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Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Too Bo Coo on 13 September 2012, 01:42:13 AM

Title: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Too Bo Coo on 13 September 2012, 01:42:13 AM
Hi All,

I'm looking for Simple Green cleaner to strip paint off, but I cant seem to find it in the Netherlands.  Does anyone know if it's available here, or something that is basically the same product?

Cheers!
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Rivera on 13 September 2012, 07:52:44 AM
You might have more luck finding Dettol Liquid Antiseptic which is the 'dogs' if you're looking for a paint stripper.  It's the brown liquid in a semi-clear plastic bottle and is available in most supermarkets (in the U.K. anyway).  If you find some and need to know how to use it just give me a shout.

Hope that helps.
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Daeothar on 13 September 2012, 02:14:17 PM
On a trip to the US, I once brought home a bottle of Simple Green, as it was spoken of highly in other forums as well (I was a mod at the Bolter and Chainsword at the time). I'm quite satisfied by its properties, but I'm absolutely certain that there are comparable products to be found in the Netherlands.

I heard one guy speak of a virtual similar product by Dreft, which he used instead. And he had used Simple Green in the past as well.

Granted, I've never seen (but also never searched for) this Dreft product (as I've still to exhaust my supply of Simple Green), but no doubt it exists, has existed or has equivalents in any Dutch supermarket...
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Cherno on 13 September 2012, 03:13:27 PM
The website for SG should list overseas companies that carry it, maybe under another name.
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: mondria on 13 September 2012, 07:24:43 PM
dreft losweek spray misschien
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: zizi666 on 14 September 2012, 02:34:48 AM
dreft losweek spray misschien

and since we're supposed to post in english, a translation:
perhaps Dreft losweek spray would do the trick.

 :D
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Rivera on 14 September 2012, 08:43:31 AM
I forgot to mention that Dettol Liquid Antiseptic is re-usable which means that you get 'more bang for your buck' and works out cheaper to use!
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: redzed on 14 September 2012, 11:10:15 AM
I forgot to mention that Dettol Liquid Antiseptic is re-usable which means that you get 'more bang for your buck' and works out cheaper to use!
but dettol doesn't actually 'eat the paint', SG eats the paint and leaves the figures clean and free of the gloop that dettol leaves.
SG is also re-usable, also smells nice, if you live in a flat it's ideal.
Dettol also requires time to actually clean the figure with a toothbrush, when one factors in that SG is actually cheaper.
Dettol is low cost but require more time. SG costs more but requires less time.
I use both, depending on what's available (Lidel's do their own cheap brand of Dettol which works jut as well as the brand name). :)
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Rivera on 14 September 2012, 12:05:12 PM
I suppose that it all boils down to availability as Dettol is fairly easy to find but Simple Green seems to be pretty scarce.  I think that I read somewhere that SG is only available in the U.S.?  I might be wrong on that one but if it's for sale in the U.K. I'd be willing to give it a go if it's not too expensive.

If you could let me know the full name of Lidl's Dettol variant it would be very handy. :)
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Major_Gilbear on 14 September 2012, 12:27:37 PM
I might be wrong on that one but if it's for sale in the U.K. I'd be willing to give it a go if it's not too expensive.

Here you are: Linky (http://www.encleansols.co.uk/3/)

It's pricey (the shipping hurts), but if a couple of friends go in on it with you, it's not so bad.

I also happen to think that "Halford's Dot-4 Clutch & Brake fluid" is the dog's wotnots for stripping plastics - I've left old Citadel plastics in there for 18+ months with no adverse effects. Given enough time, it will even strip enamel spray paint off plastics!

Like the other products, it is re-usable (just sieve it every now and again!). And whilst it doesn't give off any horrible fumes or anything, you do need to dispose of it sensibly (at a tip or garage) - just as would old oil from a car.
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: redzed on 14 September 2012, 12:50:44 PM

If you could let me know the full name of Lidl's Dettol variant it would be very handy. :)
Betazone Antiseptic Disinfectant :)
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Malebolgia on 14 September 2012, 01:21:42 PM
A friend once ordered a box of Simple Green through a car parts store. Cost was about 10 euros a bottle. I bought three bottles, tried the product and didn't like it at all. Tried all three bottles and the result was very poor. It didn't remove paint that well, even after multiple attempts. In the end I went back to nail polish remover without acetone (and a rebreather), works much better.

If you want to know more about the specific order, check this Dutch forum:
http://paintoholic.nl/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=630
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Too Bo Coo on 19 September 2012, 10:29:02 PM
Thanks for all the info guys, I'll pick up the Delft this weekend!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Too Bo Coo on 19 September 2012, 10:30:18 PM
and since we're supposed to post in english, a translation:
perhaps Dreft losweek spray would do the trick.

 :D

Bedankt!  I mean, Thanks! :P
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Blue in vt on 20 September 2012, 01:17:14 AM
A friend once ordered a box of Simple Green through a car parts store. Cost was about 10 euros a bottle. I bought three bottles, tried the product and didn't like it at all. Tried all three bottles and the result was very poor.

Well I have to contradict this statement...it works very well indeed...in fact I don't use anything else and I strip a LOT figures...I have an eBay addiction...:)

Anyway....I typically leave figured in for at least 24 hours...and all types of paint comes right off...and while it wont remove super glue it loosens it up enough that it can be peeled off.  No rebreather needed!  Hell I rarely even wear gloves!  I used to use some serious paint stripper...and it worked fast...but once it melted thru my chemical resistant gloves I decided to try something else.  So I switched to simple green and have never looked back.

Cheers

Blue
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Daeothar on 20 September 2012, 07:49:03 AM
Same here; it works really well.

I used to strip paint with the Dot4 brake fluid like Major_Gilbear, but I've found the Simple Green to be vastly superior! If only because none of the precautions due to its toxicity are necessary. It is recommended to avoid skin contact with the brake fluid, and as mentioned, it has to be disposed of in a responsible manner as well.

That, and Simple Green just strips the paint way better! I leave the figures in there for 24 hours, carefully take the figure out of the soaking container (so as to limit the dropping off of pieces of paint) and scrub it with an old toothbrush under a running tap.

All in all a total of 10 minutes spent for one figure (at the start and end of the 24 hours soaking period) and the simple green can be sieved and re-used much better than the brake fluid too.

Too Bo Coo; let us know what your results with the Dreft are. As once my Simple Green runs out, I will need a replacement that does not require me to make a roundtrip to the US... ;)
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Major_Gilbear on 20 September 2012, 08:43:08 AM
If only because none of the precautions due to its toxicity are necessary. It is recommended to avoid skin contact with the brake fluid, and as mentioned, it has to be disposed of in a responsible manner as well.

Just wanted to reply that this (http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_162663_langId_-1_categoryId_255218#tab1) is the product I use. It's not that toxic really, it's pretty much just mineral oil.

The other thing is that it depends on what paint you're stripping, and how old it is. The old, old Citadel paints don't come off too well with Simple Green even with an extended soak. Dot4 will get the stuff off if you leave it long enough.

Also, the Dot4 will eat through spray primers on plastic figures if you leave them for a good long while, leaving only a thin smooth film. The SG struggles with these same primers though, even given a lot of scrubbing. Please note that I'm talking about primers here (like an automotive primer spray), and not just spray paint (like GW Chaos Black).

I have some models that have been soaking in SG since Christmas last year, and I need to fish them out and rinse them off this weekend. I'll try and take a photo or two and make some notes if it helps? I also have some stuff that's been in Dot4 since summer 2010, so I'll try and do the same.

Really, the main things to remember with Dot4 are: (1) dispose of it sensibly, and (2) it will dry your skin out if you stick your hands in it, but brief skin contact is okay if you wipe it off reasonably quickly - a bit like white spirit or bleach in that regard. It is not like paint strippers which will blister and irritate skin almost immediately!
Title: Re: Simple Green in the Netherlands
Post by: Daeothar on 20 September 2012, 09:09:28 AM
Yeah; I still have a bottle of the exact stuff in the garage, although mine is a silver grey colour. Halfords Dot4 though.

I used those thin, plastic, disposable gloves for working with the stuff when I used it. At the time, it was strongly recommended to do so and I wasn't taking any risks; I'm quite attached to my skin and I'd like to keep it that way. :D

Also, my experiences are different, even though not wildly. I generally let the miniatures soak in the fluid for a good couple of days and then went to work with a toothbrush. Mind; most, if not all, miniatures I stripped like this were metal.  The sources I had, suggested that it was not clear whether or not plastics would be affected by the brake fluid, so it was recommended that plastics were not stripped with it.

Eventually I did though, and have not noticed any adverse effects. I did find that it does break superglue bonds quite easily, which is a plus.

Now, Dettol will eat up plastics without doubt if they're soaked in it for too long!

I've never let any mini soak in the break fluid for longer than a week though, so I do not know about its long term effect on paints. This means that sometimes, not all paint comes off, even with vigorous scrubbing. Also, enamel paints become a goopy, sticky mess, which cannot be brushed off! I've stripped some old metal Necrons painted with metalic enamels once, and I finally had to resort to plucking the rubbery strands of paint off with tweezers... ::)

My experience with Simple Green on the other hand, is that it generally soaks off the paints in 24 hours. I suppose that the fact that most paints used nowadays are acrylics and even the primers used are often from a dedicated miniature paints company.

Still; a primer is supposed to not let go of the surface, so those that did not come off are really good brands!

In the end though, I can say that both methods work, if in different ways and with different strong points and drawbacks. For me, Simple Green is the better option, but I would have no problems using my stash of break fluid when I had to...