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Probably a common thread on this forum but could do with some advice.

Looking at stripping down and redoing some of my Admec stuff in the near future, but wondering what's the best method. I've used Dettol in the past which worked...kinda. The model was left stained, some of the paint was impossible to remove and gave an overall cakey appearence. In addition it wasn't the most economic method. I also used Cellulose Thinners in the past but this had it's own problem; obviously it's a bit risky to use on plastic and while more effective than Dettol it resulted in a rather gunky sludge that could only be removed with Enamel Thinners, and again, I had to use a fair amount of thinner.

I've heard that nail-varnish remover is a good method, but I've heard conflicting reports on which one; acetone or isopropyl? Do I just soak it and if so how long? How do I clean it up afterwards?

I'm probably looking at stripping a couple of Dunecrawlers, Kastelans and at least a dozen Skitarii so I may need a fair bit of it, can this stuff be reused once or twice or is it a one-use deal like thinners? I'm also looking at stripping some areas on my Knights, but only certain areas, can it be dabbed on or applied with a brush or is soaking the only real way?

Thanks

Biostrip 20 is more friendly than Dettol - scrubs off with a toothbrush and water after a couple of hours' soaking, much friendlier on your skin.

Good for styrene and metal minis, but it turns resins rubbery.

I've done about 100 minis this week, and have enough left over from a £10 spray bottle to do several vehicles. You can reuse it, but it does get really messy and full of flakes, making it harder to use well.

Isopropyl alcohol also works, but I work in the kitchen, so Biostrip is my first choice.

Acetone will melt your plastic. DO NOT USE!!!

I’ve had a lot of success with Methylated spirit, but AdMech are more fiddly and delicate than the Astartes lumps i’ve Been stripping.

I use methylated spirits to strip both plastic and metal, very quick and easy to use, just use it outside and were gloves or you'll be talking like a chronic smoker with itchy hands

Medium / hard toothbrush is also a good idea

I've used methylated spirits as well as isopropyl alcohol (and really, if you're using dettol, you may as well just use Isopropanol. Dettol is 90% iso anyway. Plus it won't stink like a koala's buttcrack.)

I've also used dot4 brake fluid. Yes, it pretty much requires gloves (the fluid WILL do a number on your joints with prolonged use, which is why mechanics have stuffed joints - but it's nothing you shouldn't already be using for dettol or meths or iso anyway.

Also eye protection, because you don't want any of this stuff in your eyes, either.

Acetone I leave for cleaning paint of metals. Also superglue from metals.

 Momotaro wrote:
Biostrip 20 is more friendly than Dettol - scrubs off with a toothbrush and water after a couple of hours' soaking, much friendlier on your skin.

Good for styrene and metal minis, but it turns resins rubbery.

I've done about 100 minis this week, and have enough left over from a £10 spray bottle to do several vehicles. You can reuse it, but it does get really messy and full of flakes, making it harder to use well.

Isopropyl alcohol also works, but I work in the kitchen, so Biostrip is my first choice.

I agree, excellent stuff. Biostrip works like a charm and not chemical-ly!

Disclaimer: Always try one model first regardless of stuff you use to check the reaction before tossing your entire army in

I've used the following;

Biostrip 20. I used this when it first appeared(a good few years ago so it might have changed). Pretty mixed results to be honest, lots of sludge to scrape away. Also it made my fingers so smooth that I couldn't pick anything up for about 2 weeks afterwards. Have they improved it?

[b]Dettol. This does work really well, you still get the sludge but as long as you scrub the minis while they are submerged then you will get 99% of the paint off after a few baths. Big disadvantage is the smell, your house will will stink for days plus the fumes are toxic.Takes the skin off your fingers. For days afterwards.

Acetone free nail varnish: The important part of the title is 'Acetone free'. This will not melt plastic, I've done hundreds of minis without problem. It will take paint off down to the spray primer and will leave a 9 o' clock shadow, and as long as it's smooth provides a 'key' for the new primer coat. It does smell but nowhere near as bad as dettol,plus it tends to be scented so you'll smell nice!

Methylated spirit[u]; Relatively new to this and I can say I'm impressed. No sludge, the paint tends to just disappear which is weird. Like dettol, it does smell but does not linger. It is also toxic. Also discovered that it eats the latex gloves I use.
What I will say is this;

1) Always use any of these in well ventilated areas!
2) None of these can guarantee that you will get all the paint off, you will still need to use knives and files to remove the remainder.
3) Because the primer is generally sprayed on, the paint particles are more fine so they are harder to remove. Just because plastic feels smooth does not mean it is,go down to the microscopic level and everything is rough! See my comments about '9 o'clock shadow'.
I'd like to hear from anyone who has used Biostrip 20 from way back and the current product(I used tubs of the stuff,what are the spray bottles like?) is it any better?

Wilkinson's sell acetone-free nail-varnish remover for about a quid. I always used to use that on my plastics. It absolutely has to be acetone-free, though, otherwise it will just melt your minis.

I still wouldn't leave them longer than half an hour or so, and always test on something you don't care about just in case.

If you want, check out Broadsword Wargaming on Facebook - he provides a UK-based media-blasting service for stripping all sorts off of all sorts.

Slipstream wrote:


Biostrip[b] 20. I used this when it first appeared(a good few years ago so it might have changed). Pretty mixed results to be honest, lots of sludge to scrape away. Also it made my fingers so smooth that I couldn't pick anything up for about 2 weeks afterwards. Have they improved it?

My fingertips are still smooth-ish a week later, but my phone still recognises my fingerprints. Takes about an hour after a session for my fingertips to "de-wrinkle" enough for the phone to realise it's me, but that's more water than the Biostrip.

They do the same job but Wilko's all purpose paint and varnish stripper is £3.50 for 500ml, compared to £15 for 500ml of Biostrip 20.

I've used both on metal and on plastic. Top tip: after soaking in the stripper, try to get as much of the paint layer off in a few large pieces. If you scrub it, it breaks up and all the small pieces are harder to remove. Then scrub what's left without using water. All the gunk comes off more easily that way. Once you add water, it seems to go rubbery and needs to go back in the stripper.

So I have good news and bad news.

Bought some acetone-free nail varnish remover from Wilkos. Bad news is that it completely melted the plastic, good news is I tested it on a spare Skitarii beforehand. May the Omnissiah bless his service to his cohort

I couldn't see acetone anywhere on the list of ingredients, are there any other chemicals that could cause it to melt?

Valkyrie, I'm surprised the plastic melted. I get mine from Superdrug, totally acetone free and doesn't melt the plastic. I've left minis in for hours and never seen anything melt,are you sure the Wilkos stuff doesn't have any acetone in it?

Super Clean/Purple Power strips well. Note that chemical stripping agents seem prone to being reformulated often to make them less nasty, so what worked even 3 years ago might not work now.

I've heard Fairy Power Spray (UK) works for some people.

Should have just got the purple spirit for not much more in wilkos

On closer inspection it did contain Ethyl-Acetate, which I guess is probably close enough to Acetone to cause the damage. Tonight I'll try and get either isopropyl or purple spirit and see how that goes.

I use isopropyl alcohol. It doesn't seem to work on some primers(like auto primer), but the stuff GW sells(which seems to be what's on the resold minis I've bought) seems to be acrylic or something, because it comes off in the alcohol. I've considered adding in some media to scrub the minis while I shake them in a jar, but haven't had any on hand.

The main thing with most solvents you'll be recommended (I prefer Simple Green) is that it is dissolving the paint in a mild way by stripping away any oils or binders that are mixed with the pigment, causing it to fall away. Acetone or similar also does this, but much more aggressively, and will also attack plastic and resin. That's obviously bad.
So what you want is a mix between mild cleanser and devil acid. As often as I've tried new things, there really isn't a commercially available middle ground. One end will leave thicker paint on the model, the other will strip detail.

So, science to the rescue. The Simple Green that sits next to the model will become saturated, and at some point won't do the same work. You can mix it around every few hours to help this. Heat will also allow more paint components to be dissolved, but too much will soften and bend models.
In my experience, pitting your soak container on top of the dryer while you do a few loads of laundry is the perfect solution. It shakes the solution, and provides mild heat. It will lessen the amount of paint scrubbing and you dont have to remember to do anything. Let it soak for several hours before you start the laundry for best results.