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In a fit of impatience and poor judgment I picked up some methyl hydrate to strip models with, rather than the denatured alcohol I was recommended. Will this work? Will it destroy the plastic? As far as I can tell it's just methylated spirits, a toxic form of alcohol composed of the methyl alcohol uses to denature ethyl alcohol used (and sold as) fuel for camp stoves. The 'bio-fuel' is also ~150% more expensive, so I thought I might check before taking it back to make the exchange.

Drop a piece of sprue or a spare part into the liquid and see what happens. I guess that's the only way to know for sure.

I would definitely advise using it in a well ventilated area. Last thing you need is to inhale a bunch of methanol.

It’s the same as methylated spirit, so should be safe with plastics

http://www.diamondspirit.net/adunk/metho.html

@Weazel: I haven't opened the container yet as I mistakenly bought it under a recommendation that I misunderstood. I wanted to check before opening. Good idea though. I have just the model...

@ScarletRose: That's a very good idea! From what I've read it's really really toxic.

@Rybrook: Thanks!

EVERYTHING is "toxic" in the wrong amounts.
"Dose makes the poison" and all that. The biggest danger from this stuff is ingestion - so don't drink it.

Also, wear gloves, gogges/protective eyewear and have great ventialtion. This will eliminate most of the risk of poisoning.

Defiantly wear gloves, you’ll be peeling for days after and hella itchy hands

Gloves were easy enough to pick up. My trial models were a trio of kit-bashed Termagants with stranglewebs that have been obsoleted.


The gloves actually helped a bit because I was scrubbing away with a soft tooth brush wondering why it wasn't doing much at all, but when I rubbed the tail of a model with the finger of my rubber glove and the paint slid off in a sheet. Getting in the cracks is still an issue, but I think I'm going to pick up a brush with very stiff bristles.

Methylated Spirit is fine in general, but some brands add acetone which is not fine for plastics, so just make sure the brand you use doesn't have acetone.

I'm currently trying to save my 3x Death Guard which were hit with a bad prime job (all powdery), 24 hours of Detol and Meths haven't done the job, so I've ordered some 99% Iso which will come tomorrow. I'd be really gutted if I killed the first models I ever bought from a Games Workshop :(

After 24 hours in Detol plus Meths:



You can still see the stubborn powdery primer on the left guys stomach and the middle guys pads, but it's all over the models.

Yeah, I've found something similar. The stiff brush has helped, but I'm still scrubbing away after several days of soaking. In particular the Termagants with Devourers seem to be resisting the methyl hydrate like crazy somehow.