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Title says it all. I am thinking of buying a bunch of models from an acquaintance of mine who is trying to unload them as she no longer has any use for them. She and her brother had painted them years ago and unfortunately they painted them very poorly, including very thick paint in spots. The paint they used was GW paint so no problems with enamels or anything, but will isopropyl alcohol be sufficient to strip very thick paint? Is there any special technique I would need to remove the paint? I should mention that the models are both metal and plastic (older Space Marine kits; some are completely metal, others have metal components, others are plastic). I would have posted under the Isopropyl thread over in the P&M tutorials, but I didn't want to necro the thread.

Everything I have painted in the last six months has been stripped. If the paint is really thick, you might need to soak the models, scrub them with a toothbrush, and then repeat several times as necessary.

 JoshInJapan wrote:
Everything I have painted in the last six months has been stripped. If the paint is really thick, you might need to soak the models, scrub them with a toothbrush, and then repeat several times as necessary.

What he said.

Final step would be wash in warm soapy water to remove any residue.

 Jadenim wrote:

 JoshInJapan wrote:
Everything I have painted in the last six months has been stripped. If the paint is really thick, you might need to soak the models, scrub them with a toothbrush, and then repeat several times as necessary.

What he said.

Final step would be wash in warm soapy water to remove any residue.

Isopropynol leaves behind no residue and evaporates at room temperature.

Soak them over night in 99%, light scrubbing the next day should remove pretty much anything.

Most of the isopropyl alcohol I see at the Walmart that I work at is 91%, is that enough? Also, is it a good idea to wear some kind of gloves, or is my skin okay (I know most hand sanitizers are alcohol based, but handling the stuff for extended periods is not common with sanitizers)?

Iso feels like it messes resin so no FW for long periods of time.

otherwise plastic or metal feel free to leave it in for as long as you want. i have some stuff sitting in 99% for over 1 years now in an air tight container .

 ZergSmasher wrote:
Title says it all. I am thinking of buying a bunch of models from an acquaintance of mine who is trying to unload them as she no longer has any use for them. She and her brother had painted them years ago and unfortunately they painted them very poorly, including very thick paint in spots. The paint they used was GW paint so no problems with enamels or anything, but will isopropyl alcohol be sufficient to strip very thick paint? Is there any special technique I would need to remove the paint? I should mention that the models are both metal and plastic (older Space Marine kits; some are completely metal, others have metal components, others are plastic). I would have posted under the Isopropyl thread over in the P&M tutorials, but I didn't want to necro the thread.

Isopropyl Alcohol will not work. Got a Menards or Home Depot or Wal-Mart, etc. around? Of course you do. Pick up a gallon bottle of Simple Green. It's biodegradable, not toxic and works wonders to strip minis. Use it full strength, pour it into a tub, tupperware, whatever and give the minis a bath fully submersed for 48 hours. Get a nice stiff nylon brush for plastic models or a fine brass brush(the kind they sue for suede shoes) for metal minis. Repeat as necessary...probably won't be, but I haven't seen the disasters you're looking to clean. Leftover can be used to clean just about anything. I've never used anything else, there's no reason to.

Been on many of these posts.
"Super Clean" works the best for me and does not wreck plastic (purple liquid stuff).

 ZergSmasher wrote:
Most of the isopropyl alcohol I see at the Walmart that I work at is 91%, is that enough? Also, is it a good idea to wear some kind of gloves, or is my skin okay (I know most hand sanitizers are alcohol based, but handling the stuff for extended periods is not common with sanitizers)?

Gloves, always gloves when handling any concentrated chemicals. IPA isn't dangerous per se, but it will irritate your skin with long / heavy exposure. I've also found that it eats through thin nitrile gloves (what I use when spraying), but normal dish washing gloves are fine.

+1 for Super Clean... that stuff is amazing.

The reason simple green and super clean work is because they have isopropynol in it.

91% would work fine.

Also I stripped a forgeworld hive tyrant with 99% ISO. It sat in a bath of it for 5 hours and took no damage.

That being said, it breaks the bonds on green stuff. If you did any green stuff customization on the models you can kiss that work good bye. It will pop right off after soaking in ISO.

 Lance845 wrote:
Also I stripped a forgeworld hive tyrant with 99% ISO. It sat in a bath of it for 5 hours and took no damage.

I stripped a FW aeronautica imperialis aircraft and it definitely affected the surface finish of the model, reducing detail and giving the resin a slightly rough finish. I didn't even soak it for long, I just sprayed it on then scrubbed it off with a toothbrush a few times.

The model I just painted over the old paint rather than stripping it ended up with sharper detail in the end.

If you are using IPA, wear surgical gloves or dish washing gloves.

IPA isn't dangerous per se, but it will dry out your skin, and cause it to split/crack and it will sting like a melon-fether, so protect those hands!

 Lance845 wrote:
The reason simple green and super clean work is because they have isopropynol in it.

Ah, no.
Speaking for "Super Clean" a wee bit more than that for active ingredients and uses ethanol, ethylene but not propynol:
- Poly (oxy ethanediyl), alpha (nonylphenyl) omega, hydroxyl branched.: Another emulsifier/surfactant.
- Tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate. - This chemical is a chelating agent, it helps keep the surfactants being contaminated / neutralized by hard water.
- Sodium metasilicate.: Another very strong "base", a chemical degreaser and reacts with any fatty acids.
- Sodium hydroxide. (Known as lye or caustic soda) A caustic base. I think one main use of this to keep in mind is it "digests tissues"
- Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. (Known as Butoxyethanol): This is a good solvent for paints and surface coatings, ideal for grease and oil cleaning. This would be the most "active" ingredient for stripping the paint BUT the strong "base" agents help.

Added safety note: A strong "base" can chew your skin just as bad if not worse than an acid. Some of these can cause extensive damage and you will not feel it. You have been warned.