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Hello all, I have a question about stripping paint off of minatures. I have cleaned up metal and plastic miniatures in the past using spray thinner for metal models and brake fluid for the plastics. However, that was 5 years ago and wondered if anyone has found better ways to clean up the models. Also, I have quite a few older models and am concerned about breaking the small bar that the arms attach to on the older models, especially the Terminators. Anyone know a good way to weaken the bond between superglue and metal?

Thanks for your patience and attention.

Cpt. Rex



P.S. 16 hours to go to buy 5th edition, gonna be a long day.

I use simple green to srip everything.

Leave for 5 days, electric toothbrush im (lazy) and voila

As for doing glue, soak in nail polish remover for a bit and it goes 'gloopy'. Acetone free I think with anything plastic... Not 100% on this though as I have only done metal in the past

If you can find Castrol Super Clean - It is as good as brake fluid, and is biodegradable. Works wonderfully on plastic and metal. Tends to disolve superglue bonds. Comes in a big purple container. I buy it from walmart. Highly recommended.

I've used the CSC or "Purple Power" recently and it's worked pretty good, but did cause some damage to the plastics I was soaking. I don't know if this was a reaction to the primer the previous owner had used or if the damage was there to begin with and obscured under several layers of paint...

Brake fluid has worked great for me on any figure, plastic or metal, when acrylic paint has been used. I tried the CSC because I was confronted with enamel paint that resisted the brake fluid and it worked, but like I said before, watch out for possible damage. Do a test mini!

Gavin Thorne wrote:I've used the CSC or "Purple Power" recently and it's worked pretty good, but did cause some damage to the plastics I was soaking. I don't know if this was a reaction to the primer the previous owner had used or if the damage was there to begin with and obscured under several layers of paint...

I second purple power. i think Gav's issue may have been existing as i have left plastic minis in it for weeks, yes weeks with no damage.

that or im just lucky

That's kind of what I figured too, usernames, but I threw it out there for "caveat emptor". I should have followed my own advice when I got the figures... :(

I use Lacquer Thinner on metal models with the bases removed. You just put the thinner in a hard plastic cup and let the model sit completely under for about 15-20 minutes. Then use tweezers to hold the model and get an old brush (I use the little brushes from my fathers Just For Men hair color box, of course after hes used them lol) and brush the paint right off, dipping the brush every once in a while to help get pesky paint off in certain spots. Make sure you keep a nice distance from anything that would be damaged by the thinner. As far as plastics, I have no method besides just respraying them or using them as dead bodies in terrain.

I would recomend using the metal demonets and some greenstuff to make it look like they are taking of there cloths =P...jk

I let my metal models sit for a day in windex it works great. as for plastic I have not found anything so if the paint is to caped on I put the model in my bits and go from there.

try phoenix precision PS18 SuperStrip - cleans metal & plastic, even cutting through several layers of gloss varnish in about 20 minutes. is also re-usable. does dissolve green stuff.

Use Simple Green.

The stuff is not toxic, and you don't need gloves. Not much of a smell to it either.

By far the best stuff.

Note to all, do NOT use engine cleaner for plastic. I got 10 Orks eaten by that stuff, I fould brush cleaner solution the way to go for metals though.

Blackmoor wrote:Use Simple Green.

The stuff is not toxic, and you don't need gloves. Not much of a smell to it either.

By far the best stuff.

Does it matter what "flavour" as Ive only seen it in Yellow and Orange?

I can second simple green.

Blackmoor wrote:Use Simple Green.

The stuff is not toxic, and you don't need gloves. Not much of a smell to it either.

By far the best stuff.

SuperClean is better than SG.

It strips better.
It lasts longer before becoming ineffective.
It has virually no odor (SG has a fairly strong smell that embeds itself in plastic).

Its only downside is that it is slightly harsher on skin than SG. No biggie if you're only stripping a few models, but you may want to use gloves if you are stripping a bunch. I have a full bottle of SG that I haven't touched since trying SC.

I've used Pinesol to strip metal models. It works pretty well, but it has a strong smell. I let the figures soak in water for a few days after stripping them to get rid of any trace of the odor.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Dakka_Modeling_FAQ:_How_to_Strip...

Thanks Manfred..that was a great article. I will go out tomorrow and get some purple stuff from Wallie World. I got about 30 to 40 old school termies and marines/chaos to strip. I have them in the swap shop and maybe throwing some towards E-Bay soon. Got to raise some funds for all the goodness this fall.

Thanks a ton everyone for your advice.

Cpt. Rex

One last bit of info to ressurect this dead horse so we can beat it a bit more

I used a Sharp steam cleaner on a bunch of eldar plastics today with excellent results. The figures had been soaked in purple stuff overnight, then clipped to a handle and thoroughly steamed. It's kind of like a pressure washer, but shoots steam instead of water. I'll post pics asap!

I prefer Simple Green. The non-toxicity and lack of offending odor are a big plus.

Sure, all that stuff is great...

For paint.

But here's a quick question. What's the most effective way to remove primer?

I've used simple green and Castrol Super Clean recently, and CSC won hands down. Took off all sorts of primers I used when I started to paint. Simple Green just didn't take off the same amount of paint or work as quick.

Just my experience, yours may differ.

Bah, my personal experience is that everything that is recommended for removing paint just makes most of the primer come off, and leaves some big fat chunks that just won't scrape off. And that's the best I can ever get.

Maybe it's the primer I use?

I use Warm Methelated Spirits, then warm water and a Toothbrush. Works perfectly for me every time.

Well, as I stated above, the steam cleaner worked wonders. Runs about $75 and is good for cleaning everything. Run the idea by She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, pitch it as an all-purpose cleaner for the curtains, rugs, couches, floors, etc. and then cackle gleefully when it arrives, toting it back to the hobby room!

Totally works on primer. That was the selling point for me since my guardians are caked in the stuff. I was using a dremel with plastic brush attachment and a dab of purple power, which was working but took forever. The steam cleaner got it off in less than five minutes.

WingWong wrote:I use simple green to srip everything.

Leave for 5 days, electric toothbrush im (lazy) and voila

As for doing glue, soak in nail polish remover for a bit and it goes 'gloopy'. Acetone free I think with anything plastic... Not 100% on this though as I have only done metal in the past

Yup, Simple Green is awesome. You don't even need to wear gloves.

Also, make sure you get the pure acetone nail polish remover, not the other type they sell nowadays.

i use Nitromors All Purpose Paint and Varnish Remover. not for plastic thou. leave over night no paint, green stuff glue left to be done outside as very smelly i pour hot water on it when its done it boils off leaving clean mins and gunk that hardens into nid nastyness :-)

Scragglefoot

I 2nd Nitro Mors, extreme corrosive stuff but strips metal down bare (as its meant to - its often used as a car body paint stripper).

a light brushing with an old toothbrush after a few hours is all thats needed. If is particularly clogged with paint/glue/putty you can leave overnight.

note: NEVER use it on plastic - it will melt to nothing, also be careful with your hands. Be aware when you wash it off it reacts with water (the previous posters "boiling" affect and gives off a nasty gas.

Where is the Nitro Mors available from?

I have lots of metal stuff that needs totally stripping.

Sorry for the Necro but I didn't want to make a new thread for an easily searched topic!

I've been using Goof-Off, the spray bottle that says it's safe on plastics. Make sure it's the bottle that says safe on plastics! Haven't tried the other stuff so I don't know what it would do.

I've let the plastic mini's soak in a cup of the stuff for about 10 minutes and just scrub them pretty good with a toothbrush, paint comes off pretty easy with no damage to the mini's whatsoever. No odor either. If I put too much paint on the model I let them soak longer or resoak them just to make sure I get all the paint off

It's worked great for me, so the Goof-off SAFE ON PLASTICS is another option for you and it works pretty quickly.

Castrol no longer make super clean where I'm at but it's still the same bottle just missing the castrol part. I have had many models stripped in the stuff. I've tried simple green but not as good. SC will burn you iff you get it on and don't wash hands soon after but that just means it works faster. It takes everything off, even primer. Some pores might have some trace amounts of primer left in them but I just throw them in the ultra sonic cleaner using regular tap water to get them "like new". I have used all kinds of solvents but SC is the easiest to clean up. No gunk buildup on my gloves or toothbrush.