BIT OF PAINT STRIPPING ADVICE PLEASE

Sneaky Scot · Post by **Sneaky Scot** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:54 pm

Chaps,

A question for our UK brethern - I know that the US guys use "Simple green" as an easy way to strip paint off of miniatures that doesn't damage them. I don't think that's available in the UK, so what would you use to remove the paint from miniatures if you had decided to repaint your fleet?

Steve

Scoutdad · Post by **Scoutdad** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:06 pm

I use good old, Easy OFF! brand oven cleaner.

Place the mini in an old stainless steel bowl (found at a flea market for 10 cents), spray it with Easy OFF!, let it sit for a couple of hours, and then 995 of the paint washes off wiht warm water.
The last little stubborn bit just takes a bit of brushing wiht an old tooth brush.

Reclean the whole thign with soap and water, prime and paint.

Dan Ibekwe · Post by **Dan Ibekwe** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:10 pm

On metal miniatures I use domestic paint stripper.

Also required - metal container (I use an old steel butter dish), stout rubber gloves, steel pliers for handling, a brass wire brush, good ventilation, a copious supply of cold running water, somewhere to responsibly dispose of the (still reactive!) residue and a robust attitude to personal safety. And tweezers to recover small components as the stripper attacks glue as well. Not for the faint-hearted, this produces large amounts of noxious gas. Don't try this at home (do it in the garden). It is quite rapid, no more than 10-15 minutes to shift varnish, paint, undercoat and all back to the metal.

It's fierce stuff so be very careful.

I've also used stuff called Modelstrip which comes as a paste. It's much slower - several hours - and had an unwelcome side effect. Some small areas of the stripped miniature subsequently discolour after being painted. Possibly the miniature needed more aggressive cleaning to remove all traces of the paste.

Sneaky Scot · Post by **Sneaky Scot** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:58 am

Tony - Hmm, never thought of Oven Cleaner - I'll try that on one of the less cherished miniatures and report my results! Not sure we can get the "Easy OFF" brand in the UK, but I'll have a quick search.

Dan - sounds like I'll need to dig my NBC kit out, but if all else fails, I'll give it a go!

Thanks to both of you

terryoc · Post by **terryoc** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 6:13 pm

I have also used brake fluid.

Put brake fluid in sealable glass jar. (Not plastic!) Immerse mini in liquid, seal and put somewhere OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN AND IDIOTS. Follow all other safety instructions as well. Wait a day or so, and the paint will have dissolved into a slurry lying on the bottom of the jar. Use a toothbrush (el cheapo electric toothbrush is excellent) to scrub the last bits of paint off. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Job's a good 'un!

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 7:15 pm

@Sneaky Scot -

Easy Off is a sodium hydroxide solution, so any similar type of oven-cleaner would work pretty much the same (slower, for weaker solutions, faster for stronger ones).

Easy Off seems to have no effect on metal at all other than (maybe) some patina type color change if you leave it in for way too long - it definately won't "melt" details off metal minis. It will distort plastic minis if you leave them in too long though (though not as easily or quickly as some of the other caustic stripping tricks).

Savedfromwhat · Post by **Savedfromwhat** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 8:00 pm

Pinesol cleanser works wonders. You leave the miniature in the cleaner for 24-48 hours and clean with water and a toothbrush. It is the only stuff I have used that didn't eat away detail, does not play well with resin. Only metal and regular plastic.

malleman · Post by **malleman** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:46 pm

Go with break fluid, it is easy and fast.

Scoutdad · Post by **Scoutdad** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:13 pm

malleman wrote:Go with break fluid, it is easy and fast.

Nevertried the brake fluid method, but others have said it works - so I can't disagree.

I have used the Easy OFF! on several of the Zocchi plastics (obtained through various ebay deals) and have never had an issue with the mini deforming.
I did drop a Zocchi plastic mini in once that was superglued to a plastic flight base. The plastic base softened, deformed, and eventually fell away from the mini.
I have (since then) occassionally used this method to remove unwanted bases from some of the more delicate minis (think of the 14-piece, 2200 Kzinti SCS).
I haven't tried it on resin, so I do not know the effect.
I have also used Easy OFF! on some of the masters I've done and I know it doesn't affect 2 part epoxy or green stuff.

malleman · Post by **malleman** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 5:13 pm

Break fluid does mess with the green stuff.

wedge_hammersteel · Post by **wedge_hammersteel** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:35 pm

I gave my wife a choice on which to use in the kitchen sink, Easy Off or brake fluid. She chose Easy Off.

Jiraiya1969 · Post by **Jiraiya1969** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:30 pm

I recommend PineSol as well.

PineSol will suck all the moisture out of your hands, so I recommend that you kitchen gloves while working with it

Sar