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Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: rob_the_robgoblin on 28 July 2010, 03:28:06 PM
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Hey guys
I use Cillit Bang Kitchen Degreaser to strip my models, but have never tried a plastic one. I recently bought hundreds (quite literally) of GW Ogre Kingdoms miniatures that have been painted by what appears may have been a monkey with the brush up it's nose. A lot of them are plastic and I would love to recover them, what do you guys suggest? All I can find is Yank solutions!!!!
Something not too smelly, toxic or dangerous would be nice too... :D
Oh and the main question, does cillit bang melt plastic miniatures? I would have thought not...
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Would have thought it would be fine as most solutions I've heard of use some kind of kitchen cleaner. For metal figures I use nitromors.
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You asked for advice from a UK modeller.
I am not, but my advice would be to use a PVC Cleaner (whether for PVC floors or garden furniture).
At best they should be used for restoring old floor, then they are powerful enough.
The cleaners I use remove old paint (enamel, acrylics etc.) from metal and plastic. Just put them in a glass jar, put the lid on and wait. Primer are more resistant to it, but in the end you got clean models. After forgetting plastic in the jar, there is nothing more than a lighten up of the base plastic colour to report after a few weeks!
If your figures are superglued, you will find the single pieces in the jar. Just like a new kit with no leftovers ;)
If the Cillit Bang is primarily made of tensides (soaps for the rest of us), or has a bit of ammonium as ingredience then it should do the trick and also be not too smelly, toxic or dangerous (e.g. brake fluid!!)
Hope it helps
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Simple Green works well, so does Dettol...soak for about 24-48 hours then brush off.
I've got an excellent degreaser that cleans - near perfectly, metal or plastic to an amzing degree.. but for some reason it cant even touch anything basecoated with GW chaos black... its very annoying as otherwise i'd seell the stuff as it is BRILLIANT... (its a high-tech degreaser that Rolls Royce use on their militray jet engines apparently - the manufacturer of it happens to be on the same business park as us and i've got about 10 gallons of the stuff!!)... just a shame Chaos BLack pokes its nose at it with disdain.. no idea why.
I've never tried Cillit Bang... isnt it rather aggressive stuff though....or is that just the advertising?
I think i'd try a test figure very carefully first... just in case.
With simple green a frend bought a good few-dozens of epic plastic tanks and figures - we dumped the hwole ot into a tub of Simple Green, then left it for a coupel of days - then toothbrushed the paint off...we'd've used my "wonder degreaser" except they'd all been painted with Chaos Balck primer.....sp a bit of elbow grease was required to strip them after the simple green soak.
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Barry Scott didn't invent Cillit Bang. He doesn't even exist. The bloke on the advert is just an actor. If they can't even tell the truth about that, how can you believe what they say about their product? What they say about anything?
It's lies, all lies, I tell you!!
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Cillit bang works for metal minis, I always use it!!!
PVC cleaner sounds like a good idea. The only reason I asked for UK modellers is because they will know brand names and stuff. However, I think I may have to do some searching myself.
Antenociti, sounds like I will have to send you some stuff!!!!
I have the same problem with Cillit bang, Chaos Black spray paint DOES NOT BUDGE. Especially when there's 2 bloody layers of it (i.e. spray, paintjob, spray, paintjob). I have some rather nice Epic squat miniatures, I also have 2 Capitol Imperialis miniatures, both with white spray, thick paint and then rusty black spray (you know, when it comes out mottled and not smooth :( ).
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I use 'Crystalline' soap (a.k.a. 'brown soap' here in DK - the stuff we use to wash dark wooden floors with) to soften acrylic paints on both plastics and metals.
Leave it in there for a week or so, then rinse with a toothbrush and water. Usually does the trick, as long as the paint is not enamels.
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(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/CitizenSade/stripping_2_thebrownstuff.jpg~original)
Give it a try. GW black undercoat does take some shifting, but my experience is that Dettol will do it even if you need to resort to wiping the gunk off with kitchen roll and a second soak in the stripping jar.
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Breakin Fluid works like a charm. Leave the minis in for 1 hour and you should be able to start brushing of the worst, then put them back in and wait 2-3 hours and you can sometimes just wash away the old colour :)
And I thougt Cillit Bang was made out of Orphans...
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I use 'Crystalline' soap (a.k.a. 'brown soap' here in DK - the stuff we use to wash dark wooden floors with) to soften acrylic paints on both plastics and metals.
Would that be "Caustic Soda" by any chance?
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I wrote an artcile about stripping miniatures a while back on my blog.
LINK (http://bigleesminipaintingblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/stripping-metal-miniatures.html)
It primarily focused on stripping metal miniatures but you may find some of the tips useful. Good Luck :D
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Oh and the main question, does cillit bang melt plastic miniatures? I would have thought not...
I'd have thought the easiest way to find out would be to coat a bit of GW plastic sprue in the stuff and then see what happens.
If it dissolves in a cloud of toxic smoke, no harm done :)
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Would that be "Caustic Soda" by any chance?
No, I think Caustic Soda (or 'kaustisk soda' in Danish) would be too hard on plastics?
The 'brown soap' is about the colour of molasses, and comes in both liquid form (for easier mixing with hot water), and a version about the same thickness as vaseline - which can be dilluted with water or smeared upon the object you want to clean.
I usually use the liquid stuff, 50/50 mix with (hot when mixing) water.
I thik it is called 'green soap' in Holland.
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I'd have thought the easiest way to find out would be to coat a bit of GW plastic sprue in the stuff and then see what happens.
If it dissolves in a cloud of toxic smoke, no harm done :)
Yeah that's what I've done.
I'll find out today!!! :)
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Let us know the results :)
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Brake fluid is a possibility, but
1. it does harm even plastic figures, when exposed longer times, which you will need for the black GW coat
and 2. there is no legal way of (environmental friendly) getting rid of the stuff either.
PVC Cleaner has deficits too with GW Blackcoat, but scratching into the paint in not so noticeable places should
do the trick.
@ Rob : Could not give any brand names for UK, so I just said what product I use ;)
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No, I think Caustic Soda (or 'kaustisk soda' in Danish) would be too hard on plastics?
The 'brown soap' is about the colour of molasses, and comes in both liquid form (for easier mixing with hot water), and a version about the same thickness as vaseline - which can be dilluted with water or smeared upon the object you want to clean.
I usually use the liquid stuff, 50/50 mix with (hot when mixing) water.
I thik it is called 'green soap' in Holland.
that sounds interesting stuff, I cant think what it might be over here in the UK, I, as you say, dont think its caustic soda though... I wonder if its an active chemical or a detergent....?
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that sounds interesting stuff, I cant think what it might be over here in the UK, I, as you say, dont think its caustic soda though... I wonder if its an active chemical or a detergent....?
No, it's a soap. Alcalic, but not poisonous as such, it's made from jodium containing plant oils 'by neutralizing free fatty acids by using caliumhydroxide' - as far as my research has brought me atm.
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I think this stuff is basically the same, just in 'solid' form:
http://www.washtyme.com/
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Hi,today i tried a method that works perfectly for plastic miniatures, it
is easy,cheap and clean.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1:Put the plastic miniatures in a tuperware
2:Go to your first aids box and take the sanitary alcohol 98º
3: Cover the miniatures with the sanitary alcohol
4:Close the tuperware and let i t work,i put my miniatures before going bed and the next day i started cleaning them.
5:Take your old toothbrush and brush them,the paint will go very very easy,if not put them again in the tuperware and wait a little more.
The space marines i bought in ebay had a very large quantity of paint and now they look like new,try it and you are not going to use another method for plastic,enjoy it. :D
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Another vote for the amber Dettol antiseptic liquid. I've stripped metal, plastic and resin using it, although you'll want to air figures well after cleaning them. Give the minis a scrub in the liquid with an old toothbrush after 12 hours' soaking or so, then finish them off after 24-48 hours.
Pound shops like Instore/Poundland are the cheapest places to buy it in bulk, although Wilkinsons is close.
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2:Go to your first aids box and take the sanitary alcohol 98º
Can you just walk into a pharmacy and buy that stuff? It's illegal for non-medical persons or educational facilities to get that stuff over here. People mix drinks out of it, and die, you see.
But, ordinary white household spirit might do the trick, too?
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Nail polish remover works on plastic we have found without damaging it! The cheaper the better, soak and then use a tooth brush.
Jo:)
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Be careful with nail polish remover though, I used some Wilko's own brand last year to strip some plastic space marines bought off the evil-bay - after half an hour or so, the paint started coming off a little. Not thinking, I left them overnight (or if I did think, it was along the lines of 'aha - more time means more clean') and ended up with bases that were melted into droopy shapes and a loss of surface detail, as well as several blights (which meant that they ended up as 'chaos marines that have been directly exposed to the blighting properties of the warp' rather than getting thrown in the bin)
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It has already been said - but Dettol works!
You can just leave your miniature in it for hours or days - or weeks! The paint tends to peel off in layers and the metal miniatures come out shining.
The plastic has to be treated with a little more care, but I've had great results for metal and plastic.
Tony
http://dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com/
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Mr.Muscle yellow bottle.
48 hours later plastic is stripped.
4 to 8 for metal.
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Mr.Muscle yellow bottle.
48 hours later plastic is stripped.
4 to 8 for metal.
Does it get Dullcote and similar matt varnish off too?
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Mr.Muscle yellow bottle.
Wasn't that marketed in Germany under the name 'Meister Proper'?
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Does it get Dullcote and similar matt varnish off too?
Yes.
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Wasn't that marketed in Germany under the name 'Meister Proper'?
Pass, I dont speak German sorry :?
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Pass, I dont speak German sorry :?
Methinks somebody else here does ;) The thread subject may not lure such a person here, though, but you never know.
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The thread subject may not lure such a person here, though, but you never know.
Here I am! :)
Meister Proper is the German name for Mr. Clean actually. It's by Procter&Gamble. Mr. Muscle is a SC Johnson product.
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I know I'm heinously late on this this one, but get down to Halfords and buy a big 1L bottle of Dot4 Clutch & Brake Fluid.
It's not too expensive, it is reusable, and it hasn't really got any terrible odours or anything. As far as I can tell, it is basically mineral oil. That means it is a bit harsh on your skin if you scrub the minis without rubber gloves (it will dry your hands out like White Spirit does), but not much more. You can strip anything in it (metal or plastic) and it will have no ill effect on the model.
I keep the stuff in glass jam jars and just fish the parts out after a week or so for vigorous scrubbing with an old toothbrush and some Fairy detergent - you will need some plastic dental picks too; as the paint goes puffy, soft and stretchy, it tends to get stuck in the deeper recesses and needs to be picked out.
Now, the things I've stripped have been painted with GW paints and sprays for the most part (as far as I can tell!). The models may need two or even three soaks, but otherwise even GW Chaos Black spray comes off if you bathe the victims long enough! No idea if this works on enamels though.
As for how long you can soak your plastics in the stuff... Well I've had some old Adeptus Titanicus Titans and other Epic plastics in there for about a year now, and so far no ill-effects (the models were crusted with very old paint; hence the long soak!).
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I know I'm heinously late on this this one...
I'm sure you'll be forgiven ;)
Great tip! I can tell the CinC that it will be very useful for her car and avoid any of the usual icy glares (hopefully) lol