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So, yesterday I got a box of various WHFB Orcs and Empire guys. They are all horribly glued together and with horrible paintjobs. I\m currently in the process of bathing the metal minis in acetone. The only problem now is the glue and the paint. I need to know how to remove the glue, which I am not sure whether it is plastic or super. Also, the paint. I know acetone will not work, what will?
I live in Sweden, and I have heard that something called T-Red, will that work? Thanks for the help.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, how would I go about removing the models from their bases?

If they're metal minis, the glue probably isn't plastic glue. If it's super glue, I find that a night in the freezer works pretty well for making the bonds brittle enough to easily break apart.

For plastic, Isopropanol works quite well.

Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK). The main solvent component of what we in the UK call cellulose thinners - the stuff for thinning automobile lacquers.
It will eat pretty much anything organic it comes into contact with, from paint to most glues, plastics (it makes a very effective liquid poly cement) and resins
Put some in a glass jar with a metal lid (a jam / marmalade jar), pop in the models and periodically over a few days use an old (household) paintbrush to agitate it. Fish the models out and scrub with an old toothbrush. They'll be clean.

Be warned - it's nasty stuff - don't work with it in a confined area - outside is best. Avoid breathing the fumes.

For both separating the individual model parts and removing the bases, the best practice will depend entirely on what sort of glue was used.

For CA adhesives (superglue), the 'freezer method' works well. Place a batch of models in the freezer overnight, then set them out to thaw. Repeat as many times as your patience allows. The cycles of freezing and thawing uses differential thermal expansion (both of different parts and of moisture trapped in the glue) to cause tiny fractures which make the bond brittle. If the parts snap right off, you're set. If not, the previous owner likely used plastic glue (or epoxy, but who uses that on little plastic infantry?) and you'll have to slice/saw/clip the components apart. Much more work, in the latter case, but still better than tossing the models out.

As for the bases, they'll come off with the rest if CA glue was used. If not, best to just consider them expendable - replacements are readily available and not particularly expensive. You can slice or saw the model off flush with the surface of the base, if you don't particularly care about a little distortion and/or lost material at the soles. Personally, I want my models pristine, right down to their feet, so I just crudely clip away at the base until I can more carefully trim the last of the material flush with the sides of the foot. Run it across a bit of sandpaper to abrade the extra thickness away until you're left with perfectly flat soles at their original height. Again, it's extra work, but you pay in time what you save in money, when it comes to buying second-hand models.

If the models are plastic and assembled with plastic cement, you're going to have to cut them apart. Plastic cement actually dissolves the plastic of the two parts, bonding them together permanently.

Guys, I've had 3 metal models in acetone for 40 hours now, and there's still paint stuck on them, what to do now?

Toothbrush? The only paint stripping I’ve done is with Simple Green. While it loosened the paint, there was still a reasonable amount of scrubbing that needed to happen.

Not sure how it works with the acetone.

 Matthew wrote:
Guys, I've had 3 metal models in acetone for 40 hours now, and there's still paint stuck on them, what to do now?

I find that with acetone 40 seconds is enough for the paint to start coming off with a scrub.
If 40 hours in acetone hasnt done anything to the paint... I'd be shocked! even 2part urethane automotive paints will not hold upto that. I doubt powdercoats would either.