[Archive] Paint removal

AGPO:

I’m looking to convert some old Orc, Dwarf and Gobbo models to go into my CD army. Only trouble is, some were painted a long time ago by people who didn’t really know what they were doing. Can anyone suggest an effective (and preferably quick) way of getting rid of paint on old minis, both plastic and metal? Any help greatly appreciated

AGPO

Patsy02:

I’ve heard simple green works wonders, but I have yet to try it my self, mainly because I have no idea how to get it:P

Khan!:

I’ve actually never tried it myself, but I hear that brake fluid works well, but not on plastic models. Also Pine Sol or equivalent cleaning product, altho again not for plastics…hmmm

oboudd:

Put under some hot"I mean hot water"it should rinse off the paint.

Hashut’s Blessing:

Surely that’d only work for models that haven’t been completely dired/without undercoat?

I have asked this question before, a VERY long time ago and posted the whole thread on various sites when it has come up again. I’ll try and find the main competitors from the list. (Okay, so it’s easier for me to copy and paste the reply as I cannot find any threads… WARNING: Is a little long…)

I was going to post a link to a thread on the Hand of Hashut site where I had started this same thread. However, when the site was unfortunately hacked, the thread appears to have been lost. Luckily, I had taken the precaution of copying and pasting the whole thing into word.

Here’s the fruits of my labour. (I’m Hashut’s Blessing by the way, and the site this is from is www.chaosdwarf.com)

Hashut’s Blessing : What’s the best way to strip paint from a plastic miniature that you wish to sell? Thanks in advance.

(Ps.S. Glad to see your posting again Tim!)

tcolonna: You can use a varity of items, but unfortunately any of the really good stuff melpts plastic.

I usually use either pine sol or windex. It takes bloody FOREVER, but eventually with a toothbrush and lots of scrubbing you will get it off.

If you are VERY CAREFUL, you can use some of the harsher liquids to cut through clear coat if it is on there. I use Acetone for my metal stuff and I find that if I dip the brush, scrub for a couple seconds, then under running water, you will not damage the mini too much.

Hope this helps!

Duckass: Try dipping it in aceton. Then put it in aliminium folium (sp?) and let it stay for a while. It might be a little soft when you take it out so be careful! you should test it on other plastic first though…

tcolonna: I would seriously not reccommend this action. I have soaked many minis in acetone only to have sticky goo as the finial result of the bases. Wrapping it in aluminum foil will not allow the acetone to evaporate quickly enough and you will most likely damage the mini.

If you are goign to sue this method, please test it on a non important mini first…

Duckass: I used it on a metal mini once, and forgot I had added a plastic tentacle to him. When I wrapped him out the tentacle was soft but the detail was still there. I would not recommend this if you have any other options (it works fast as hell though!)

Hashut’s Blessing: Thanks guys. So windex i gta gt me parents to buy. Its a solvent at a guess.

tcolonna: Duckass wrote: I used it on a metal mini once, and forgot I had added a plastic tentacle to him. When I wrapped him out the tentacle was soft but the detail was still there. I would not recommend this if you have any other options (it works fast as hell though!)

Oh yeah, I find it is THE best way to strip from metal, but like I said plastic will get EATEN UP like a twinkie on a fat farm.

canidus: What I use on my mini’s that doesn’t harm them at all is simple green.

Soak the mini in simple green 24-48 hours then just use a tooth brush and it all comes off primer included. There is no loss of detail or ruberdization of the plastic.

SonOfZhatan: canidus wrote: What I use on my mini’s that doesn’t harm them at all is simple green.

Soak the mini in simple green 24-48 hours then just use a tooth brush and it all comes off primer included. There is no loss of detail or ruberdization of the plastic.

Agreed this does seem to be the recommended acrylic paint solvent for plastic models , I found out about it reading the GW ‘hobby tip forums’ here’s a link for info on other paint solvents.

http://us.games-workshop.com/community/forums/hobbyforum.htm

harvestmouse: Brake fluid is the recommended stripper for plastic minis.

Hashut’s Blessing: Thanks guys. Just, my little brother did a really thick and poor paint job on some high elves. I figured if I could remove the paint, I could sell them for him.

canidus: castrol oil is another one, it also won’t harm plastics.

Ashheart: tcolonna wrote: Duckass wrote: I used it on a metal mini once, and forgot I had added a plastic tentacle to him. When I wrapped him out the tentacle was soft but the detail was still there. I would not recommend this if you have any other options (it works fast as hell though!)

Oh yeah, I find it is THE best way to strip from metal, but like I said plastic will get EATEN UP like a twinkie on a fat farm.

Yeah what are twinkies like anyway?

ive heard castol oil before

grom:

http://www.domestos.co.uk/

it removes acrylic paints from plastic minis without harming them :wink: