FAQ: Removing Paint - Paint Stripping

[CosmicCreations]

Hi Fenris.

 

I use acetone free nail varnish remover for my stripping, it works wonders and loosens the paint off in a matter of seconds. Works fine on plastics and metals, doesn't melt the plastic at all, although it does seem to count on where you get it from. Not sure where you're from but if its the UK try Superdrugs own remover, otherwise there are plenty of other topics on the same area :lol:

[Einholt]

Dettols your answer, just google dettol mini stripping and you'll find a few guides, main thing is dont use water until the mini is clear of the old paint, if you need rinse your toothbrush with a little dettol but all the infos in the guides available.

[ferris]

So after an extra 18 hours of soaking there was no change. In fact, some of my plastic is actually marred because of the brushes I was using. I guess I was using too much force, but you can tell that the plastic has changed its shape. Not horribly, but enough to mar the detail of the models. Which stinks. I think my plan will be to throw those up on ebay or bartertown, and just find some unpainted ones to use.

 

Also I looked and I think Dettol is a UK thing. Any guides that I have seen are all from people with a British accent, and I looked today in my local super market and it wasn't there.

 

By the way, the name is ferris and not Fenris. ;)

[Tottertates]

Dawn Power Dissolver is the US answer to UK's Dettol

[Bay]

For plastic, and resin models try Brake Fluid (Dot3) or simple green, let soak over night then scrub away with a tooth brush

 

For pewter model's acetone strips the paint away in a very short time (1 hour or so).

 

Best Of Luck.

[calgar101]

I've used dettol(well Morrisons own brand) and it works. Leave it in a tub(with lid on) for 2-4 days and then use a tooth brush with some force to remove the paint. It doesn't weaken the plastic and removes the paint.

[majorpayne327]

Does any one know which cleaner is the best for the old GW primers:

 

http://www.bananaking.net/cento/workshop/photos/tool_primer.jpg

 

I'm having issues with single and double coated minis with the black primer (the one on the left) and the White Primer (not shown)

[Vindicatus]

Alright, so we all have done it before in one instance or another: stripping a model.

 

I have a friend of mine who sent me a squad of 10 chaos terminators with Nurgle chestpieces and shoulderplates, badly painted and wanted to see what I could do to unfunk his mistake. I knew I had several options ahead of me from good ol' elbow grease and dish soap, to week-long soaks in Simple Green.

 

 

I decided against the more abrasive method of brake fluid (even though I know it strips of everything from paint to chrome of a car bumper), and went searching through Wal-Mart to try to find a decent alternative that wouldn't involve sealing up a gallon of Simple Green in a bucket with the models in question.

 

 

Solution? Krud-Kutter : Graffiti remover. Seriously, this stuff is meant to remove acrylic paint from everything from plastic tables to brick walls, so I figured why not?

 

 

Has anyone else ever used this stuff before? Two minute soak in it knocked off the vast majority of paint from one of the arms I decided to test on, without any warping or melting of resin/plastic bits, no malformation or anything. I think this might be the next cure-all for the poorly painted.

 

 

Anyone have similar experiences?

[Cyrox]

No but sounds good, might have to try that as paint removal is the one thing i struggle with

[lords2001]

Ok. I've read 14 pages of this FAQ and I'm not 100% on the right thing to use.

 

What I'm looking for is something that I can use inside without toxic fumes etc - something that will strip both paint and primer from plastic without damaging it. I live in an apartment, so I can't use stuff I have to use outdoors etc.

I live in Australia - so any products I can get over here would be useful.

[Alys]

Hmm. I use Fairy Power Spray, and I've stripped figures from Rogue Trader Days (that were so bad, you couldn't see the details), to some plastic figures as a test, and they all come clean. Liberal spray of the figures inside a tub, put the lid on, leave for a day or so, start scrubbing and see how it goes. The paint does go all rubbery, so you need tools to get it out of crevaces.

 

I've used nail varnish remover on plastic, didn't know about acetone and such, and it worked (mostly), but only in very short doses. Leave in a few minutes, scrub, rinse, repeat etc.

[Tanhausen]

Isopropylic alcohol.

 

Easy to use and find, only be careful with the skin if extended use and open a window. Use an old brush and dont rinse in water.

[Hyaenidae]

Is there anything that'll strip paint but not greenstuff?

[KronosAkallach]

Testors makes a product called ELO "Easy lift off paint and decal remover" I have been using it for years to strip plastic models, you have to leave more heavily painted models in it for longer, but have Never had it damage plastic in the slightest.

 

Give it time to soak into the paint and it will scrub off with a toothbrush. Won't damage glue.

 

Terrific stuff.

[Volchek]

Use Purple Power degreaser and cleaner. Can get it at WalMart or auto parts places like Autozone or Advance Autoparts. It's cheap and it WORKS amazingly well. Grab a cheap plastic tupperware jug or drink pitcher and pour in the Purple Power undiluted. Drop the pieces in and let them soak for 2-3 days. Take them out, use an old toothbrush or something like it to quickly scrub the pieces. The paint will come right off.

 

Oh yeah, use dishwashing gloves or get a box of vinyl latex gloves in the pharmacy dept at WalMart. You'll need them. Purple Power undiluted is caustic to skin. But it works like a charm to remove paint. I'll never try anything else.

[Race Bannon]

I can vouch for the above. On metal, it'll made the model shine like new. It will not dull resin one bit. BUT, if you primed the model with Citadel black spray (what I've been using) then the paint will certainly come off, but the primer itself will take some work.

 

Recently I started using P3 black primer and Purple Power removed it easily.

 

Also, I am not sure if it dulls the edges on plastic. Admittedly, I've tried a couple of other paint removers (Pine Sol and Simple Green). Using SG first was not as effective on plastic as I wanted. So I dropped the model in Pine Sol. After that, it went into PP. Each session was for at least 5 days, no more than 7 days. Thus, the "dulling" of the plastic may have come from so much time in different solvents. But the pieces using P3 primer were clean, the Citadel primer seemed to have little or no effect.

 

I also did not notice if it removed Green Stuff. I don't think so though. Will come back on that after this latest batch is cleaned (which I put in yesterday).

[con-fusion]

Throw out your other paint strippers. Dawn Power Dissolver is a gel that comes in a spray bottle. It costs around $3 a bottle. I found it at Walmart. As a test, I submerged 3 RT metal marines and 3 RT plastic backpacks. I left everything in for 24 hours. The paint litterally turned to goo and rinsed off in the sink in a couple of seconds. No damage. No paint or primer remaining.

[Crimson Fisting]

Sweet.

[soots]

interesting.

i was going to go buy simple green from canadian tire and strip the paint off some gks

what about glue? did it just take away all the paint and not effect the glue?

btw thanks for the suggestion :thanks:

[con-fusion]

I haven't tested it on glue, green stuff, or resin. Also, I am going to throw some more stuff in to see if it is reusable.

 

Do you want to remove the glue? If so, I normally put stuff in the freezer. That turns most glue brittle and it flakes off (note this won't work on plastics where the glue actually melts the joints together).

[Br0ther Rafen]

Hey guys

So I live in Australia, and I gotton recomendations to use Detol instead of Simple Green (as it is hard to get over here), and I have a few questions:

1. How long before the paint is good to come off?

2. Can somone please explain to me a quick guide on how to strip the paint without damaging the mini?

Thanks for any help.

[d@n]

the detol want damage the model so you can leave it in there for as long as you like and the longer the better really but about 24 hours is seems to work well for me.

 

1. leave in detol

2. get all the detol off with washing up liquid and an old tooth brush

3. scrub clean with washing up liquid and water

4. use a toothpick to get rid of any paint left in hard to get places

[madscuzzy]

It melts the paint off, but can leave the residue in a sticky mess. Advice is to wipe most of what you can with a disposable kitchen towel/roll/serviettes etc. before scrubbing with a toothbrush.

 

It will soften GS, some putties and some resins, so be careful <-- applies to most paint strippers anyhow...

[Razblood]

One major piece of advice is DO NOT dilute the Dettol and For Emperor's sake don't use water to clean the paint off!

 

Should you fail to heed the above you will find your minis caked in a substance similar to liquid latex, some Slanneshi players might like the sounds of this but it is NOT a good thing.

 

(Did it myself with my first batch :( )

 

All the best as you enter the wonderful world of Dettol :D

[LoneSniperSG]

For the past week I've had an old Predator and five Sisters of Battle swimming around in Simple Green. They've been forced to sit in my garage in the cold.

 

Today I'm cleaning everything. I've got a heavy wire brush and a toothbrush. The two coats of paint and basing are literally falling off the metal sisters.

 

The Predator resists. No amount of scraping with that wire brush will take the paint off, even on the tank's metal parts. Now if I recall, this Predator has a coat of GW spray black, hand-painted Red, hand-painted white, and an ugly thick coat of Shadow Grey spray. All GW paints on the tank. All GW paints on the Sisters.

 

Yet the Predator resists. What am I doing wrong with it? Should I dunk it back in SG for another week? None of this paint is coming off.