Cleaning old models

[IBBoard]

Just make sure to use it on an old model first Don't want a batch of models you want ending up melted!

[moregil]

Yep plenty of old models I have, problem is I want to repaint the lot but a large portion are plastic (grrrr)...........

[bluelizard1976]

I know it is long time since this thread ran it's length but Nitromors (brand name) works wonders you just have to hold your figures near and it starts to work!! I use the yellow tin but the green tin works just as well and a little goes a long way.

Just a little warning this should be used in a well ventilated area and disposed of safely

[IBBoard]

Cleaning tips can always be useful It does sound like nasty stuff, though, so definitely one to be careful with.

I take it plastics won't survive a round against that stuff?

[bluelizard1976]

No plastics don't cope well!

I once stripped some metal Marines and left the the plastic arms on. The arms turned to liquid!

Yeah it is very strong stuff but it will cut your stripping time to about half an hour. It's sold as a furniture paint and varnish stripper. I wouldn't just pour it down the sink either when you have used it especially if you have plastic plumbing.

[IBBoard]

Yeah, I can imagine that's not good!

Plastics are one of the hardest parts to clean properly. You can do it with nail varnish remover if you're very careful, but you can also still lose a bit of detail by the time the paint is sufficiently soft to come off.

I guess maybe it's unavoidable, since the plastic and the paint will have similar properties so what melts one melts the other. It's just a shame when most of my collection was plastic because I was young when collecting the armies and it was cheaper!

[thesteelclaw]

I have not tried it on plastic yet but the best paint remover for metals I have found is ‘Fairy Power Spray' the one in the green spray bottle. Its great for all the models I have bought from e-bay that have been painted by a blind monkey.

[IBBoard]

Fairy Power Spray? As in the stuff Ainsley Harriet advertises? I didn't think that would be powerful enough for normal GW paints! I guess it shows that it should do a good job on your dishes, then

[bluelizard1976]

Ah!! The Ebay blind monkeys!! I have bought from them as well! professionally painted my buttocks!!!

Fairy power spray, I wonder if it the same. I may Write to them and see if Ainsley is free to come and scrub a few minis for me!

[IBBoard]

Well I know of only one Fairy Power Spray in the UK As for Ainsley, I don't think he'd be much good unless he can clean "Mickey Model" (a la Susie Salt and Percy Pepper) and wave one arm out behind him while he scrubs!

As for the "professional painting" on eBay, most of it I've seen has been to a reasonable level. There have been some that appear to just be "neat base coat with maybe a single highlight" but the worst ones are normally just people flogging off odds and ends.

[thesteelclaw]

Yes this one honestly it works and I am sure proctor and gamble won’t mind me advertising their product on here. If it can get my wife’s cooking off, games workshop paints is a walk in the park plus you don’t need to dress up in toxic spillage gear to use it. Please try it, as it is easy to get hold of and let me know what you think in comparison to other methods.

[IBBoard]

I just hope your wife doesn't read the forums with comments like that about her cooking

I've not got any models to clean at the moment, though, so if someone else can try it out and report back then that would be great. If the worst comes to the worst you can still use it on your dishes!

[Kjetil136]

I have had a bit of experience with cleaning old models. I cleaned the metal figs in pinesol, let them soak for a week then scrubbed them with an old toothbrush. worked really well, ended with shiny metal figs. For my plastic minis, I used simple green. For this method i let them sit in simple green for a few days then scrubbed them with a toothbrush then let them sit for a few more days in the stuff and brushed them again. this worked well on the paint, had a little trouble with primer, and didn't melt the plastic.

[IBBoard]

It looks like Simple Green is a US/Canada product. I don't know what its equivalent might be in the UK. It just looks like a standard non-abrasive cleaner, though.

Apparently the Pine-Sol is just working with pine oil and nothing more!

Do you use those two products neat, or do you dilute them?

[Kjetil136]

I used both of the products straight out of bottle. They do smell so put it in an airtight container or you whole house will smell like it.

I did find the simple green website for the UK
http://www.simplegreen.co.uk/

i used the pine sol on the stealthsuits, lost all of the paint, no loss of detail. Here they are fully painted afterwards.

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/2765/p2130133qd3.jpg