Stripping paint

[Nearly_Unfinished]

Just an update on my last post. I was wrong about the nail polish remover. Apparently even non-acetone nail polish remover can ruin your plastic models if you leave them in the solution long enough. I Put 5 Models in a jar of polish remover. left em there for about a week and now they are just one big blob of grey death. Wasted 14 dollars on those second hand models. So I tried again this time with a test piece of plastic, 30 minutes to an hour later, the plastic has softened up too much to become re-usable.

 

Now on to a good point, I have tried a new method, this time Dettol Disinfectant. It looks like a amber/brown liquid soap that emits a odor that should give away the fact that inhaling too much of this is going to be bad for your health so if you are going to use it put the solution in a glass jar with a lid on and leave out in a well ventilated area.

 

Anyway. I left a plastic part and a metal miniature into the solution and left there for a few days. I removed the models with latex gloved hands and tweezers for those bits my finger's cannot reach and scrubbed it with a old toothbrush using the detoll solution to clean the miniature. The results are as follows:

 

- For Metal Models, It is just brilliant, I had put in there a Metal Chaos Terminator lord that had so many layers of paint on it you wouldn't believe and it all just came off like wrapping off chrstmas present. After about 5-10 minutes of meticulous scrubbing the model was shaining and mostly paintless.

 

- For Plastic it was the same as metal, paint came off almost as easy as it did for metal and no detail was lost what so ever even after 1 night soaking in it there was nothing misshapen or melted.

 

During the scrubbing I found out 2 things:

- First, Dettol does not melt glue as far as I am aware of, I had a second hand aspiring champion chaos marine fully glued together and when I was scrubbing it not one piece loosened up. I will have to do more tests with super-glued and plastic cemented models just to be sure. 

 

- Second, Dettol Disinfectant, Paint and Water does not mix well as this turned the paint into a black tar that stuck to your toothbrush and model, It still scrubs off if you dry the brush out with a rag and used the dettol again to brush but I thought I just mention it for all you guys and gals who might be interested.

[Izekael]

I have used brake fluid which works really well. It does soften finecast if left in there to long. Only thing with it is that you need to take it to a recycler to dispose of. Then I tried 91% isopropyl alcohol, now that is the bomb. Works as well as brake fluid and take longer to soften finecast than brake fluid, and you can pour it down the drain.

[incinerator950]

How much scrubbing do I need with power clean or simple green?

 

Convienantly working at home depot, so I can pick it up later.

[Chandrian]

How much scrubbing do I need with power clean or simple green?

Convienantly working at home depot, so I can pick it up later.

I'm currently using Simple Green and am finding there is a lot of scrubbing involved :P.

Also, might just be my case, but the previous owner of the models i'm cleaning used none GW paints and those are being very difficult to clean

PS. be careful if you are using Simple Green to clean metal models.... a few of mine sat for to long and started to erode...

[Redlead]

Hi, I Iooked into this extensively a short time ago as I had a few minis for paint removal and the best thing I found was IPA Isoproyl Alcohol, its 99.9 % pure Isopropanol and only takes 30 min's submerged in this stuff for the paint to come off with light brushing (I used an old toothbrush), and theres no eroding of plastics/metal although it can weaken glue.

 

Its cheap I got a 250ml bottle off ebay for a few quid, it comes in bigger bottles if you need.

 

Hope that helps.

[marine7312000]

I left resin models soaking for about 3 days in Simple Green and it was fairly intensive scrubbing but not excessive. I threw a test model I had done a few weeks ago in the over day and barely touched the brush to the model before the paint was coming off. The first batch of models had paint over a black prime, the test model just had red paint.

[Ganders]

I used to use Bartoline or Fairy Power Spray and soak my minis over night or longer until I found a thread on here a while ago talking about sonic cleaners (could'nt find it again).

I cannot recommend these enough. Mine cost about £30 from Amazon and I used Fairy Power Spray with it.

 

Two 180 second sessions and your minis are almost as good as new.

 

That's 6 minutes and maybe a gentle brush with a toothbrush and you're done. Works on plastic, resin and metal equally well.

 

Pics below;

 

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/3_zps05f5e06b.jpg

 

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/4_zpsfe2ba15f.jpg

 

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/5_zps509a21da.jpg

 

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/6_zps46d40f1f.jpg

 

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/a_zps06c484ad.jpg

 

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/b_zps7eb5b70f.jpg

 

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160/gordonayr/d_zpsd78a9545.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Augustus b'Raass]

I've tried using break fluid before. It strips paint from plastic, metal, resin and finecast perfectly, but be EXTREMELY careful in handling this stuff, because even with latex gloves my hands and wrists itched where I spilled/sprayed a little and the epidermal skin peeled off a week later. Compared to that the ultrasonic cleaner sounds like a better -though more expensive- deal.

[Fortis]

I cant recommend Nitro Mors enough if your target minis are metal.

 

Just finished stripping a large batch this weekend and most came out looking like they were fresh out of a blister. And this was only after about an hour's immersion! It is pretty nasty stuff and you have to do your stripping outdoors; even with a well ventilated room, I can imagine this stuff giving you a proper headache. 

 

Apart from that, get some thick rubber gloves (I used the red, heavy duty type; not sure washing up gloves would survive), two large vessels of water and detergent (one to use for your scrubbing, the other to drop the cleaned mini in afterwards), and a toothbrush, and you are well on your way to shiny, virgin mini heaven!

 

I previously used Dettol (UK antiseptic solution) which does not do as good a job and takes far longer to work. Not to mention it smells far worse (Nitro Mors has one of those tantalising petro-chemical aromas that comes across quite appealing to one's simple, simian brain centres, before the higher faculties kick in and tell you to get your nose out of the tin!). Nitro Mors is most likely far more harmful to your health too, but that is a secondary concern in the face of giving your paint encrusted metal toys a new lease of life.

 

If its metal, go for the green gloop! End of.