OrangeBob Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Hi B & C, I read a post from a few weeks ago about stripping minis with acetone. It seemed to suggest that this only works for metal minis but that it works incredibly well. I wanted to make sure that I understood this correctly. So the question is: Can I use acetone on plastic minis? Or is that only for the metal ones? Also, any information on where to get acetone would be great. Thanks for the help. OrangeBob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironwulf Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Use Acetone ONLY for metal minis. It will eat plastic minis for lunch, after it has had the paint as an appetizer. From your user info, it notes that you are in Texas. You should be able to get Acetone at the local Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's or hardware store. Look in the aisles where the painting supplies are located. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeBob Posted January 12, 2015 Author Share Posted January 12, 2015 Thanks Ironwulf! I was hoping that acetone would work on plastic but I had the feeling it would eat the poor little White Scars that I am going to repaint soon. I will stick with Simple Green. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironwulf Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Simple Green is my favorite mini stripper. Absolutely safe to use on plastics, no matter how long you leave them in there. I have a tupperware container that I drop minis into, and generally come back to in a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandMasterAralia Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 I've used regular "cleaning alcohol" (husholdningssprit in Danish, don't know the correct English word for it) to strip my plastic minis before.. Works fairly well, just needs patience ;) do NOT throw finecast/resin in alchohol, I'll turn all gooey and soft, lost a gw Belial to this, luckily it was just that one mini! Does anybody know the Danish equivalent to Simple Green? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awilden Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Isopropyl alcohol seems to work reasonably, however I'm not sure if its that effective depending on how much paint/undercoat you have, i tried stripping a rhino and left it in a jar of 100% isopropyl alcohol for a good week (scrubbing it thoroughly with a toothbrush every day or so), and it made a good effort, but it still left a bit of the black undercoat and the red paint (blood angels rhino). It however didn't mess up the model, and if you can manually scrub it and try to clean it after its done as much as it can, it should be good hopefully. I wouldn't expect a 'brand new' look, but it should get the majority of the paint off, then you'd need to manually clean/sand/scratch out any extra bits in corners. Do not use Mineral Turpentine (i assume that's similar to Acetone?), remember it had been soaking in alcohol for a good week no problems, one wipe of Turps, and it started to melt the hull of the rhino, not melt melt like it was freaky strong acid, but lets just say the rhino was more suited to being a Plague Marine rhino afterwards lol. Oh and noob tip, turps and i assume acetone melts rubber gloves like nothing, obvious since it could eat plastic, but i assumed it was not going to do that, so yeah.. don't use Turps or acetone, unless your using metal minis, and use thick gloves (not surgical ones) or use a pair of tongs to hold your minis if you do decide to use turps/acetone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reyner Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Dettol works well too - safe for plastic and metal but I haven't tried it with resin yet (I've had a few guys left in a jar for a very long time that I am hesistant to check on though haha). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW1 Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Dettol works well too - safe for plastic and metal but I haven't tried it with resin yet (I've had a few guys left in a jar for a very long time that I am hesistant to check on though haha). I second the dettol works nicely and doesn't mess up plastics if you leave it in accidentally for 9 months. Just make sure you rise off with dettol rather than water when brushing the gank/old paint off. As soon as you mix water any paint starts to solidify again!!! You can also reuse the dettol. Just filter the gunk out or leave it in a container to settle and then pour off the usable dettol leaving the sediment behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschoolsavant Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 And for cutting down on the Dettol smell (stench), I've started leaving stripped minis in very soapy water jars for a further week. Almost eliminates the odour completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother-Chaplain Kage Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 I commented about using acetone in that post and only in some very rare situations - more for dissolving gobs of superglue than paint removal. I had 10 Warmachine Khador Man-O-War suits I won from an eBay auction that the owner used a ton of superglue on them instead of pinning them together, and what I think was an enamel paint on top of all that. The only reason why I went to the acetone was because Simple Green - which I use for 99% of my miniature paint stripping needs -wouldn't do anything to the paint and the superglue was so deep into detail recesses that I would never get it out with some of the other, more mundane options for removing superglue. A few days ago, for only the second time ever, I used acetone on some figures I'd purchased online that had a lot of superglue clogging up details, but were sprayed with acrylics, and while the acetone dissolved the glue, it did nothing to the acrylic paint at all. I think it dissolved the paint on the Man-O-War figures because it was an enamel, so now I wouldn't even suggest it for stripping paint off of metal figures. If you do decide to go ahead, make sure you have a safe container you can seal to store the figures and acetone in, wear gloves, use a respirator if you have one or else make sure you're in a well-ventilated area, and remember that it's an extremely flammable solvent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durus Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Acetone will melt plastic. However if you have nothing else at hand and are really desperate you can soak a toothbrush with it and scrub the paint from the plastic away. Only works if the minis are not caked in paint and it's acrylic paint and not enamels or something like that. It will evaporate before it melts the plastic. Brace for the fumes though if you try this. And make sure the Acetone doesn't pool, so rinse after each scrubbing. Definitely not something I would recommend on infantry or anything with fine details though... Did this on a tank. Large flat surfaces, where the paint didn't want to come off. As I said definitely not recommended if you don't want to risk losing surface detail. There are better ways to do this with plastic minis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW1 Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 And for cutting down on the Dettol smell (stench), I've started leaving stripped minis in very soapy water jars for a further week. Almost eliminates the odour completely. Just make sure no paint is still on the mini before you stick anywhere near water!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShinyRhino Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Another thing to try on super-stubborn paint on plastic models is Easy-Off over cleaner spray. Put the model in a sealable GLASS jar, spray in the cleaner until the model is fully covered, then quickly put the lid on and give it a gentle shake. Set aside for a few days, open, and then scrub. Works on metal models as well, but I haven't tried it on resin. The gel does not work, spray version only. However, you MUST take the following precautions: Wear rubber gloves. Oven spray is caustic. Do not get it on your hands. Wear a mask. People have a tendency to want to look at what they're spraying. That means your face will be over the jar. Cover up, or stay an arm's length away from the jar. Wear rubber gloves when scrubbing. The spray tends to deactivate after a few days, but you never know if it's still dangerous, so use gloves to scrub. Rinse thoroughly after scrubbing, and do not rinse or scrub in a fancy sink. Your wife will slap you silly if you etch the expensive, cultured marble sink basin. Use the metal, kitchen sink or the laundry sink. I used this method reliably to recover some old, rare models that were covered in enamel paint and automotive primer that Simple Green couldn't touch. Also works on models that have three coats of 'Ard Coat on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appiah4 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Most oven cleaning detergents are plastic safe and can scrub the paint off after considerable amount of soaking. Mr. Muscle and the like are your friends here. Experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaeron Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I've recently seen a post utilising nail polish remover that's Acetone free from Superdrug in the UK. I've not tried this myself, but it cleaned up a Genestealer in no time flat. It's definitely on my "to-try" list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShinyRhino Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I've recently seen a post utilising nail polish remover that's Acetone free from Superdrug in the UK. I've not tried this myself, but it cleaned up a Genestealer in no time flat. It's definitely on my "to-try" list. Be careful with acetone-free nail polish remover. While it is acetone-free, it may also be solvent-based, which will destroy plastic just the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appiah4 Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I've recently seen a post utilising nail polish remover that's Acetone free from Superdrug in the UK. I've not tried this myself, but it cleaned up a Genestealer in no time flat. It's definitely on my "to-try" list. Be careful with acetone-free nail polish remover. While it is acetone-free, it may also be solvent-based, which will destroy plastic just the same. This. That said, I know I have some of that stuff at home, so I'll give it a go myself.. I'll let you guys know how it fared, and what the ingredients were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Tezdal Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I've always used simple green, never had any problems stripping, also there a knockoff to it called Mean Green you see at some dollar stores that works the same for a little bit cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spazmonkey Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 if you are an adult and have a mechanic or some on who can dispose of chemicials then there is also brake fluid. it will strip a mini with out effecting the glue. rinse and clean with an old tooth brush. again only suitable for adults, as gloves and well aired working space required. but it will strip a mini in minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Heinrich Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 My go to cleaner for metal, plastic, and resin is Super Clean. You can find it pretty much any autoparts store. Not sure about in the UK or elsewhere, but this stuff works like a charm. Never had any issues and thats after forgetting about models for like a week or so. Do use rubber gloves though when you wash your minis off or handle the stuff as your skin won't be a fan of it. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/1424333_10152355988288761_1674850096_n_zpsd73d1d4b.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqui Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Chaeron I've used Superdrug Acetone free nail varnish remover for plastic minis and whilst it will melt them if left for too long, it does the job. Usually about 10 to qt minutes tops will do it. One word of warning though - the texture of the mini will change somewhat, but that might be because I left mine in for a couple of hours :lol: Might be best to try it on a snap together mini first before potentially ruining better ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thade Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 +1 for Simple Green. I use it to strip plastic and pewter alike. I've gone so far as to use an (old) ultrasonic jewelry cleaner loaded with simple green to stew my metal minis, then scrubbing them off with a toothbrush and perhaps a pick to get the big deep chunks out. (How else does one clean up an eBay acquisition?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother-Chaplain Kage Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 As I said previously, Simple Green works fine for me more than 99% of the time. I only went to the acetone in a couple of extreme cases that had more to do with superglue than paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firepower Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I use Castrol Super Clean as well, but it struggles (and often fails) against GW's white primer. Though I have heard brake fluid works wonders, and I have seen it flense the paint from Finecast without the slightest melting of the model. It comes with a lot more safety concerns though. I've used acetone-free nail polish remover on plastic, and despite popular opinion it did quite a nasty job on the plastic. Melted it something fierce in a heartbeat :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spazmonkey Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Yeah Nail polish removers are designed to remove polymer so using them on plastic will never be a good idea. Even non Acetone ones are still designed to remove the polymer so still not a good idea to use on plastics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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