us but worth knowing
Seems that the U.S. Army has spent several years and a great deal of $$$ to determine that military equipment that was cleaned and serviced with Simple Green, corroded and failed at a rate significantly faster than if it had not been treated at all. In fact, using Simple Green on the equipment actually encouraged the development of rust and the deterioation of the steel.
He explanined that being a metasilicate, the residual Simple Green residue left behind after cleaning actually attracts water molecules, acting just like the packages of silicate dessicant that you find inside electronics packaging. It's crystaline structure also means that like salt, as more moisture is attracted to and becomes attached to the residue, the crystaline structure grows, compounding the destructive effect by attracting even more moisture and encouraging more growth. All of this growth and expansion can actually push joints and seams apart as the structure grows, adding another element of destruction to the equation. Hmmmm.....
|
|
|
Post by strutsagget on Jul 22, 2018 11:39:54 GMT
The biggest problem with simple green is that its awful against the environment. So terrible its banned in a lot of places in the world
|
|
|
Post by Naitsabes on Jul 22, 2018 17:34:53 GMT
simply green didn't cut it for me in recent years. word on the internet is that they changed the formulation at some point. Since then I was always happy with this degreaser stuff like roughtimes. But, seems this batch of models is in the 5%. My hope rests with the British version now. It smells nasty so I take that as a good sign.
|
|