...your miniatures.
Good day ladies and gentlemen. Have you ever bought those second hand miniatures off Ebay or Bartertown that you got a really good deal on because they’re covered in twelve layers of a ten year old’s attempt at art? Do you have a stockpile of old mini’s that you got when you were first in the hobby and painted them up like a four year old on crack? I’ve noticed while searching many boards that there are a lot of tutorials about painting, green stuffing, converting, dipping, air brushing and the like but I could only find peoples’ opinion posts about stripping paint off miniatures. Well, I saw the need and would like to add my own two cents worth of advice. First, let me start by saying I don’t consider myself an expert or a guru of stripping. (heh) The following is only my opinion and your way of doing things could very well be a better way for you. So now that I’ve added the disclaimer let me get on with it.
Types of Stripping: (again… heh)
I may not mention your favorite stripping agent here so if I overlook it please take no offense.
Pinesol- I’ve tried this method but the fumes are killer and it melts plastic if the mini’s are left in too long. There’s a lot of scrubbing to be done to get all the paint off.
Fantastic- Good for plastic but I’ve never had much luck in it removing paint.
Brake Fluid- I’ve tried this method and the rumor of melted plastic is true. Also, it’s not very ecologically friendly.
Oven Cleaner- Never tried it but if you read the can it says toxic if inhaled. Not really my idea of a good time on a Saturday night.
Gasoline- Okay, never tried it… never will. The possibility for cataclysmic disaster is just too great for me.
Simple Green- I’ve tried this with little success. Won’t damage plastic, is biodegradable (plus), and smells nice. (Weird I know)
Castrol Super Clean- To me the Godsend of strippers. (okay, again… heh) This is the agent I use and have had nothing but luck. So, yeah, you probably guessed it, this is the stuff I’ll be using in this tutorial. I’ve never had a plastic melt down using CSC. In fact, when we moved to our new house I found a tub of plastic minis that I had left to soak and forgot about. No damage… 11 months later. And, it’s biodegradable so you can wash it down your sink. This is a major plus for me.
Supplies:
1 gallon jug of Castrol Super Clean (CSC)- Can be bought in any automotive store or Wal-Mart type store. Comes in a purple jug for about $4.00.
CSC... the quicker taker outer
Biodegradable... YAY!!!!
Sealable container- I use those disposable plastic tubs you put your leftovers in. However, any sealable plastic container will do.
Stiff bristle tooth brush- Key word, stiff. No soft on the teeth delicate momma’s brush here. I use my wife’s. Don’t tell her.
Nitrile rubber gloves- These are a must. The picture below shows the damage that can occur if you don't use the proper safety gear. This is after 4 days of healing. Trust me, the pain is pretty bad. You can get a dozen pairs for $1.28 at Wal-mart. They even come in pretty purple.
May cause burns?...
BS!! WILL cause burns!
OW ow ow ow ow ow ow ow
Exacto knife- Careful, these little buggers are sharp.
Paper towels- Just something to lay your mini’s on to dry. I don’t recommend using a wife’s/girl friend’s shirt for this. Trust me on this one, okay. (see tooth brush above)
Miniatures- Well, duh. Plastic or metal. Makes no difference.
God aweful painted ebay extras
Dish soap- My wife keeps buying different scented soap so use whatever you have on hand. This week it’s strawberry at the Casa
de Kutzmon.
All this and you're ready to go
The Process:
Fill container to a level that will completely submerge the mini’s in the CSC.
Drop in mini’s.
Get down you!
Seal container. There is a bit of an odor from the CSC but I kinda like it. It’s almost an industrial minty smell. Okay, I’m a bit weird on that. I also like diesel exhaust. Anyway, it keeps the smell on the inside of the tub and if you have a wife like mine you’ll put the lid on. (Again, see tooth brush above)
Yep... it's a sealed container
Here’s the hardest part… wait. I usually soak mine overnight. I’ve gotten ahead of myself a couple of times and only let the mini’s soak a couple of hours. Trust me, it’s better to wait. It cuts down on the scrubbing and it will stop you from saying, “So, Kutzmon, where’s the magic of the CSC?” I’ve had to re-soak after being impatient.
Next day. Take your tub o’mini’s, the tooth brush, (Ahhh, right where she always leaves it) the nitrile gloves, the paper towels (or equivalent) and head over to your favorite sink. I use the kitchen sink when the Mrs. isn’t around and she hasn’t suspected a thing. Cleanup is a cinch. Otherwise it’s off to the basement and the utility sink. I hate the laundry room. It’s uncomfortable to work in and there’s always that basket full of laundry I feel guilty about not doing. But I get over it.
Ready to go.
Lay down your paper towel next to the sink. Fill the sink with about 4” of hot water. Don your nitrile gloves. (Please, do this step. Chemical burns suck!)
Open your tub, grab out the first mini- careful, they’re slimy and hard to hold on to- and get to work with the brush.
Out of the Dip.
The paint should just peel off with little effort. Pay close attention to the little recesses.
Brusha brusha brusha
This is where the paint is usually the hardest to scrub off. If your miniatures were assembled with super glue they will fall apart. The CSC doesn’t seem to effect model glue at all. Maybe because model glue welds the plastic? Hmm… have to look into that one. Also, it seems that black primer is a bit of a bear to get off your plastic mini’s. It appears to stain plastic. I’ve never been able to get a plastic miniature completely clean when primed in black.
Rinse off your mini in the hot water and place on the towel.
Lookin' good
Just a note here, I like to place my parts together for each mini. This way you can track what pieces may be lying in the dip or the bottom of the sink.
Icky
I can usually strip around 20 complete miniatures in about 10 minutes. Then I have to take a break and stretch. Bending over the sink is hard on the back.
When all your little treasures are looking spiffy and clean run your hand around the bottom of your sink to make sure you have all your pieces. Nothing sounds so bad as a bolter in the garbage disposal. Drain the water. Wash the sink with a bit of dish soap to remove any CSC. Rinse thoroughly.
Refill the sink with about 6 inches of hot water and a bit of dish soap to give you a nice foamy bath.
Nice and soapy
Drop all your miniatures back in the sink. Agitate the mini’s to give them a thorough wash. You need to get all the CSC off in order for your new paint to stick. Rinse your mini’s to remove the soap.
Rinsed and relaxed
Take your exacto knife and scrape off any super glue remaining. This usually just flicks off when I clean up. The CSC breaks the bond but needs a little help in total removal.
Leave mini’s to dry. Replace wife’s toothbrush in holder.
If you’re cheap like me you can put a coffee filter in the top of the CSC jug and pour your dip back into the supply. You’ll be surprised what’s left in the filter and the bottom of the dip tub. I’ve had the same jug for two years and it’s never lost it’s ability to strip paint. It’s been through 50 high elves, 60 Empire guys, 75
IG, almost 150 marines, and a few vehicles as well.
Well, there you have it. Nice clean mini’s ready for trading, painting, or whatever you would do with nice clean minis.
Oops, missed a spot of green there
The post scrubbing clean up is pretty simple and quick. I just take a warm soapy cloth and clean up the surrounding area of any over spray from the brushing. My wife still doesn’t know about the kitchen sink but she’s starting to dislike the taste of her toothbrush.
Nice and clean... she'll never know
On an end note you’ll notice that the head from the
RT era body is missing from the final picture. Remember when I said to run your hand around the bottom of the sink after rinsing? Yeah, I skipped this step… beaky heads make a hell of a racket when going through the garbage disposal…
-- $k 
-- 9k 
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