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taking paint off of metal models
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Rating: 8.14 Votes: 14
Views: 5523
By: mr.bman
Category: General Subcategory: MiscDate: 2007-08-14 21:26:11

Hi this article is for taking the paint off the metal models so you could begin a new paint job.
I got this tip from a friend and have tested it several times.
Materials
Plastic cup ( I use a cup from pizza hut)
Pine sol ( pine cleaner works too)
Mini
Old tooth brush

Steps
1. Take the base and any plastic off the mini and place it in the cup
2. Pour the pinesol in till it covers the mini
3. Place out side,
4. Wait at least 2 days.
5. Take out the mini the paint should looked smugded

6. Now if you dont really care too much about your mini use a hi powered hose and blast the paint away, if you do care then put it under running water (sink) and use the tooth brush to rub the paint off.

7. Leave to dry.
and you're done.

Notes:
Multiple minis can be put in the pine sol at the same time
I am not sure but I was told the plastic melts in the pine sol
If some paint wont come off repeat steps 2-7 again.

THIS IS TOXIC!!!!! DO NOT DRINK OR SNIFF THATS WHY YOU LEAVE IT OUTSIDE!!!!!
THANK YOU FOR REMINIDING ME S.DEVARE

I have just been told that Simple Green works too and its non toxic however it is more expensive.

Thank you Night life


I hope this helps
Thanks
Mr.Bman

Goake0
09 October 09
Rating: 10
I use simple green myself it works great and it doesn't melt plastic

dak
23 July 08
Rating: 10
alos, brake fluid, just regular penzoil, works extremly wel on plastic and resin models, and pretty decent on pewter ones.

Jay79
06 May 08
Rating: 3
For Vallejo paints i use... denatured alcohol/methylated spirit (which dictionary should i trust?). 3-4 minutes and paint softens, it's not as melted as when using acethone, and it's eas to remove. BTW you can use this technique to remove paint from plastic figures too, however you should be carefull because alco can matte model's surface.

J2FcM
07 October 07
Rating: 5


JASCO Green Strip Paint Remover - in gel form. Green bottle. At home depot\lowes. Takes a half hour. 2 hours for a "water will blast off all paint" deal.

mauvia
05 October 07
Rating: 10
hi,

I use plain old bleach, a bit of water and leave it soak for a few hours..

Brooks
27 August 07
Rating: 8
Nice article. Depending on the type of paint, sometimes leaving over night is plenty...also try adding a dab of lemon joy or other dish soap to your tooth brush before you start scrubbing...helps take the paint off better.

Thorn
27 August 07
Rating: 6
simple green works wonders.... It took two layers of primer and a horrible paint job off a old model. It breaks down superglue also so thats a bonus. a warning tho if your stripping something with alot of green stuff conversions it will lift the GS off the model. I havent notced any interaction between SG and plastic model glue or any adverse effect on styrene. so it gets my thumb up. plus is smells simple greeny fresh and is bio degradeable.

desertdragon1964
25 August 07
Rating: 10
I personanally use acetone for metal minis it is cheap and available everywhere.use gloves and use only in a well ventilated area.wash thuroughly after paint is removed.DD

bullfrog
23 August 07
Rating: 8
Oven Kleen ( Mr Muscle) works very well also. It is also non caustic unlike many other brands of oven cleaners and won't eat your skin off. One trade off with the non caustic quality is that you have to catch it at the right time when the paint has just softened which is usually overnight. I did forget about my minis once and left them for a whole day. By then the cleaner foam had dried and was a cow to scrub off.
If left overnight the paint is nice and soft and rubs off with a fingernail or toothbrush.
Other caustic brands work as well but are so very toxic.

DaN
19 August 07
Rating: 8
ADDITIONAL: If you're scrubbing a figure that's been in something toxic, wear rubber/latex gloves.

If you find any areas that the toothbrush won't reach (Areas like beneath the chin, or around a fine detail) then use a fine-tipped tool to pry the paint loose.

You CAN use a toothpick, although they are quite fragile and may not have a fine enough tip. Using a sculpting tool or a needle will work, but you risk scratching your figure.

A decent article - would've liked to see a photo halfway through, showing the paint dissolved.

NightLife
19 August 07
Rating: 10
Simple Green also works wonders and isn't toxic.

S. Devare
15 August 07
Rating: 8
Though Pine Sol is realllly toxic, it works. For plastic, I mixed it with half Pine Sol and half water, and it worked...but I don't know how long it would take for the plastic to melt. If you leave the model in too long, the primer starts to melt and it's extremely difficult to get off. Two days should be long enough.

Tahn
15 August 07
Rating: 9
A well explained article. I never knew Pine sol would do the job so thanks or the idea

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