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I painted Roboute Guilliman with Ultramarine Blue and don't like it, too much purple. Even though I've spent hours painting all the detail but my OCD can't let it go. What's the best paint remover you've used?

Thanks.

The only remover I've ever used for plastic is Simple Green. It's mostly effective.

I just dunked Roboute in 99.9% IPA last week. Left overnight then given 3x 8 minute runs in a sonic cleaner. Gentle scrub with toothbrush to get most of the paint off.

Only issues that I had were the Iron Halo and one of the torches snapping off while in the sonic cleaner - was a bit crowded with a few of his sons in there too. Also the toothbrush couldn't get into all the nooks and crannies what with all the sticky-out stuff on the model, so there was still some paint in the deep recesses. I don't think this will show once re-painted though.

Would be interested to hear if anyone has solved the deep recess issue on other models.

Biostrip 20 is the best thing I ever used, will get pretty much all the paint off in 20-30 mins.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Assuming you used acrylic paints

Paint Blitzer from Untothebreachhobbies. Safe of 99.9% of everything I have used it on (only thing it turned to goo was some WMH bases oddly).

However, it is currently in the process of being relaunched and might also be a tad difficult to get shipped over to the US as postage could be prohibitively expensive.

Simple Green used to be my go-to for paint stripping on models, but they must have changed something in their formula several years ago because it doesn't work as well as it used to.
Now I use LA's Totally Awesome. It works like SG used to work, but you should wear gloves with it because it's not nontoxic like SG is.

I've found both 99% IPA and biostrip 20 effective. Chuck em in a sealed container with it, leave for a few minutes and scrub with a toothbrush. Rinse, repeat if needed.

Really thick paint can take 3 rounds, but you can usually get em near new in 2 for metals and plastics, or give em an overnight soak so you need less scrubbing.

Resin is more risky. 3d printed resin can take IPA in short doses fine, but I've had biostrip 20 soften it a bit so it broke more easily. Forgeworld resin will soften if left for any extended period, though you can get away with it if you apply a little and scrub immediately rather than soak.

Also, wear gloves - these are cleaning products! And if doing for an extended period, good ventilation and/or a filter mask is a good idea. Hours spent in an enclosed space with IPA vapour is not good for your health. I've also had biostrip make bare skin feel itchy.

The IPA bath can be recycled with a coffee filter to strain out any loose paint chips, and just put back in the bottle for next time.

 Reavsie wrote:
I just dunked Roboute in 99.9% IPA last week. Left overnight then given 3x 8 minute runs in a sonic cleaner. Gentle scrub with toothbrush to get most of the paint off.

Only issues that I had were the Iron Halo and one of the torches snapping off while in the sonic cleaner - was a bit crowded with a few of his sons in there too. Also the toothbrush couldn't get into all the nooks and crannies what with all the sticky-out stuff on the model, so there was still some paint in the deep recesses. I don't think this will show once re-painted though.

Would be interested to hear if anyone has solved the deep recess issue on other models.

Pipe brushes, used to be called pipe cleaners - not the colourful fuzzy tube things kids use for crafts, but the solid wire with stiff(ish) nylon bristles ones. They'll get in any really tight, complex crevices that the toothbrush can't. Note, ones intended for the kitchen can be huge, so check length before ordering online! The ones often sold for airbrushes are a good size. Ironically, I've seen it recommended not to use these on airbrushes because the tip of the metal wire can scratch inside the airbrush - use softer 100% nylon ones or interdental brushes for that.

I've not found my sonic cleaner added much to the process, but my sonic cleaner is admittedly underpowered. An electric toothbrush with a sacrificial head on the other hand saves effort!

Etching primer, i.e. rattlecan stuff that physically bonds to the plastic can be harder to get off than standard acrylics, but it's usually not necessary to get that all off.

 Reavsie wrote:
I just dunked Roboute in 99.9% IPA last week. Left overnight then given 3x 8 minute runs in a sonic cleaner. Gentle scrub with toothbrush to get most of the paint off.

Only issues that I had were the Iron Halo and one of the torches snapping off while in the sonic cleaner - was a bit crowded with a few of his sons in there too. Also the toothbrush couldn't get into all the nooks and crannies what with all the sticky-out stuff on the model, so there was still some paint in the deep recesses. I don't think this will show once re-painted though.

Would be interested to hear if anyone has solved the deep recess issue on other models.

Toothpicks, either wooden or plastic. They're not hard enough to scratch most plastics or resins.

If you have really, really steady hands, a new x-acto blade can also work, but one slip and...

 arkhanist wrote:
I've found both 99% IPA and biostrip 20 effective. Chuck em in a sealed container with it, leave for a few minutes and scrub with a toothbrush. Rinse, repeat if needed.

Really thick paint can take 3 rounds, but you can usually get em near new in 2 for metals and plastics, or give em an overnight soak so you need less scrubbing.

Resin is more risky. 3d printed resin can take IPA in short doses fine, but I've had biostrip 20 soften it a bit so it broke more easily. Forgeworld resin will soften if left for any extended period, though you can get away with it if you apply a little and scrub immediately rather than soak.

Also, wear gloves - these are cleaning products! And if doing for an extended period, good ventilation and/or a filter mask is a good idea. Hours spent in an enclosed space with IPA vapour is not good for your health. I've also had biostrip make bare skin feel itchy.

The IPA bath can be recycled with a coffee filter to strain out any loose paint chips, and just put back in the bottle for next time.

 Reavsie wrote:
I just dunked Roboute in 99.9% IPA last week. Left overnight then given 3x 8 minute runs in a sonic cleaner. Gentle scrub with toothbrush to get most of the paint off.

Only issues that I had were the Iron Halo and one of the torches snapping off while in the sonic cleaner - was a bit crowded with a few of his sons in there too. Also the toothbrush couldn't get into all the nooks and crannies what with all the sticky-out stuff on the model, so there was still some paint in the deep recesses. I don't think this will show once re-painted though.

Would be interested to hear if anyone has solved the deep recess issue on other models.

Pipe brushes, used to be called pipe cleaners - not the colourful fuzzy tube things kids use for crafts, but the solid wire with stiff(ish) nylon bristles ones. They'll get in any really tight, complex crevices that the toothbrush can't. Note, ones intended for the kitchen can be huge, so check length before ordering online! The ones often sold for airbrushes are a good size. Ironically, I've seen it recommended not to use these on airbrushes because the tip of the metal wire can scratch inside the airbrush - use softer 100% nylon ones or interdental brushes for that.

I've not found my sonic cleaner added much to the process, but my sonic cleaner is admittedly underpowered. An electric toothbrush with a sacrificial head on the other hand saves effort!

Etching primer, i.e. rattlecan stuff that physically bonds to the plastic can be harder to get off than standard acrylics, but it's usually not necessary to get that all off.

Thanks for the pipe brushes tip, I actually have a set of the airbrush ones so will use those next time.

As for the sonic cleaner, mine is just a bog standard cheap one. After leaving overnight to soak, the IPA was still clear. After running a cleaning cycle, the IPA was cloudy enough to hardly be able to see the mini's. Most likely it was the overnight soak doing most of the work, and the sonic cycle probably just vibrated (sonic'd?) the now softened paint right off the mini. Maybe saved me a little light scrubbing.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Vulcan wrote:

 Reavsie wrote:
I just dunked Roboute in 99.9% IPA last week. Left overnight then given 3x 8 minute runs in a sonic cleaner. Gentle scrub with toothbrush to get most of the paint off.

Only issues that I had were the Iron Halo and one of the torches snapping off while in the sonic cleaner - was a bit crowded with a few of his sons in there too. Also the toothbrush couldn't get into all the nooks and crannies what with all the sticky-out stuff on the model, so there was still some paint in the deep recesses. I don't think this will show once re-painted though.

Would be interested to hear if anyone has solved the deep recess issue on other models.

Toothpicks, either wooden or plastic. They're not hard enough to scratch most plastics or resins.

If you have really, really steady hands, a new x-acto blade can also work, but one slip and...

Didn't spot this before I posted. Toothpicks are another good tip, I'm sure we have some in the kitchen somewhere.

I struggle enough getting paint in the right place so I think I'll leave the blade work to the youngsters with steadier hands and better eyes...

The "best" will depend on the type of paint used, and the nature of the model (metal, plastic or resin).

Acrylic paints can be stripped off polystyrene with little more than isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush.

Simple Green is absolute garbage, stop using it people. Purple Power/Super Clean is vastly superior in doing a better job of stripping paint and primer in less time.

That reminds me, I did see a head to head comparison video a while back of various cheap US cleaners. And here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqBjt1wKZfc

tldr; LA's totally awesome and super clean are best.

Note, he did use 91% IPA for the test, which is definitely less effective than 99% or stronger. Being in the UK, the others aren't easily available to me, and I have 99.9% IPA for my 3d printer and airbrush anyway and it works for me!

Did this guy last night, quick dip in the IPA and a scrub with the electric toothbrush, took me 10 minutes. Yes, he'd probably benefit from a 2nd round, but it's good enough for me.

3 stage soak and scrub: soak in 'Purple power' or similar for week+, keep small parts in holed bags so they don't get lost, 'simply green' has diluted their formula so it's less effective.
2nd soak in isopropyl alcohol 91% for 30 minutes+ and scrub/rinse, careful with resin as they get rubbery(thin parts, may be a +) or crack(thick parts) if soak too long.
3rd soak in 'turpenoid natural' in metal container, non metal parts may soften if soak too long, but it does a good job cleaning off really bad/cheap primer on salvage lots.
wear disposable gloves and use an electric toothbrush to save energy and effort.

 Deathklaat wrote:
Simple Green is absolute garbage, stop using it people. Purple Power/Super Clean is vastly superior in doing a better job of stripping paint and primer in less time.

Simple Green was the gold standard until it got refomulated a couple years back. Now, yes, it's suboptimal and there are better options. But if it's all you have, it'll still work. It just requires longer soaks and more scrubbing.