Need help stripping paint and removing glue

First off guys: I'm in China, so please don't recommend I go down to my local hobby shop for stuff. I have hardware stores and grocery stores though.

SO! I have my models back from the states, and I need to strip the paint and primer from them, since I did a terrible job on many of them and want to change my paint scheme on others. So, I've looked around and read that brake fluid and pinesol are good at removing paint. I can get brake fluid here, but I'm not sure about pinesol. Does anyone else have any recommendations? Have you used these before? How long should they soak? All my models are metal.

ALSO, since brake fluid will eat through the plastic bases my metal models are on, does anyone have any recommendations for how to easily break down the glue?

Basically, I need to get the models off their bases, then strip the paint off them and reprime+paint them. Thanks for any help you guys can give me!

Just throw the model in with the base on it and get some new bases.

I wouldn't use brake fluid, since it will be too slow. Look for aerosol "brake parks cleaner". It is faster, a convenient spray, and just as toxic. It also melts plastic. I've used it before (and the can said 'Made in China', but might be for export only.

Brake parts cleaner is pretty common, available in places like Walmart here. If you can't find it look for a paint stripper at an auto parts store.

I'm not going to mail order new bases to China.

Good to know about brake parts cleaner, I might be able to find that. Oddly enough, the Chinese haven't really started to realize that taking care of your car is a good idea. Most people don't know how a car works or how to maintain it. Car repair is stupid cheap too.

What about http://www.simplegreenchina.com/ ?

Dude, yes! Awesome!

For whatever its worth I use pine cleaner. I throw a few figures in a jar with the pine cleaner and next morning use a tooth brush to scrub off the paint. I do not recommend using pine cleaner with plastic though. The pine cleaner will soften the plastic.

Would any of those methods work for enamels? Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

Brake Parts Cleaner will work on anything, including skin.

I'd try the Simple Green first, fully concentrated, soaking for a few days.

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Originally Posted by whill4

The pine cleaner will soften the plastic.

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With pinesol -- if you pull the plastics out before 6-8 hours, you should be ok. They might still be a little softer but anything after that ~8 hour is going to be softened for sure.

Simple Green works on everything and doesn't melt plastics. I recently used it on some plastics -- it doesn't do to well with the GW Black primer. you have to soak it for a very long time.

Does Simple Green soften plastic?

No.

just so every one know.....

the word is SIMPLE GREEN! it works perfect! i have stuff thats been soaking for a year! yeah i take my time with the whole hobby thing! it does not hurt plastic or metal! full concentrate is best. works mircles on metal but will change it from shinny to a dark grey... but your going to paint it any how. and on plastics it pulls the paint off, us a soft bristle tooth brush!

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Originally Posted by Greggle

Does Simple Green soften plastic?

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nope.

you can leave plastics in simple green for weeks (probably months) with no problems on the plastic.

OKay, so I looked and looked for simple green, but no places have it.

Instead I found something called "Green Way", which is marketed as a oven cleaner, toilet cleaner and drain unclogger. I bought a 16oz bottle and tested a Troll Whelp overnight, and it looks to work, so now I have my Pygmy Burrowers and Whelps soaking in it.

Wish I could find Simple Green though.

Sounds very zen.

Everything I do in China is zen!

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Originally Posted by Greggle

Instead I found something called "Green Way", which is marketed as a oven cleaner, toilet cleaner and drain unclogger.

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This sounds dangerous and toxic. I'd wear some heavy ass gloves when handling models as they come out of it.

I am. It doesn't seem to toxic, and doesn't eat through metal after a few days.

I have to use a plastic pick to clean the paint out of all the muscle recesses. Is this normal?

Also, I'm pissed at myself for painting them the studio scheme before deciding I wanted to change it. **** me from a year ago. That guy was an idiot.

The pick is normal, although usually a stiff toothbrush will do the trick.

Which ones are you changing -- your trollbloods? I have to admit, I get lazy with the enamels and, when forced to, tend to paint over rather than strip. I'm sure I'm breaking some cardinal modeling laws that way, but ...

Greggle Home Depot used to carry Simple Green Sam's Club has it too.

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Originally Posted by Psyberwolfe

Greggle Home Depot used to carry Simple Green Sam's Club has it too.

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There are very few Home Depots in China.

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Originally Posted by RealGenius

There are very few Home Depots in China.

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What's "Sam's Club" in Mandarin?

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Originally Posted by Warpaint

What's "Sam's Club" in Mandarin?

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Walmart.

I take that back, I guess it is Sam's Club.

http://www.samsclub.cn/sams/homepage.jsp

I'm having a little difficulty with their store finder. Mainly finding the store finder.

http://www.wal-martchina.com/english...nchina_map.htm

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Originally Posted by RealGenius

http://www.wal-martchina.com/english...nchina_map.htm

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No fair using the English version ... ;) Wow, that's a lot of Supercenters.

Though apparently, China has only 1 store per 4,717,341 people. Compared with the U.S.'s 1 per 71,531 ...

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Originally Posted by Warpaint

Which ones are you changing -- your trollbloods? I have to admit, I get lazy with the enamels and, when forced to, tend to paint over rather than strip. I'm sure I'm breaking some cardinal modeling laws that way, but ...

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Trollbloods are all I have! The paint I really need to remove is the P3 paints, because I didn't thin it and I lost a lot of detail in the faces. I'm painting over a fair amount of Dire Troll Skin though, those guys are huge.

Painting eyeballs and teeth is really hard. Thank gawds Trollbloods don't have pupils.

Fortunately, I can pretty much spot-clean some of the obscured detail areas with paint thinner, just as long as I'm careful not to cut into the primer.

And yeah, I'm dreading my Dire Troll Mauler -- way too much blending to do on that guy.

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Originally Posted by Greggle

Painting eyeballs and teeth is really hard. Thank gawds Trollbloods don't have pupils.

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I tend to very lightly drybrush the teeth first to provide a hint as to their exact placement (especially since I use black primer). Then I either do that again until I get the right color or use the drybrushed areas as a guideline for gently touching up each individual tooth with a fine-tip brush. You do not want your paint very wet for that ...