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Perfect cleaner for airbrushes and caked on acrylic paint


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Over the past couple of weeks I've been working on 3D printed items and have been watching a number of videos for various tips, techniques, etc. One video covered cleaning the freshly printed parts in an ultrasonic cleaner with various solutions. One of which was 'Mean Green', which the author liked the best. So, I went and picked some up. After doing the cleaning, I went to remove the parts with a pair of tweezers I've had for years. They've been used to hold parts while airbrushing and were covered with years of dried paint, both acrylic and enamels.

 

Literally within seconds of the tweezers hitting the solution (it was full strength), I noticed the paint begin to bubble. The parts didn't print correctly anyway, so I decided to leave the tweezers in there for a minute or two. Once removed and wiped with a paper towel, they look almost brand new. As a caveat, the enamel paint may take a bit more effort to get completely cleaned. However, if you only use acrylics, this may be something you might want to look into. If it cleaned the acrylic paint off those tweezers that fast and thoroughly, I can only imagine how well it would clean an airbrush. 

 

A 1 gallon jug is $4.97 at Walmart and has a citrus type odor similar to most household cleaners. 

 

 

Mean Green Super Strength Cleaner & Degreaser Concentrated Formula, 1 gal

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Is this Simple Green on steroids? or something else?

 

edit:

 

Mean Green made by Rustoleum (the paint company)

 

Simple Green made by Sunshine Makers Inc

 

so...  different

Edited by habu2
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34 minutes ago, Dutch said:

Thanks for that tip Dave! Been using it around the garage for a few years. Now I have another use! K/r, Dutch 

 

Didn't even know it existed until I watched that video. I'll be using it around the house now also!

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On 2/29/2020 at 10:14 PM, Vince Maddux said:

Dave, What are you using for the ultrasonic cleaner, I need to get one.

 

Vince,

 

I picked up a small Invisiclean for $58 through Amazon. The tank is only 7 x 3 x 2 inches though, which works for what I'm doing. 

 

Dave

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On 3/1/2020 at 8:23 AM, Dutch said:

Hey Dave, Do you think it will remove the paint from models without harming the plastic? Hmmm, I will have to give it a try. K/r, Dutch 

 

Not sure. If you have a junker kit, paint it and let the paint dry for a couple days, then put it in the MG and see what happens. 

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I used to post here as Chefblades some 10 years ago, before my interests changed and my desire to deal with some of ARC's more dubious members made things too difficult.

But I thought i'd chime in on Dave's cleaning, stripping tips.

I've been using Simple Green (orange one) to strip Tamiya acrylic paints and their white rattle can primer for a couple of years. Mostly on resin statues, but most recently on Tamiya's 1/48 F-14 after an artistic screw up. One night soaking, and a rinse under a tap... paint gone, plastic fine! My airbrush then received the same treatment and looks new. This stuff is cheap, and readily available from hardware stores, and doesn't carry that chemical smell. As Dave has suggested, test it first... but I'm happy that my first kit in a long time is not going to the shelf of death

Andy

 

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I have been using a degreaser called Purple Power to strip paint off model cars for years now. So far I have not found a paint it can’t handle. The longer the model is in the pond the easier the paint comes off. Looks like when I get off work at 0500 Im heading to WallyWorld for some mean Green to test. 

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Not to derail Dave’s thread, but I have found the Winsor and Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer to work fantastically well, and does not have a nasty smell.  I haven’t found any paint in any condition that this stuff won’t work on. The only down side is that it will attack plastic if left in contact for too long, so make sure to rinse it off any plastic.  

Edited by Curt B
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