On Stripping Minis....

[Conium Maculatum]

Has anyone else bought painted (badly or otherwise) minis and during the stripping process thought to themselves 'What in Gods name did they paint this with? Cement?!'

I got a Carnifex as part of a job lot and despite several hours submersed in dettol, a good scrub, another few hours in soapy water, more scrubbing, another 24 hours in dettol and even more scrubbing the paint STILL refuses to shift!! I even went as far as to buy a new toothbrush to scrub it with rather than the old ones I normally use.

Now, how badly does everyone reckon a wire brush is going to screw the mini? I have one for more recaltiant metal minis (who have special metal stripping baths) but I don't want to jump in with it and trash the piece.

Or, any other bright ideas for paint shifting? I have read the various articles on the subject here but brake fluid seems somewhat extreme to me (although I may yet resort to it!) Do Dremel make a suitable brush head?

Thanks all!!

 

[Bloodhowl]

First, what are the figures painted with, acrylic, enamel, or oil?

If acrylics, Simple Green works a treat. Brake fluid also works but make sure you wear eye protection and if you have sensitive skin be sure to wear gloves.

If enamel or oil, then mineral spirits, acetone, or turpentine should work. If the models are plastic, some, if not all of these will melt plastic.

Dremel makes brass, steel and plastic brushes. If the models are metal, I would use the plastic or brass. Steel might be too stiff and leave marks in the metal. If they are plastic, I would try the plastic bristle brush on some spare sprue before trying it on the model.

 

[AllTerrainMonkey]

If it's plastic the type of paint used on it can make things really tough for ya; if the painter used acrylics with a lot of vinyl in the base you'll have a hard time dislodging the color. Since it's such a large figure I'd say simple green or brake fluid, though I usually use Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer to spot-strip patches or even do full primer stripping. If you can't dislodge it at all, maybe take a fine-grit sandpaper, smooth out the paint that's on there, and do a light primer over it to start afresh?

 

[snord]

I second Winsor&Newton Brush Cleaner for stripping acrylics/oil paint from metal miniatures. I drop the miniature in and 20-30 minutes later it is back into shine metal.

@AllTerrainMonkey: never used it on plastic miniatures though... doesn't it damage the plastic?

 

[AllTerrainMonkey]

You're spot on, the bottle does say not for plastic finishes, though it does say safe for synthetic bristles.

 

[StillLifeMiniatures]

I've used Simple Green but sometimes it takes a while for it to work. W&N Brush Cleaner and Restorer will work quickly... make sure you keep an eye on it. I just picked up some Dawn Power Dissolver and it worked wonders on cleaning dried paint off of my palette and made my water glasses sparkle.... and that's quite a feat! I haven't tried to strip a mini with it yet, but I have no doubt that it would work.

 

[Serenity]

Here's a good source of information: The Stripping Materials Compendium

It includes advice on stripping plastic, resin and metal.

 

[Einion]

I got a Carnifex as part of a job lot and despite several hours submersed in dettol, a good scrub, another few hours in soapy water, more scrubbing, another 24 hours in dettol and even more scrubbing the paint STILL refuses to shift!!

This might indicate it's not painted in acrylic or vinyl paint but in enamels, or overcoated in polyurethane varnish maybe. In either case you'll have better luck with something containing caustic soda, e.g. Mr. Muscle oven cleaner or Fairy Power Spray.

Now, how badly does everyone reckon a wire brush is going to screw the mini? I have one for more recaltiant metal minis (who have special metal stripping baths) but I don't want to jump in with it and trash the piece.

This isn't a metal mini? If so, don't even try it!

Even for a metal mini I'd never try to remove paint by this method, you're sure to wear down raised detail.

Einion

 

[dshavers]

You can also use a bit of lacquer thinner on a brush or cut-tip to get acrylics off quickly. If it's resin or plastic just wipe it on and wipe it off or it will start to soften the surface. I would only use this if the above methods do not work.