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I'm sure this question must get asked a lot, but how do you strip paint from plastic miniatures without harming the plastic?

I'm working again, and I'd rather not spend my weekend cleaning miniatures. Ideally, I'd like something i could just dunk figures in and leave it to soak while I go off to work.

Pine-sol melths the plastic, this I already know from past attempts.

I've heard of Dettol, but that's British only, and Simple Green here in the US. Can anyone make any recommendations?

Wasn't there a website that showed various methods to strip paint?

--Chris
www,chrisvalera.com

I use LA Totally Awesome, which is available at all of the dollar store chains here in Texas. I'd suggest checking it out. It's reusable as well, so even when it's black from all the paint, you can still strip with it.

So far, it's been safe for plastic, finecast, and metal. It can undo some glue, but that's easy to fix.

interesting, i'll have to look for that as I have some models I'd like to break down and re-build. As far as my stripping experience goes simple green works wonders, it just takes a long soaking and scrubbing. Some colors are more resistant to it (scorched brown and bubonic brown to name a few) but it seems to eat the old metallics for lunch. it will even take off gw primer.

Oh bro-- LA Totally Awesome is the STUFF!!!

It doesnt break down the plastic and tears through just about anything.
Simple Green works too, but it breaks down the plastic and makes it soft after a while.

Do you have access to purple power?

Or dawn power dissolver?

Purple power works very well and doesn't harm plastics or resins.

Iv heard very good things about Dawn as well and that it doesn't harm plastics.

(im fairly sure they don't have LA Awesome up in canadaland)

 FarseerAndyMan wrote:
Simple Green works too, but it breaks down the plastic and makes it soft after a while.

I have never had that problem. And I've had minis soaking in Simple Green for more than 6 months on a couple of occasions now.

It does eventually soften glue bonds, which is handy, but has never hurt the plastic at all. Simple Green is my go-to, although it's getting harder to find the concentrate here in Oz.

Oh, that's another thing guys, I'm in the US,. not Canada. My little flag has been wrong for years.

Is LA 's Totally Awesome better than Simple Green? I know Purple Power contains lye, which can damage things.

--Chris
www.chrisvalera.com

Purple Power,is the best I have ever tried. I recommend using it hot or especially in a sonic cleaner. I have cleaned armorcast, forgeworld, plastic and metal with no bad results. never cleaned finecast with it.

I just use simple green myself. I soak the models in it for 15 minutes and then scrub with a toothbrush - it comes off fairly easily. I have let the models soak for 2 days and it did not damage the models. The only way simple green could soften up the models is if there was also a mix of hot/warm water.

There are literally dozens of posts on this, do a few searches to get more information than could be posted here in any reasonable amount of time.

However, here is an executive summary of some of the most popular solutions;

LA awesome
purple power (or super clean)
simple green
93% alcohol.

You will find many people who say product X is better because they have had better results.

Also, an ultrasonic cleaner helps. but there is no magic bullet - some primers are going to just be stubborn.

So, try one of those, or do some searches.
(if you have sensitive skin, purple power/super clean are mildly irritating to skin, but have never harmed any of my minis).

best of luck.

I use Dettol. They may not have it in you country. It takes it off but make sure to clean it all off other wise it gets all gunky. Don't add water until its dry and you want to wash it off. It smells a bit for a while.

Click on my giant ork banner, it's a step by step of what LA 's totally awesome does. It's the best stuff out there

i just pulled some minis out of simple green .. (plastic and metal) that had been in there for over a week ... got busy with work and forgot about them.

paint came right off with a lite brushing ... plastic felt soft but after i hit the model with water from the faucet that went away .. so i am thinking it was more of a coating then anything else on it.

My current favourite is to use Fairy Power Spray and an old tooth brush, which gets 95% of the paint up easily. - Spray on, wait 30-60minutes and then scrub and rinse.
It leaves behind little bits of staining, and a tiny amount of the primer in the recesses.

At that point I dry them all off, and then go to 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol with a stiff bristled paint brush. Put some IPA in a little pot, drop the mini in and instantly get to work, the whole process takes less than a couple of minutes), then I blow it dry with my airbrush - a blow gun might be better but airbrush is kinda there.
This Brings the mini up spanking clean.
The staining most people believe to be part of what the primer does, isn't, it does come up. quite easily tbh.

I use Denatured alcohol. GW paint and seal drop off after an hour, then i use a toothbrush. It doesnt seem to damage the plastic

Before: (1 layer chaos black spray, 1 layer skull white, then gw paints and purity seal )


After: