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This is a little trick most electronic technicians may know, Flux Remover Spray will strip paint instantly. It is used to clean PCB boards. I knew about this for awhile but finally tried it on a mini. Just spray and wipe and all of the paint is gone. It really is basically that simple. There was no damage in my test to the models detail. It should be safe on plastics since some electronics components have plastic housings. My test was on standard GW plastic.

Is it crazy toxic, etc? That's always a consideration - but any new options are good options if they're not borderline deadly.

 Elbows wrote:
Is it crazy toxic, etc? That's always a consideration - but any new options are good options if they're not borderline deadly.

I would say it is on par with any other chemicals people would use in terms of toxicity. i wouldn't go drinking it but getting it on your skin will not cause any harm.

Pictures yo.

sounds interesting.

anything specific?

 Desubot wrote:
Pictures yo.

sounds interesting.

anything specific?

I used 3m flux remover tech spray. I will try taking some pictures or making a video at work later today if I have the time.

The MSDS shows its full of iso alcohol which i know strips paint defnitly not a lot of it (1%) so its probably not that or a combo of it.

interesting to know what all those "ethers" would do to it



Neat infographic

Well flux binds two materials together so those ethers break down the bonds. Like I said it is literally spray and wipe off the paint.

Interesting. Don't have access to it any more (used to be a bench tech - long time ago) - and a bit pricey for a test ($18-25 a can).

have to see if I can borrow some from any friends.

A couple of points here. I turns out I did not use 3m spray, it was actually GC Electronics Flux Remover and Cleaner. I tried a second brand also today, G3 Techspray Flux Remover. This product seemed alot stronger and I wouldn't recommend it. I tested it without damage but it was just starting to get soft. If I didnt clean it quickly It would of damaged the mini detailing. I think safe route would be gc electronics Flux remover sprayed on a towel and wiping the paint off.

So be careful and test it out first but this could be something useful.

Interesting. If you could do a video and post it, that would be really helpful especially given the price.

Claas wrote:
My test was on standard GW plastic.

Any info on how this affects metals and resins?

I'm going to have to test this on metal minis I get off eBay.

hmm, interesting. I will have to try this out on some of my old minis I've been wanting to strip. I usually just soak my plastics in Purple Power or Simple Green for like three weeks to get some of the paint off. For metal miniatures I just use Carburetor Cleaner, sprays the paint right off but I always have difficulty with plastics.

Claas wrote:
Well flux binds two materials together so those ethers break down the bonds. Like I said it is literally spray and wipe off the paint.

Small nitpick: flux doesn't bind anything (other than a slightly sticky temporary bond to hold a component in place while the metal bond is done, no more strength than a piece of masking tape), it's there to clean the bond surface and improve the flow of the liquid metal that actually creates the bond. All your flux remover is doing is wiping off the extra flux with a little more force than plain water and a paper towel, it isn't breaking down any bonds. Anything that can actually break down solder bonds is going to be pretty terrifying to use.

That said, don't assume that something is safe for models just because it can be used on some plastic components. There are a lot of different types of plastic that can react differently to chemicals, and there are a lot of plastic components that can tolerate surface damage that would destroy a model. You don't care if you mar the finish on an electronic component as long as you don't compromise its function, do the same on a gaming miniature and you've ruined it. It's much better to use safer and slower methods than to risk damage with something powerful enough to strip paint instantly.