stripping mini's

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**Ixxley**

ok guys, im sure this has been asked 1001 times, and i have done a bit of searching, how ever every product i find seems to be either "in the uk" "in the USA down the road at walmart" and so on and so forth.. well how about us aussies? any one know what us aussies can freely lay our hands on to get some really crappy pant of some mini's? the majority of my models are plastic, and from what i understand, the nail polish removed isnt really a option... something about the marines resembling a grey ooze after wards XD so what else is there that can be tried?

thanks in advance

The new guy...

**Jordan**

You should be able to pick up Simple Green in Australia, man. A product called "Super Clean" works much better, I think, but that'll damage your skin, so wear latex (rubber, alumalite, nitrile, etc) gloves if you can get a hold of that product.

If you can't find any of those products, you're going to want an automotive cleaner that is also a degreaser, making sure that it's non-corrosive. The best place to look for these products is in the automotive section of your local superstore, or an automotive parts store. Be sure to grab the concentrated versions of whatever you can find, and wear gloves when stripping your minis, just in case.

Lastly, you can get yourself some Testor's ELO: http://www.testors.com/product/137350/F542143/_/ELO_Paint_%26_Decal_Remove_8oz.
This stuff is the bees' knees when it comes to stripping acrylic paint, but it's rather pricey, and I don't know if it's available down under. Just something to keep in mind. Also, it's very damaging to skin, so wear gloves.

D'you know how to strip your models, or are you just getting started?

**Ixxley**

I'm pretty much just getting started, been painting on and off for a bit, but this is the first time I've attempted stripping mini's.

Edit: Fixed poor spelling

**Jordan**

Ah, okay. Here's a guide for stripping the minis. The product "Super Clean" I mentioned is made by Castrol (I have a gallon of the stuff under my sink, why I didn't check beforehand, I'll never know).

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Dakka_Modeling_FAQ:_How_to_Strip... Scroll to the middle-ish of the page for the Super Clean tutorial

Definitely leave your doods in overnight. I try to leave 'em in for 12-24 hours. Toothpicks also help to get the last stubborn little bits of paint off the model that you can't quite get to with a toothbrush. If you used a dark colored primer and it doesn't all come off, don't worry. Primers and darker colored spray paints work themselves into the tiny pores in the plastic and dye it that color. As long as there aren't any chunks of pigment hanging out in the cracks, you'll be alright.

**Trollhammaren**

YES! At last an aussie asked this. (I mean i could have but im too lazy

)

Use paint thinners for metal models. Works a treat.

At the moment ive got a couple of marines and a singular kroot soaking in a jar of something called "oomph". I have been lead to believe its a cheap ALDI knockoff or simple green, at least thats what me old man says it is. He could have been messing with me though, as fathers are want to do. Il let you know how it turns after a couple of days of soaking.

**Ixxley**

Awesome Jordan, thank you very much for your help

its been annoying as hell trying to find the info I need to do the job and not waste a huge amount of money and lose mini's I'm going to be hitting Repco later on (automotive dealer here) so ill see about that degreaser and the other products you mentioned.

and Trollhammaren, I hear what your saying, I've found very little by ways of products that are well known / found over here, aside from generic paint thinners and nail polish remover anyway lol. i just rather spend alot of time researching then watching my plastic mini's turn into a grey ooze for D & D lol

**Jordan**

Absolutely, man, if you have any questions, let me know. I'm in the process of slowly (and, oh God, do I mean slowly) stripping and repainting my Elysians, so I had the same questions. Like I said, try to get a hold of some Simple Green or Super Clean if you can. I know for a fact that those two products work wonders. If you've got metal minis, then Trollhammaren is absolutely right, paint thinner will work very well. Acetone is also a great product to use on metal minis.

**Trollhammaren**

HAHA repco...
R - ripping
E - every
P - poor
C - customer
O - off

**Ixxley**

Yeah, I got alot of metal ones, mostly really old school space marine team leads, tech marine (the main one I need to strip, he has so much paint, theres almost no detail) chaplin's, some really really really old space wolf models ect, but I also have a massive amount of plastic marines that i want to strip really bad paint jobs off, then theres all my gundam and escaflowne models that need some touch up work before I'll even consider putting them on display again lol.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Trollhammaren wrote:HAHA repco...
R - ripping
E - every
P - poor
C - customer
O - off

^^^^ 120% accurate but its a 40 min drive to anything else lol

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ok, so, I hit Bunnings tonight rather then Repco, turns out theres a Bunnings right down the road. AND! They now carry Simple Green! =D So i have that for the plastic mini's and a ltr of Acetone for the metal mini's. ill throw up some before and afters if things look a little wrong lol. Thanks heaps guys =D

**Trollhammaren**

Hey so heres the skinny. Ive had them soaking in "oomph" for about 5 maybe 6 hours-ish and a gave them a quick do-over with a stiff brisled toothbrush. The top layer of paint started to come off after about 2 minutes of scrubbing. I think it will be good after about a full day of being submerged. I also confirmed with my dad and he said he picked it up from Bunnings not ALDI. He doesnt remember the price though.

**alexmann**

I've had success with two simple products

1) Metal Minis: good old fashioned paint stripper. Put it in a glass jar, put in the minis (make sure they're JUST metal, or the plastics will go bye-bye) and leave for 10-15 minutes. Pull out with long-nosed pliers, and wear washing-up gloves. Give them a brush with the ubiquotous toothbrush (good idea to wear eye protection) over a bowl of soapy water. When most is off you can put it in the water and brush it in there (the paint stripper forms a sort of coagulate and comes off easily in water)...you should now have a nice shiny metal mini. You can repeat for stubborn paint marks. Don't pick the minis out with your hands, even with gloves on, as the solvents in paint stripper can usually penetrate the gloves and its not nice stuff to get on you....

2) Plastic minis: Common brake fluid. Brake fluid also works for metal miniatures, but the paint stripper is more aggressive and will clean anything off metal quickly (it'll also dissolve plastics, so don't get them mixed up!). Brake fluid is water soluble, so clean-up is easy too, though it makes a hell of a mess toothbrushing the miniatures with it on - I use a tuppaware container to put the minis and brake fluid in overnight, then a large cardboard box with top and front cut out to shield the surrounding area, and I do it outside (in the shed). Also wear vinyl gloves and old clothes! Some paints can be resistant, but again you can repeat the process. I've recovered a LOT of minis this way (badly painted stuff off ebay!)

Hope this helps

Alex

**Leigen_Zero**

Dettol...

soak in dettol for about 6 hours+ (depending on thickness of paint), scrub with a toothbrush dipped in dettol (note! do not mix dettol with water at ANY stage, causes a horrible sludgy mess that is harder to clean off than paint! so dip the model back in the dettol to add more, rinse your cleaning brush in the dettol etc etc).

only and ONLY when the mini is cleaned to your satisfaction, give everything a good thorough rinse in hot water!

Copy-pasted from an old thread on paint-stripping. And it is definately available in Oz (I wikipedia'd it to check, apparently you guys spray it on cane toads to kill them O_o)

**dirtycrabcakes**

I've tried simple green on minis - sometimes soaking for days, giving them a scrub then soaking for a few more days (repeat a few more times). I'm not convinced that the Simple Green was any better than just soaking the minis in water.

Worked great on metal though.

**terranarc**

From my experience, use simple green. You can buy it from COSTCO or Walmart. Leave the models in there for around one to two weeks and then scrub with brushie.
A huge problem is that the paint in the crevices/details won't come off so just be warned of that before you use simple green.
Source: Soaking terminators into 100% simple green (not diluted) before college. Come back 6 months later, some of the paint comes off like pudding. Others need toothpicks to get the grime out of the details.
In hindsight, I would've preferred to just buy new models it took so much damn effort and time.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT use brake fluid. You can't flush that sh** down the drain and you must dispose of it at a carshop. As if that wasn't bad enough, you need to wear gloves while touching it. Just a PITA as opposed to getting your hand dirty with an everyday ORGANIC (sounds so cool I know! even though it means nothing) household cleaner.

**Ixxley**

@Trollhammaren - cant say I've heard of that one, but i bought some Simple Green and Acetone from Bunnings for just under $20 AUD (the currency is in there for people outside of Australia if they wanna see how much that is in their own respective currency) the metal mini's in the Acetone I let soak over night and I'll attempt to clean them off today. The plastic mini's in the Simple Green, I'll let sit for a week, I figure 2 really old plastic mini's should give me a fague idea if they will come clean or not, other wise, ill try some non-corrosive break fluid. tho I'm wondering if something like Sugar Soap would work sence its also a degreaser?

@Alexmann - Those 2 products are the next 2 on the shopping list if I'm not happy with the results of the Acetone and Simple Green

@Leigen_Zero - I've never heard of us using Dettol for cane toads, I've always used a golf club. much more fun

@Trranarc - The biggest problem Ive had while looking for products to use bud is that I live in Australia. we don't have Costco or Walmart out here, or if we do, not here in Brisbane as far as I'm aware. the Bunnings store (its a little similar to I think you guys call it Lowes? a home improvement / hardware store?) has apparently only had Simple Green for about 6 weeks. or so the guy helping me reckoned atleast lol.

**Blarglord**

I used to use Simple Green but thanks to Dakkaite King Cracker, he has a tutorial on stripping, he has introduced me to a product called LA's Totally Awesome. You can get it at Dollar General at 3 bucks for 64 oz. It's super effective it strips better than simple green, doesn't take as long , and will not harm plastic. I've used alot of it and it is amazing.

Go to the Tutorial page and check it out.

**Trollhammaren**

Ixxley wrote:
@Leigen_Zero - I've never heard of us using Dettol for cane toads, I've always used a golf club. much more fun

QFT. Absoloutly that is by far the most bestest (i know not a word) way to dispatch cane toads. Find one, line him up and take a nice hard swing. I can do a tutorial on the subject if people like? Now before you PETA crazies start blathering on about animal cruetly know this. Cane toads are an extreme pest in Queensland and some parts of New South Wales and most cops with turn a blind eye if they catch you "toading". Some of the more relaxed not so uptight cops will even join in.

Sorry Back on topic now.
After roughly 15 hours of being submerged in "oomph" (a simple green knockoff) the paint is coming off but still needs a truck load of toothbrush scrubbing. I will report back in 33 hours.

**Ixxley**

Cool cool, let me know how it goes, so far the metal minis in the actone..... Wait.... Never mind.... I can't see them.... The acetones black lol so I'm guessing some paints comming off lol as for the simple green ones, they will have been in there for about 22 hours when I get home, so I'll see how they have gone so far, I'm going to hit bunnings on the way home, see what else they have I can try

**Leigen_Zero**

And I quote from Wikipedia

In Australia, Dettol in a spray bottle is used to combat cane toads, as spraying the disinfectant kills the toads quickly.

So there you go, strip a few models with it, then wipe out some cane toads!

**Ixxley**

Okay so! The models in the Acetone are more or less stripped, the foundation paints are taking a bit longer to come clean, but that could also be because they are at the bottom of about 50,000 coats of paint, so I've put them all back in the glass jar after rinsing them all off to get all the gak out, and with a fresh round of Acetone and ill check them in the morning, suffice to say, happy with the results so far. The models in the Simple Green, after 24 hours, with a small rub of my fingers, are coming clean, how ever, just because I'm feeling a little on the lazy side... and because I'm working grave yard for the next two nights, I'm going to just leave them and attack them either over the weekend or Monday.... maybe sooner if I can find the time. Over all how ever, more or less happy with the results... got a couple other cheaper products here that I'm going to try as i get some mini's off Ebay that are going to need to be stripped... I don't know about any one else here, but hot pink marines don't do much for me XD

**Trollhammaren**

Leigen_Zero wrote:And I quote from Wikipedia

In Australia, Dettol in a spray bottle is used to combat cane toads, as spraying the disinfectant kills the toads quickly.

So there you go, strip a few models with it, then wipe out some cane toads!

I never knew that you could use dettol to wipe out cane toads. I confirmed this fact on multiple websites and it seems to be true enough. Cruel and unusual ideas be a brewing in my head.
Dettol filled super soaka?
Nerf gun with Dettol tipped Nerf darts?
DETTOL FILLED HAND GRENADES!!!!!
Golf club coated in Dettol?
Falcon punch?

Anyway back to the stipping

. Just checked the mini's and a little bit rubbed off. Il report in laters.

**Ixxley**

Leigen_Zero wrote:
And I quote from Wikipedia

In Australia, Dettol in a spray bottle is used to combat cane toads, as spraying the disinfectant kills the toads quickly.

So there you go, strip a few models with it, then wipe out some cane toads!

Ill be sure to give this to my house mate when I'm done, she will have a blast lol

**Reaper6**

This - and simply this...

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/516912.page

C'mon, Castrol Super Clean ?

Brake fluid ?

Do any of you morons actually think about these substances toxicity at all ?

**James811**

Soak them in nail varnish remover which does NOT contain acetone, for about 20 minutes, scrub and admire

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Just realised I gave the advice from the video above (which is actually where I learned it from)

works great though

**Slipstream**

I've tried a few different stripping methods and just want to add this snippet; if you want to get nearly all the paint off first time it is important that you scrub the model while it is submerged. If you do it this way you'll get much more of the primer spray off the model. Use a hard bristled toothbrush or paint brush(the synthetics are good for this). Obviously watch for splashes of whatever you use landing in your eyes or the surrounding work space! I have to say that I've had the most success with acetone free nail polish remover, closely followed by something called biostrip 20.
The other thing I've noticed about the acetone free stuff is that it also makes the glue brittle, making it a little easier to get rid of any excess. It also seems to like superglue, turning it into a soft removable putty type substance.

**Ixxley**

Well, ATM I have some dummy minis in simple green, oomph, a degreaser that apparently eats away paint and glue, and just cause I hate bugs.... I have a mini in a jar of kero with a spider that got too close....

**James811**

Let us know how you got on

**Ixxley**

Well before bunning out here changed their idea of simple green, it worked awesome. But now they only have a out door concentrate which I'm hoping is the same thing. And not green :/

**Mecha_buddha**

99% rubbing alcohol ( isopropyl alcohol ) works pretty awesome on metal or plastic. let it soak for about 30 minutes and the paint slides off.

Its cheap and you can pretty much get it in any country.

**Ixxley**

Hmmmmmm, ill have to try that next pay day.