Smart Strip Advanced Paint Remover, For Removal of Acrylic, Latex, Oil & Water-Based Coatings, Non-Caustic Formula, Indoor/Outdoor, Contractor & DIY Friendly, 1 Quart

MVP paint stripper. Bought this to prep outside porch and garage lights for repainting. Lightly washed the fixtures to remove the dirt and grime layer on the existing paint. After they dried, I brushed on the stripper about 1/4 inch thick and let it work overnight. The picture shows how well it worked. Just about all the existing paint bubbled off the metal. I was able to peel it off easily and used a Scotchgard pad to remove paint from a few tight/stubborn spots. After a quick wash and dry, I primed and painted the lights...turned out great.Three tricks. First, clean off the existing paint so the stripper has maximum contact with it. Second, be patient...it doesn't work instantly. Put it on and give it time to work. Third, put the thing you're stripping in the shade to keep the stripper from drying out too quickly.

Works great, but here is my version of instructions for use with warhammer/plastic miniature models that I perfected after a bunch of trial and error:Apply a generous coat of stripper using a large paint brush, quickly but thoroughly. Use a stippling technique to get into all the cracks and crevices.The paint will begin to strip very quickly, so it helps to coat your model in the stripping gel completely in one go (or for larger/vehicle models, a section of it at a time). If you go too slowly, or try to coat the same section multiple times you will just start smearing around the stripped paint and stripping gel mixture all over.Wait 30-45 minutes and then use a tooth brush to agitate and scrub (firmly, being careful not to damage the model) the entire area that you covered in the stripping gel.Lastly, for smaller models fill a bucket with water and use a clean tooth brush to scrub off the now stripped paint/gel mixture dunking the model in the water to wash off the gel as you go. For larger models, you can still use the bucket method, but it's even faster to set up your model outside and spray it with a hose from a distance. Obviously do not do this if your model has delicate parts like antenna or spikes etc... anything that wouldn't be able to withstand the force of the hose water.Yes the instructions say that you should wait 1-24 hours for the gel to start working, but I've found that waiting anywhere near that time causes the paint and gel mixture to dry into a thick paste that is very difficult to remove. The stripper works very well, no need to wait so long for smaller miniatures.

For the 8 years i've been restoring antiques, i've sworn by methylene chloride-based strippers, like Klean Strip. I've become a connoisseur of strippers and solvents. And then I tried to strip the wrought iron railings outside my house. What a nightmare! The Klean Strip was drying into an impenetrable shell before it sank in past the first layer of paint. These railings have at least 4 or 5 thick layers of different kinds of paint.I tried Smart Strip as a last resort. I had used an earlier version of the product (Peel Away) on some woodwork in my house years ago, and it did okay.I was skeptical because of the mixed reviews. After the first spindle, I ran and got my camera to take a video. I finished the remaining 6 spindles, plus the top and bottom rails, and cleaned up the bits the other stripper left, in just shy of 2 hours (not counting the dwell time- i'll get to that). By comparison, it took a whole day to do 2 spindles with the Klean Strip, and it left a lot of gunk behind.Now, I gave this 4 stars because, despite my enormous success with it, you can't follow the directions...Wrapping: The can specifically says it doesn't need to be covered (like its predecessor, Peel Away), but I did it anyway bcs my railings were outside my door, and I didn't want anyone putting their hand in goop. The one place I did not cover, I was pleased to see the solvent hadn't dried out after 24 hours, but I did have a tougher time scraping the paint off there. I did not use the special paper they sell- I just used some plastic shopping bags. Someone else mentioned wax paper. I even noticed the paint coming off with the bags as I peeled them off.Scraping: The paint doesn't “wipe right off”. It does require some elbow grease. I used a scraper on flat surfaces and steel wool or a metal bristle brush on the curvy bits. And some places I had to scrub, or pick off a fleck with my finger nail. But I had the first spindle down to bare metal in 5 minutes. I also used Denatured Alcohol to help clean off the solvent and soften up any little bits of paint left over.Dwelling: I don't know why the can bothers to say 3-24 hours. Just tell us we should leave it overnight. I can't imagine it taking less time. And it's not like the stuff dries out. I did mine for 24 hours, and it worked very well.Thickness: The can says 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch, and they're not kidding. The heavier the better. I would drop my railings into a vat of this if I could. If you paint on a thin layer, it won't work. You have to really slather it on there. Basically, if you can still see your paint through the solvent, you don't have enough on. I dabbed it on like stucco. Really thin stucco.So, in conclusion, this is not a product to use if you wake up one morning and want to get your project done that day. Count on a 24 hour dwell time. I can't vouch for how it works on finishes other than latex or oil based paint (like enamel, polyurethane, varnish, etc. I have a feeling a lot of the negative reviews encountered a layer of something this stuff isn't formulated to handle), though I did notice that, as I wiped my solvent covered hands on my paint-spattered jeans, paint was coming off my jeans. And don't follow the directions- slather it on, wrap it, wait a day, scrape it, and scrub it with denatured alcohol.It's water based, it doesn't stink, it doesn't burn like the fires of a thousand suns when it gets on your skin, it's biodegradable... what's not to like? If you're unsure, get the “sample size” and test it. ¼ of the “sample size” can did a 4 foot section of railing for me.I will continue to use Klean Strip for projects I need to do quickly, or if i've only got 1 or 2 layers of paint to get through. But the rest of my railings will be done with Smart Strip!