As part of my project to build a Space Marine army for just £150 (link if you are interested:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/338372.page) I resorted to buying second hand models and stripping them. Metal models are relatively easy to deal with, but plastic models and components can provide quite a challenge. I didn't consider it at the time of stripping, hence the lack of photos, but I think my stripping technique might be handy to a few other DakkaDakka members (threads asking how to do this do seem to crop up relatively often) so I thought I'd write up this quick tutorial for everyone!
I'm from the
UK, so the celebrated "Simple Green" product wasn't available to me and I used brown Dettol. I'm not sure if this Dettol product is available in other countries, if it is available in your country let me know and I'll update this post accordingly.
So, what do you need?
1. Some models that need stripping - yucky Ultramarines!
2. Dettol! Dettol do a wide range of products but you need to find the brown coloured antiseptic variety. It comes in a few different sized bottles and should be available at any supermarket. There are many other brown coloured disinfectants, often for a fraction of the price, but I would not bother. I tried a handful of them and they were utterly useless. Stick to the Dettol.
3. Three plastic tubs. These are cheap, easy to get hold of and perhaps most importantly, airtight. Dettol stinks. Label the tubs up One, Two and Three. My local takeaway serves food in these, you could just use old margarine tubs though!
4. A small jar. Grab something out of your recycling box - anything will do.
5. Latex gloves. Dettol is an irritant. Plunging your hands in the stuff for hours on end can really dry your skin out. I rarely used gloves when I was stripping and I survived, but my hands took a few days to recover. If you have sensitive skin gloves are especially important. Normal rubber gloves could also be used but I found it a littler harder to pick up the smaller components than with latex gloves.
6. Washing-Up Liquid. Any brand will do, just buy whatever is cheapest.
7. Old newspapers. In all honesty the best place to actually strip your miniatures is outside. If you are in the house, cover your area with a few sheets of old newspaper. This can get messy. Don't do this in your Mum's spotless kitchen sink!
8. Your weapon - an old toothbrush. Stiff bristled is preferable.
Now you've collected all your wargear, it's time to get stripping!
PHASE 1:
A) Place the miniatures in Plastic Tub #1.
B) The Dettol needs to be diluted with water. Now this isn't an exact science but I used approximately 2 parts water to 1 part Dettol. A weaker ratio would save you some money, but this process would perhaps take a little longer.
C) Pour your diluted Dettol into Plastic Tub #1, ensuring you submerge all the miniatures. If you need a bit more, add a splash more Dettol and bit more water.
D) Place the lid on the tub and leave for 72 hours.
E) Every few hours, or whenever you are passing, give the tub a quick shake to agitate the contents.
PHASE 2 (72 Hours Later):
A) Fill up your small jar with hot water and a big squirt of washing up liquid.
B) Dilute some more Dettol with water (same ratio as before) and pour into Plastic Tub #2. Don't fill it all the way to the top, you can always top it up later if necessary.
C) Lay down your old newspaper and put your gloves on.
D) Crack open Plastic Tub #1.
E) Use your toothbrush to scrub the soaked miniature. You'll find that the paint almost slides off. If possible, hold the models underneath the surface of the and scrub away. You're aiming to remove about 90% of the paint. With the majority of the paint removed, drop the miniature into the freshly prepared Dettol mix in Plastic Tub #2. It is absolutely imperative that you do not let pure water touch the miniatures at this stage - running them under the tap will cause the paint to form a huge sticky mess which is almost impossible to remove. I learnt this the hard way.
F) When all of the miniatures have been scrubbed and transferred to Plastic Tub #2 you need to clean up. Plastic Tub #1 will still have Dettol mix in it, put it will be full of old paint residue and you need to dispose of this appropriately (e.g. not in your Mum's sink!). It's probably easier to just dispose of the entire tub itself. Chuck the toothbrush into your small jar to soak and dispose of your gloves and newspaper.
G) Seal Plastic Tub #2 and leave for another 72 hours, giving it the occasional shake again.
PHASE 3 (72 Hours Later):
A) Hopefully by now you've managed to salvage your toothbrush, your jar is ready again, gloves on, newspaper down.
B) Grab Plastic Tub #3 and fill it up with lukewarm water and a huge squirt of washing up liquid.
C) Crack open Plastic Tub #2.
D) Do exactly as before. This time you'll have far less paint to remove, and your Dettol mix will be far cleaner making this much easier. With any luck, you should be able to remove 99% of the paint. When you've done the best job you can, drop the miniature into Plastic Tub #3.
E) With all the miniatures transferred to Plastic Tub #3 it's time to clean up again.
F) Seal Plastic Tub #3 and leave for 24 hours.
PHASE 4 (24 Hours Later):
A) Rinse the models thoroughly with cold water. Paint and glue will have trouble sticking to these models if you leave the soapy residue of the washing up liquid on them
B) Get to work with a hobby knife removing any remaining traces of paint or glue (which hopefully should be very minimal!)
...and you're done!
*As a bonus tip: Keep some wet wipes to hand. I'm not quite sure how, but these things can clean up sticky paint mess remarkably well. I was clumsy enough to get myself and the majority of my flat covered every time I did this so they were remarkably handy.*
So there you have it - Phase 2 gets the worst of the paint off and Phase 3 finishes them off.
I hope this is of some use to somebody. I'll happily answer any questions anyone has as well!
Cheers.
the 1000pt beginnings
1000pts of guard
1000pts of SM (undecided) 