VMS Clean Slate ULTRA Remover 3.0

How long does it usually take for the paint to start peeling off?

Speed depends on a coat's age and thickness. Fresh coats will start peeling off in 1-3 minutes, older and thicker coats might need around 5-10 minutes. Don't worry contact time is not limited, parts will not lose quality. It's always better to allow the remover to work than force it. 

I painted my model with enamels and oils will the product work?

Base coat takes precedence, if you primed your model with an acrylic primer (this includes PU primers), the remover will work no matter what type of paint and products were applied over it. If you applied enamel or oil based weathering over an acrylic paint coat (no primer) the remover will work too. Strictly enamel paint jobs might be removed to some extent only (brand and coat age dependent). Clean Slate is formulated to deal with acrylic products.  

I have used putty and CA glue during assembly will remover affect them?

Depending on putty used (acrylic or solvent based) and contact time with the remover the putty may be separated from plastic or partially dissolved. Therefore we advise shorter contact times (avoid  prolonged immersion) in case of models with a lot of putty. If a coat of paint is fresh it will peel off very quickly and you will be able to minimise the impact on the putty. Rarely CA bonds may weaken: photo-etched parts may get separated from the model - please be careful so as to not lose them. 

How many removing procedures till the remover becomes useless?

Depending on paint thickness and age it can be reused about 2-3 times. Surprisingly removing fresh paint usually “costs” more remover that getting rid of old layers as fresh paint dissolves rather than peels off thusly more easily contaminating the remover. If you run out of fresh remover but the model still needs cleaning, you may filter used remover to get rid of old paint flakes. Best way to filter is to use paper paint strainers. If you notice that the remover takes too long to work or don't work at all it's time for a new bottle. 

My model is very complex, will the remover get into all the crevices?

Yes, it will work fine no matter the model complexity. In case of very complex parts simply allow more time with the remover. 

How effective is the remover?

The percentage of paint removed chemically is 95% the remaining 5% depends on how meticulous you are with your cleaning brush. If you take your time you will remove 99% of the paint no problem. You may leave some stubborn minute residue out and cover it with a fresh coat of primer.  

Will I need to do much scrubbing (tooth brush) on my parts, I don't want to scratch the surface!

The remover is much more potent than common agents such as IPA and don't require scrubbing at all, we were able to wipe our test models clean using very soft red-sable brushes as seen in the photos. This equals zero scratches on the surface of miniatures as paint stripping is done chemically rather than mechanically. 

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Does the remover contain cheap agents such as IPA and if not why?

There is no isopropyl alcohol in the formula, this alcohol is way too volatile and has poor paint stripping properties, works slowly and requires you to apply mechanical force to make it work (scrubbing). IPA evaporates very quickly (flashpoint of -12 degrees Celsius, our remover over +65 degrees Celsius) and fills your workplace with fumes, remover should be working on your model not floating in the air! Sure IPA can remove some of the paint with much scrubbing involved but with Clean Slate paint stripping is done all chemically, remover forces itself under the paint coat and penetrates all the nooks an crannies. You don't need to apply much mechanical force and can soak parts longer as the fluid doesn't evaporate that quickly. If you use Clean Slate once you will never want to go back to IPA!

IMPORTANT!

Product is polystyrene optimised and tested with leading brands. Still very few models, especially vintage ones may be made of modified polystyrene. Before you start cleaning your model cut a piece of a sprue and submerge it in the remover for 10 minutes to make sure it is made of true unmodified polystyrene and is safe to be cleaned. We have also tested the Slate with resin parts and it proved safe, however  you should always check and test as there is a multitude of resin compounds out there and we are unable to test them all!

Can I use this product in an ultrasonic cleaner?

Absolutely you can! The cleaner is very potent in its own right and when coupled with an ultrasonic cleaner it will work wonders! This technique is especially useful while dealing with stubborn residue which is hard to access by other means.