Finecast and Isopropyl

[Skywrath]

With the release of the GK codex, some of my miniatures are in dire need to be stripped down. As the title suggests, one of those figurines is Kaldor Draigo. However with him being made out of finecast material, I figure there might be a risk of a figure deformation.

 

So have any of you immersed a finecast figure into the isopropyl and it emerged afterward unscathed? And would you suspect that it would, if I were to take the above route?

[Jukkiz]

can´t say about  about isopropyl, but GSW has paint stripper that can be used multiple times that works wonders on finecast figures

[Skywrath]

Bump, more opinions requested.

[Brother Christopher]

I think that the safest way to go about is to check how Finecast reacts to the paint stripper - test it by submerging a piece of sprue or an expendable / easily replaceable part of model (like a sword or other accessory).

 

The paint stripper I used (I have no clue what's it based on) softened the resin up after I kept the model for an entire day due to my forgetfulness; later, the material returned to its regular state (I didn't notice any change of properties or loss of details). My bet is that you'll be okay, provided that you don't keep the model in the stripper too long.

 

PS: You could also try DOT-3 break fluid - it works well with plastic and pewter models and, more importantly, does not appear to be as aggressive as alcohol-based solutions.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Brother Cristopher

[Arkhanist]

IPA  can be dangerous generally to use on resin for any significant length of time; and from a quick googling, finecast is no different. A soak of a few hours will leave it very soft and rubbery - longer immersion can make it so soft bits come off in your hand. So uhh, don't do that. 

 

Biostrip 20 is my usual go to, but that also can damage finecast if left to soak.

 

People have used a toothbrush dipped in IPA or other plastic-safe cleaners, then scrub for 10 seconds ish, then rinse the model in water (and repeat over again) to get paint off. It takes more elbow grease, but doesn't run the risk of it soaking into the model and affecting the resin that an extended immersion does. Though the extra mechanical action can damage very fragile surface detail (i.e. snap bits off)

 

Safest option is a specifically resin-safe paint stripper, such as the GSW one - I've no idea what might be available in australia though.

 

Otherwise, you'll need a more gentle cleaner/degreaser (without ammonia or acetone) - I've seen success stories for finecast with simple green concentrate, brown dettol, and an un-named brush paint cleaner. Simple green is supposedly available from Bunnings, and is a good general purpose paint remover; dettol does work, but is a bit messy and leaves your minis smelling of dettol for quite a while... For safety, though such weaker strippers are best left for 24 hours+ with plastic, check on it every hour or two, and take it out and rinse as soon as the paint starts to lift - should be doable in 3-6 hours.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Arkhanist

[Evil Eye]

I'd like to make a recommendation of Mr. Hobby's Mr. Paint Remover, which doesn't even require soaking- just dunk a toothbrush in it and scrub at the mini, and the paint will come straight off. It's so quick I doubt it would have the chance to actually damage the resin, especially as it evapourates very fast. Obviously best to test first, but my experiments with it have been very good.

[Corswain]

Dettol works very well on most resin but I can't say I've used it on finecast. It is less harsh than isopropyl though so I would be leaning that way.

As others have said, try it on a salvageable area or less treasured mini first if you have one.

 

It's tough to give advice - if it was my mini then I would go for dettol but because it's someone else's, you don't wanna take chances.

Not sure that's helpful but I wish you luck.

[H311fi5h]

I've destroyed Finecast models using Isopropyl alcohol, would not recommend. It gets soft and brittle at the same time. I have however used PVC floor cleaner on all sorts of resin models with great success.

[Skywrath]

Thanks lads. Looks like I'll be picking up a third Draigo..

Edited August 4, 2021 by Skywrath