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I've tried a few things on some old eldar metal minis to remove the paint. Most of it is gone but there is still some stubborn paint stuck in recesses.

I've tried boiling them in a pan for about an hour, didn't do much
I've left them in a tub of 99% isoproyl alcohol overnight, got most of the paint off but still got the crap stuck in recesses.
Same thing with nail varnish remover.
Even tried some WD40 cause I had nothing left.

is there anything that will obliterate this remaining paint?

White Spirit.

ratchet565 wrote:I've tried a few things on some old eldar metal minis to remove the paint. Most of it is gone but there is still some stubborn paint stuck in recesses.

I've tried boiling them in a pan for about an hour, didn't do much
I've left them in a tub of 99% isoproyl alcohol overnight, got most of the paint off but still got the crap stuck in recesses.
Same thing with nail varnish remover.
Even tried some WD40 cause I had nothing left.

is there anything that will obliterate this remaining paint?

Have tried the same things you have, have found that biostrip works rather well.
you can get it from www.biostrip.co.uk
It is also plastic safe.
For the stubborn paint in recesses I would recommend using a needle after soaking as that will pry it off.

In North America the best product I have come across at this point is Simple Green. It's more effective than Isopropyl and it's non-toxic. From what I understand this may or may not be available in the UK.

Here's some comments from a thread in another forum I read. They suggest using Dettol. "One word of warning, when scrubbing the paint off, use a stiff bristled tooth brush and use warm soapy water, if you don't the paint and dettol mixture turn into a glue and becomes next to impossible to take off, I learnt that the hard way took me a few hours to clean the model after that. "

Like someone else mentioned - the toothbrush is the key.

I soaked my old models in some cheap nailpolish remover (with acetone), and while the paint was coming off at the touch, it wasn't ALL coming off. All you need to do is molest your minis with a toothbrush.

I do my metals in. neat dettol for 24 hours. when they come out the paint just falls off. if there are any stubborn bits left then white spirit is added as a final dunk.

pete

Fairy Power Spray worked really well for me! Spray, leave it in a jar for a bit, yank it out into some water, rinse and then scrub with a hard-bristled toothbrush (cut the bristles down to half if it's too soft). A needle or small screw bit can help in levering the last bits out if you need it.

I use NirtoMors and a toothbrush. And gloves, definitely wear gloves!

If you were in the states I would say this check out this post for chemicals

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/393930.page

I am unsure of your ability to acquire Superclean, however the info about ultrasonic cleaners should also be helpful.

If its a metal model you can use an actual paint striper. My stripper of choice with metal models is an automotive product called Zip Strip, it will remove all the paint almost instantly. Wear gloves or it will also remove several layers of skin.

Most of these suggestions will work, but I know nothing that gets 100% of everything off, down in cracks and everywhere. It'll be close, but 95% is as good as it's going to get.

I use Purple Super Clean degreaser. It's worked great for me.

ratchet565 wrote:

is there anything that will obliterate this remaining paint?

Headlight fluid. Your better bet is going to be elbow grease. You may have to ask your dentist if they could give you the next batch of tools that they intend on throwing out.