Thursday 29 November 2012

Dettol Wars, stripping paint off models...... and bathroom procedure!

You may remember that recently I rather stupidly sprayed black paint over some models and rather than drop kick them into the next county (or next door) I decided to strip them all (a bad varnish spray incident) and start again (at a rough estimate about 5 layers of paint and 3 coats of varnish).

Now Ray mentioned about reading that Fairy Power Spray had been suggested on a blog as a good paint stripper (this was fecking hard to find, online only) so I got bored and Ray suggested Dettol (liquid disinfectant and far easier to find in a discount store) and no I didn't think to stop and consider the suggestions came from Ray!

What follows is a brief tale about the what can only be called shenanigans...

This is the said product and toxicity warning I found: To reduce the risk of toxic exposure, safety masks and goggles should be worn while using Dettol, as well as avoiding spraying in the vicinity of people and/or animals, opening of doors and/or windows to allow ventilation, and avoiding external exposure to the surface of the body and/or inhalation, routes that allow rapid entry into the bloodstream???????

...and harmful to cats on the back of the bottle??????

I found this after the shenanigans, I didn't dilute, mask or goggle (and only used gloves after scratching my eye innocently)........

Before in tin......

....covered in 500ml of Dettol goodness, the smell was vaguely familiar and a brief remembrance of pain and grazed knees and elbows.....

After a 24 hour stew and the occasional stir (grey smelly gloop), the toothbrush wasn't mine and if you're asked you know nothing......

There was a little problem though, the grey gloop came off quite well....initially.....but some of it refused to budge with elbow grease or excessive swearing but then I found a can of WD40 (oil and water displacing spray) and  a few sprays later the gloop was virtually beaten and we continued the scrubbing and hey presto but....

Now to get to this stage took a lot of scrubbing with the toothbrush (it failed after a while and we moved on to a nail brush...I found) but the smell of Dettol and the gloop left behind caused  a few problems for those of us not wearing gloves (Ray) and those of us who forgot to wash our hands before using the bathroom ( also Ray).....this is the models in boiling water to try and disperse the smell ( sort of worked).....

After the process.......the only things that fell off were the aerials and one landing wheel on the shuttle, the models stayed together and could not be separated (which was a bonus to me anyway).....

Ready to undercoat and are now re-aerialed (I don't think it's a word either) but they still smell of Dettol, the kitchen still stinks of Dettol, Ray smells of Dettol and he has a rash where he didn't wash his hands before peeing but it saved the models and that's all good in my book.

Would I recommend it, compared to Nitromors it's a joy (the only other agent I've ever used) and it saved the models, not bad but better prepared next time!

Ray: It still itches....
Lurker: What does?
Ray: Down below......
Lurker: You should have washed your hands first mate!
Ray: Before peeing?
Lurker: Absolutely!
Ray: I hate you!
Lurker: Even after I bought you the cream?
Ray: It's hard to put on!
Lurker: Piss off sicko!

64 comments:

  1. Wow. Ray proved right twice in 24 hours!

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  2. On the plus side, think of how much money Ray has saved on a Vasectomy!

    Never seen or heard of that stuff before- probably not available here. Too bad as it looks like it was very effective (bummer about the smell though- Simple Green does that, odor lingers a long time). For metal minis I like acetone, works great & fast. But I have to wonder about this stuff you used, it sounds radioactive, yet it says right on the front for 'first aid' like you'd use it to clean your cuts, yet the warning says don't even get near enough to breathe? Talk about mixed messages.

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  3. The main problem was the bloody mess you left everywhere! I went to make a cup of tea, I picked the kettle up then noticed all the black shit on the handle, wtf! Then with my clean hand I turned the tap on, oh shit there's even more crap on the taps. So there's me standing in a Dettol infested kitchen with stinking black slimy shit everywhere! That was just the first of many Dettol experiences that night, it was on the telephones, the computer, the door handles, bloody everwhere....you fecking messy bastard!!!

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  4. Is that really the same Dettol, used diluted to dab on cuts and grazes and it does that to paint! Well I'll have to get some added to the next shopping list, just in case.

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    1. Let's see: we used to dab it on cuts, abrasions and contusions, but nowadays we are to avoid allowing it 'rapid entry' into the bloodstream? We are talking Dettol disinfectant, here, aren't we? Have Bastard Corporation changed the formula without telling anyone??

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  5. Scary (but very funny) story, especially that part related to poor old Ray's "sensitive" areas.

    Out of curiosity your post prompted me to take a look on Wikipedia...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dettol

    After reading that, I definitely won't be using this stuff !

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  6. It's a small shame you wouldn't put the cream on for him. At least the stuff came out in the end I guess. I didn't know Dettol was good for things like that. Or that harmful to anything remotely alive.

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  7. I use pure Acetone to take off paint from my metal miniatures. Never failed me, and the smell disappear from models quickly if I put it on a radiator.
    It works without scrubbing too, but you have to seal the mini and the fluid into an airtight container (I use old jam jars) to prevent the smell spreading around.

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    1. Thanks for that recommendation and the second one!

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  8. Hail Franonia! The land of NO Hazardous material pollution!

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  9. Is it wrong I laughed all the way through this? (Don't tell Ray.)

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  10. My uncle has a similar story involving the preparation of chili peppers.

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  11. I've heard that the cleaner "simple green" works well for stripping, I don't know if it is available or has an analog in Europe. Working in laboratories through high school and college I learned about the importance of washing hands before you use the facilities.

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  12. Lol that was a journey! Feel bad for Ray here though

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  13. Entertaining and glad it all worked out in the end.

    Christopher

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  14. Been playing catch up today with your many adventures Angry, finally got to this and the previous tale of spraying woe.

    Stripping in the bathroom! Had me worried there for a moment.

    I Fethin hate, stripping minis but with my painting faux pas it's a must! I'm currently using a Tesco own brand all purpose liquid green cleaner (least the Forge only stinks of Pine) and that seems to do a decent job on metal, not so effective on plastic.

    Fill up a jam jar so you can seal in the stink, drop your minis in and leave for a while (in my case months until I can bring myself to face scrubbing them).

    Last big strip job saw me in the garden with a jetwash (don't try it kids, very dangerous) lowering the green soaked minis into the water jet with a pair of pliers. Works like a charm, saved me many hours and several toothbrushes, but the neighbours now think I'm even more nuts then they had first assumed. Spray can, Resi...thats a whole other story.

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  15. haha. well now you know how important it is to wash your hands when using toxic chemicals

    Fran thank Ray for giving you a good display of the effects of being foolish. Then sit back relax and think of all the pain he is having and your not :-)
    Sorry Ray but you brought it upon yourself... wash your hands

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  16. Wish my last alchemist session had gone that well, strictly talking about the results. Yours still is a success, my musketeers need another one or two hours of hot bath.
    I'm using drain cleaner granulate (just pouring some into hot water, adding the figs, stir the soup, cover the container with something then wait), but needed to strip plastics only so far. The chap in the local hobby store told me to use it and it works.
    Pros: needs about half an hour for a full effect. Cons: old enamel paints need more than that (and that is my current problem), also, it is a very strong degreaser so rubber gloves are the minimum, mine was hollow and the stuff peeled the skin off my right hand.

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  17. I mainly use Tesco pine disinfectant, nail polish remover for anything stubborn on metal minis.

    And I always wash my hands after using it!

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  18. Some years ago, I used to use DOT 3 brake fluid to remove paint - very caustic and required gloves; not to mention good ventilation. Now I use Simple Green. Bummer about the overspray. Dean

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  19. he puts the ice cream on the weiner? lol wut

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  20. I feel a wee bit sorry for Ray right now. I use this stuff called Pine-Sol which is a household cleaner. Perfectly safe and cheap as chips.

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    1. We used to be close Anne and then you changed!

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    2. I said a wee bit sorry. It's not like I'm going to send him a box of chocolates and a sympathy card.

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  21. Nice recap Fran! And thanks for this post. I've only tried Simple Green to date, but always looking for new recommendations.

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  22. Falling off the chair laughing here... :-)

    Your combined antics with Ray reminds me of some kind of modern day Laurel and Hardy! ;-)

    I hope your local friendly pharmacist was helpful with advising on the right cream to apply to Rays nether regions...?

    Oddly enough I still recall college days and actually succeeding in growing bugs in dettol! Not sure what that says about how good it is as a disinfectant!?

    Incidentally, for paint stripping I use neat SIMPLEGREEN, an eco-friendly domestic/kitchen cleaner. Works a treat, (use same as you did for dettol - soak in it for an hour of more and then scrub off), and I think its less aggravating to the nether regions ;-)

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  23. You could have helped a mate out Fran, It was only a little job!

    Pine bsed cleaning will do Pine o Clean and Pine Clean your Dettol of course. I did do some grunt work to work out what the magic component was, with success, long forgotten now :(

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    1. BTW with the gloop, I'm not sure if it is the type of paint or dilution of the Dettol or time in, sometimes I have gloop and others I dont :-/

      When I do have gloop I dab the model with tissue or paper towel, the gloop sticks to it and pulls away. You can get the majority of the shyte off this way before destroying a couple of brushes. A good scrub with soapy warm water and a non glooped brush afterwards is a must.

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    2. Thanks for the good advice, where were you a couple of nights ago?

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    3. I think I've read somewhere (http://kingsminis.blogspot.com/2012/11/strip-tip.html) that rinsing the minis with water after soaking will cause the gunk to stick more. King recommends using more dettol (and a bucket. And gloves) to get the last of the paint off, and only then soaking them in soapy water.

      I've never stripped anything, personally, but I might have to soon. I finished painting some dwarves yesterday and they came out awful.

      Cheers.

      mdarrow.blogspot.org

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  24. LOL sounds like Ray is less than impressed. Sure did the trick though, the cat will stay far away.

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  25. Very funny! I know exactly what you mean about the smell - would take me back straight to primary school and scraped knees. Ouch!!

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  26. All that hard work down the drain. I'd have to have a couple of beers to keep my blood pressure down. In fact, I think I have one in sympathy for your models. And Ray.

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  27. I doubt the product I use to strip metal minis is available anywhere but the States, but I use Dawn Power Dissolver. It works like a charm. I've also used Simple Green, but I'm less impressed with it. Power Dissolver has a slight odor, but if you thoroughly rinse the mini, no residual smell remains.

    Plus it's "Ray-safe"

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  28. Hahaha.. the adventures continue.. and for Ray will linger for a while afterwards! Nice read, and great to know what to use when wanting to take out a small village!

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  29. Thanks a lot Fran, that report made my day!
    :-D

    Maybe Ray should comply security advice directed at children under the age of three.
    ;-)

    However I used Ethyl Alcohol to strip some plastic horses and I worked really well. And it's much easier to use and less dangerous...

    Cheers
    Monty

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  30. Seriously: Fairy Spray Power ! Spray the models, wait 10mns then rince. Quick, works 99.99% of times and no mess.

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  31. Hillarious! My only advice is ditch the tooth brush and get a suede brush (very cheap and has soft metal bristles and will last a lifetime)>

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  32. Very entertaining boys!! I go for Simple Green too. Works well.

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  33. Oh my...I can hardly type I'm laughing so hard. So next time when dealing with harsh chemicals, reals the label, right?

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  34. At least your minis won't pick up any bacteria. And nether will Ray's nether regions, for that matter.

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  35. Bravo Francis! This is one for the books and has something for everyone. DIY for the modeler and painters, humour for the masses and Ray for the hospital.

    Model on man!

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  36. That was simply hilarious, Fran!

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  37. Fairy Power Spray has always done the trick on older models for me, I really hope they don't stop producing it!

    Huge amounts of sympathy for Ray though, I wouldn't wish a chemical weapon attack on the nether regions on my worst enemies! Technically that's a war crime...

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  38. Are you sure Ray got that rash from not washing his hands first???? I hate stripping models...well, the plastic kind.

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  39. I have a ton of led to clean up but I am not sure I want to go down the detol methed, think I will stic to oven cleaner, that seems to be less dangerous ;-)

    Ian

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  40. Now that was great fun to read, beats most boring how to articles by miles

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  41. A lot of work, Fran, but I can see the models are ready for another painting work... and Ray is alive too!

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  42. The both of you together are hilarious! Funny post, but I will not try this. I've seen a better way at another blog with oven cleaner!

    PS: I hope Ray stopped scratching by now! :-D

    Greetings
    Peter
    http://peterscave.blogspot.be/

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  43. LOL. Yeah, Ray should have worn gloves, especially when you're dealing with something that has loads of chemicals in it like this Dettol. Give my regards to his rashy genitals to him, though. This reminds me of one of the first times I gave myself a good wanking. Sadly, it was done with Lava soap. It is soap that has pumice in it, in case you don't know. But I really know it now. :) My penis shed like a snake for weeks.

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  44. This is hilarious. I'd be curious to ask Ray - is it worse than when you touch a hot pepper and then not wash your hands before using the restroom? Because that burns like the fires of hell.

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  45. Always good stuff! :-)

    I'll pass along another vote for Simple Green which is friendly even to plastics. I've used Lestoil (stronger version of Pine-Sol) with success as well, but only for metals.

    Cheers,
    Jason

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  46. I'm a bundle of emotions right now. I'm happy for you that you got your paint removed but I feel so sad for poor Ray...didn't he squish his jimmies when you guys gamed not to long ago?

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  47. Don't tell Ray for his own good, but don't you remember the old scabs from the scraped knees would FALL OFF after about a week? That's what this stuff does!

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  48. "re-aerialed" -- Personally I like this word.

    My sympathies to Ray... That's gotta burn.

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