pmark
Demo Gamer
Posts: 17 
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Post by pmark on Oct 27, 2018 14:43:14 GMT
Hi all!
I just bought a few used Circle models, The former owner started to paint some of them, but I'd like to start anew, so I'd like to wash down the existing paint.
How should I do that? Submerging them into a solvent (if yes, for how long?), or brushing? What kind of solvent should I use? The one I've used yeeeeaaaars back for metal miniatures did some minor damage to the surface of my former Warpwolf plastic figures, so what kind of solvent should I use for PP plastic and resin minis and with what method?
Thanks!
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Post by Soul Samurai on Oct 27, 2018 16:15:43 GMT
If you search Dakkadakka you'll find some threads about paint stripping. Basically there's some household cleaners - Dettol, Simple Green for example - that will soften acrylic paint if you submerge a miniature for a few hours. Then you brush the partially dissolved paint with an old toothbrush and kitchen towels. DO NOT USE WATER AT THIS STAGE; that will bring the paint back out of solution. Instead use more cleaner to wash away the bits and debris. It may take several passes to completely strip the paint. Once the paint is all gone wash away the remaining cleaner with water.
I find Dettol can soften the plastic used for bases (but not miniatures I think) if you leave a model for TOO long, but bases can be replaced so it should be fine. Also some cleaners are milder than pure Dettol.
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Post by Charistoph on Oct 27, 2018 17:24:56 GMT
Soul Samurai's suggestions are good for the plastic and resin models. The totally metal paints can take harsher chemicals like acetone with no trouble, but would destroy the details on plastic/resin models. It should be easy to tell by the heft the model.
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Post by tapecrawler on Oct 28, 2018 23:47:21 GMT
I’d recommend simple green. I’ve been using it for years and it hasn’t damaged any of the materials I’ve played with. Some of the pieces have soaked for over a year without damage to the minis or bases. One caveat though, simple green dissolves super glue and green stuff. It doesn’t take long to penetrate joints so if it is a figure with a lot of custom work it can mess up quite a bit.
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Post by nyarlathotep333 on Oct 29, 2018 4:52:51 GMT
I'll chime in with my like for Simple Green as well. You can usually find it in most supermarkets, but if you have trouble finding it there I've found that a lot of automotive parts places carry it as well.
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Post by deathbymelancholy on Nov 14, 2018 12:43:03 GMT
I'll chime in with my like for Simple Green as well. You can usually find it in most supermarkets, but if you have trouble finding it there I've found that a lot of automotive parts places carry it as well. You have my vote for best Avatar/User Name And I also vote for Simple Green. Unless you get some metal minis that they used testors enamel paint on, which happened to me once. Paint stripper worked on those for the most part, but to do it all over again I'd probably toss them in the bin and take the loss. Simple Green for everything else though. |
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Post by nyarlathotep333 on Nov 14, 2018 17:00:39 GMT
You have my vote for best Avatar/User Name Thanks! The avatar is actually a photo of myself (though it's several years old now) that I had fun playing around with in Photoshop. On topic, I just ordered an ultrasonic jewelry cleaning machine off Amazon after reading a thread about it. Supposedly, they work wonders for stripping paint according to several folks that posted. I have a few metal minis that I have had trouble getting all the paint off from the recesses with both Simple Green and acetone so I am hoping that it works as well as it sounds like it does. I will update here as soon as I have it in hand (supposedly on Monday according to tracking) and have given it a try. It cost me about $25 so it was fairly inexpensive. |
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Post by Trollock on Nov 16, 2018 18:39:51 GMT
I had access to ultra sound baths at my previous work. Doesnt really do anything.
One good option is to just paint over the old paint. Unless they are extremely thickly painted it isnt really worth the trouble to remove the old paint.
I used a technique on METAL models where you soak them in ethanol for several days. Then dip them in acetone. That worked way better than soaking them in acetone for the same amount of time.
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Post by deathbymelancholy on Nov 16, 2018 19:21:53 GMT
One good option is to just paint over the old paint. Unless they are extremely thickly painted it isnt really worth the trouble to remove the old paint. When do pre-painted models ever come with anything less than than super thick paint with an added concrete hardener additive on them? Wait, you're Europe aren't you? Where every person there is a Golden Demon contender?  |
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fanguad
Junior Strategist
Posts: 210
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Post by fanguad on Nov 16, 2018 21:05:37 GMT
I've used a cheap ultrasonic cleaner on miniatures before. I found that it can sometimes dislodge small flakes of paint from deep crevices and remove grundge from surfaces, but isn't a great way to remove a paint job. Simple Green + Toothbrush is way more effective than ultrasonic cleaner. Sometimes Simple Green + Toothbrush followed by ultrasonic cleaner is an improvement, but it depends on how deep the crevices are and how thick the paint in there is.
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Post by Trollock on Nov 16, 2018 21:37:33 GMT
One good option is to just paint over the old paint. Unless they are extremely thickly painted it isnt really worth the trouble to remove the old paint. When do pre-painted models ever come with anything less than than super thick paint with an added concrete hardener additive on them? Wait, you're Europe aren't you? Where every person there is a Golden Demon contender? Hahaha. I actually just finished painting straight over an old paint job that i brought second hand. Worked just fine. It obviously depends on how the model looked to start with  |
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Cyel
Junior Strategist
Posts: 685
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Post by Cyel on Dec 14, 2018 21:25:31 GMT
Agree with Trollock, never stripped paint of a model in my 20+ years wargaming career and I've bought most of my stuff second-hand. Just treat previous paintjob as primer.
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Post by NephMakes on Dec 17, 2018 1:52:47 GMT
Isopropanol (aka isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol) is very cheap and removes acrylic paint, too. It doesn't seem to dissolve plastic or resin, but I'd do a few tests before soaking anything not metal.
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Post by slaughtersun on Dec 17, 2018 19:16:41 GMT
Silly question but what would the equivalent of simple green be in europe?
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Post by Charistoph on Dec 17, 2018 20:31:54 GMT
Easily googled for base contents, so something to work from, and nation could affect title:
Mixed Alcohol Ethoxylate - surfectant
Tetrapotassium Pyrophosphate - the detergent
Sodium Citrate - stabilizer for shelf life
The rest being water, colors, and fragrances.
I personally hate the stuff, but that's because it was our cleaner when I worked on an assembly line and there were times we were down a lot, so all we did was clean.
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