Miniature stripping question for UK modellers

[rob_alderman]

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... 

Oh and the main question, does cillit bang melt plastic miniatures? I would have thought not...

[Dewbakuk]

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.

[njetkulturny]

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

[Antenociti]

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.

[Plynkes]

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!!

[rob_alderman]

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 ).

[Argonor]

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.

[Citizen Sade]

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.

[Centaur_Seducer]

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...

[Antenociti]

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?

[BigLee]

I wrote an artcile about stripping miniatures a while back on my blog.

LINK

It primarily focused on stripping metal miniatures but you may find some of the tips useful. Good Luck  

[Gluteus Maximus]

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 

[Argonor]

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.

[rob_alderman]

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!!!

[Gluteus Maximus]

Let us know the results