Stripping products - UK Edition

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Argive**

Hi Guys

Can anyone share some links to amazon/ebay or directions to BQ/Homebase as to what I can use to strip some models?

I'm looking to strip a metal bonesinger. I heard dettol is good but the only dettol I know comes in spray.
Do I pour it out of a spray bottle into a pot/Tupperware and let cook? Is there dettol you can buy in a big bottle?

Never stripped anything and I'm very protective of my bonesinger...

So any advice relevant to the UK is appreciated .

**ingtaer**

Dettol from Tesco in liquid form;
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255280109

**Jadenim**

Dettol works ok, but can leave a bit os sticky residue (and a pine fresh scent!)

I switched to 99.9% isopropyl alcohol (which is the active ingredient in Dettol) a few years ago and it works faster and requires less clean up.

There’s a whole bunch of suppliers on Amazon, goes for around £5 per 500ml.

Just make sure to put it in a well-ventilated space when you soak your models, don’t leave it too long, as the IPA will evaporate (and you’ll have to start again; overnight is fine) and use gloves when you clean off your models.

**StormX**

I highly recommend isopropyl alcohol, its not drinkable by the way, so dont drink it because you could die. Also doesn't leave much of a smell, unlike alot of those other strippers.

**queen_annes_revenge**

You can buy dettol bottles for a fiver or so. put it in a receptacle and give your chosen miniature a bath for at least a few hours. you can leave in overnight if you want. You will end up with a sticky substance as the paint melts, but this is easily removed.

Take the mini out, and dip an old toothbrush in nail polish remover. use this to clear off the gunk (ensuring youre working into a sink or old washing up tub as the residue that will flick off is hard to remove)

You can use a scalpel or toothpick to get any small bits from deeper recesses.

Being that your mini is metal, you will have no issues at all with this method, and it uses the easiest materials to acquire (I can do it with a 5 minute walk to the village spar shop)

**PossumCraft**

If it's metal models, get acetone. Comes in big bottles for not much ££ and it makes paint go bye bye.

Don't use it on plastic, and be very cautious with resin, though.

Once it's been soaked, an old toothbrush gets all the paint off.

**Overread**

ingter linked the stuff! Dettol antiseptic!

Just get an old jam jar, put the model in, pour in the dettol and put the lid on and leave it. You can leave it in there as long as you like and it won't come to any harm (I just the other day cleaned up some old metal models that had been sitting in a jar for several years).

I forget the advised time length, but longer the better and at least a day or more I would think.

When it comes to cleaning up get yourself a plastic tray (I've used one of those roller painting trays, but anything really works); an old toothbrush and some rubber gloves*. An apron or clothing you don't care about is also advised (prevents any splashes or flecks getting onto your clothing).

Take the model out wearing the gloves and dip the brush in clean new Dettol. Then start scrubbing. You have to scrub the actual paint off and use new Dettol to clean it. If you use water at this stage the paint will turn to sludge on the model and it will take a lot longer to wash off with more Dettol.

Keep scrubbing and dipping the brush in fresh Dettol until you've got the paint off and can see all the clear metal. I then dip the model in to warm water and continue scrubbing until its fully clean of Dettol. It should now be nice and perfectly clean, though you might get some residue in the corners of detail, sometimes another dip and soak in fresh Dettol for more time works, other times you can pick at the remains with a wooden tooth pick and they will dislodge. Though often these little corner flecks are few and far between and you can paint over them.

Note some advise giving the models a second wash with a fresh worn toothbrush (ergo has no dettol on it) to fully remove any of the chemical prior to spraying primer on the model.

*try to use thick ones, in my experience those thin surgical/medical/lab gloves work well until you start dealing with anything that has any kind of spike on it. Because the spikes will penetrate those kind of gloves quite easily and you still end up with one hand smelling of Dettol for days after.

**Tyranid Horde**

Had a few rescue models from eBay in a bowl of dettol for at least two weeks before it started breaking down the paint but it does work!

You can even reuse the stuff if you don't mind filtering the dettol after.

**WaveyRaven**

If it's plastic, you need Biostrip 20 or the same thing but cheaper from Wilko. Here's a demonstration.

If it's metal, you can use cellulose thinners which seems to be the most effective.

On top of these, I've tried acetone and alcohol, they both work ok, but you have to make sure you get the expensive 99% alcohol. I don't like dettol because of the smell and the mess it makes. Also, some of the models I've stripped have a mixture of enamels and acrylic and 2-part epoxy from 30 years ago - in that case you sort of have to go heavy-duty.

**Rybrook**

Methylated spirits is also good for metal and acetone nail polish remover, possibly nitromors if you happen to be in b&q

Use a glass dish or jar and scrub with a toothbrush

**Argive**

Thank you for the suggestions. I knew I can count on dakkadakkians for some solid intel <3

Will pick up some dettol at the weekend and give it a whirl. I will drop him in a jar overnight in the garden shed.

P.S. @Stormatious hahah... Yeah im not dumb 18 and a looking for a point to prove so dont worrry wasnt interested in touching it....Why I be looking to drink it if clear water lager is a thing??

Im too often treated to my unlces wn booze he makes... I could probbaly strip paint with that lol bleugh...

**JohnnyHell**

Biostrip 20 from Amazon. Non toxic, non smelly, works without damaging anything.

**winnertakesall**

I'd really recommend avoiding dettol. You have to rinse it with more dettol otherwise it goes sticky. I've used both, and alcohol is much, much better.

Just don't order loads at once otherwise you'll get raided by Special Branch and MI5

**Bellerophon**

Yeah, I wouldn't go for dettol either. One of the smellier messier methods you could use.

I've stripped quite a few metal models using acetone. Don't use it for plastic or resin - it'll ruin them - but that potency just makes it more effective for getting the paint off metal.

I've also heard good things about 99% isopropanol, and Biostrip 20 though I haven't tried either. They're also non-smelly, non-messy options that I would try first if I was going to try stripping plastic.

**queen_annes_revenge**

You don't have to rinse it with more dettol. I did explain that earlier in the thread.

**Tikay Fortooun**

I’ve had great results with acetone based nail polish rever, on metal only!
I’ve used Meths for plastic and it’s wirking well on what looks like a mix of both enamel and acrylic paints.

**Argive**

I'm going full cheapo. £5 for a thing of dettol sounds reasonable.

Half a litre of Bio 20 is like £14.... I'm not planning on stripping anything else apart from this one miniature. .

**Rybrook**

Nail polish remover is £1, and works faster

Make sure you have gloves to keep your hands pretty when you start agitating with a brush

**JohnnyHell**

Argive wrote:
I'm going full cheapo. £5 for a thing of dettol sounds reasonable.

Half a litre of Bio 20 is like £14.... I'm not planning on stripping anything else apart from this one miniature. .

Good luck... Dettol stripping isn’t a good method tbh. Lots of other suggestions in this and other threads.

**Argive**

Well I went with dettol in the end... It was like £3 for 750ml at Asda and I was shopping anyway this morning.

Ive put him on cook. Time will tell!

**queen_annes_revenge**

dont listen to the dettol haters. every miniature I've ever stripped has been using dettol and NVR, and at least 2 of those went on to win GD finalist pins. Yeah its a bit smelly and a bit messy, but so what? Personally I like the smell as it reminds me of tattoo shops. just dont do it in an enclose space, or keep the lid on.

**Joachim Winter**

ACETONE FOR METAL

METHYLATED SPIRITS FOR PLASTIC

that is all

**Bellerophon**

queen_annes_revenge wrote:
dont listen to the dettol haters. every miniature I've ever stripped has been using dettol and NVR, and at least 2 of those went on to win GD finalist pins. Yeah its a bit smelly and a bit messy, but so what? Personally I like the smell as it reminds me of tattoo shops. just dont do it in an enclose space, or keep the lid on.

All we're saying is, why use a smelly, messy, inefficient method when there are better methods available? You talk about dipping a toothbrush in nail varnish remover. Assuming you mean the traditional stuff - acetone - why not just use that as your main stripping agent if it's a metal model? It's a better paint stripper than dettol! The acetone free stuff probably is too.

How good the eventual re-painted model was is irrelevant because we weren't arguing that it doesn't work, just that you're making life difficult for yourself.

**StormX**

All i know is when i first stripped, i used some thing with a smell, and it remained on that model after the cleaning process in a strong way that was really annoying and made me change the method to isopropyl,

**Argive**

How long do you leave it to cook in dettol ?

**Tyranid Horde**

Depends on the paint but a day to a week or you can just leave it there, it won't melt.

**StormX**

Im guessing around 5 or 6 hours like Queen said. Probably if you leave it in for a whole day or 2 wouldn't hurt and maybe make it easier.

**Kroem**

One thing I've found to really help getting the gunk off after dettol soaking is putting fairy liquid on the toothbrush, the paint just seems to fly off!

Be careful how much water you use, as that seems to make the gunk get really sticky.

**Argive**

cool. Ive put it in before going sleep after work but Ill leave it on overnight.

**Kroem**

How did it turn out in the end?