Strippers!

[beh]

OK, no not about people who take off their clothes...sorry if this disappoints anyone!

As per usual, I\'ve a question for you lovelies: what sort of stuff do you find works best to remove old paint from minis?

I tried using..uh, can\'t recall the name of the stuff, but it left kinda\' gummy bits on the mini & it also was not very user friendly (I had to wear gloves, and it slowly ate through them, made it hard to handle the mini, etc.).

So, what stuff works well, and any good advice as for method?

Thanks!

 

[Braveheart712]

I have found that Simple Green works best. I bought the spray bottle, available in most automotive departments and store. I have found an overnight soak and a tootbrush works great for stripping minis, and a good spray works great to clean dried paint off my paint pallete.

 

[Sakura]

What exactly is this Simple Green, what do you use it normaly for? I live in Germany and I doubt it has the same name here.

 

[U4-Welcome]

Message original : beh
I tried using..uh, can\'t recall the name of the stuff, but it left kinda\' gummy bits on the mini & it also was not very user friendly (I had to wear gloves, and it slowly ate through them, made it hard to handle the mini, etc.).

It ate through the gloves ? Maybe it was sulphuric acid ?

Anyway, I heard brake fluid works well, you could just get some from a local garage. Dip the mini in overnight and then scrub it a little with an old toothbrush or something. Mind you, I\'ve never actually tried it so I can\'t say, for instance, what effect it has on plastic...

 

[Sturmhalo]

Hold on... this isn\'t what I expected! I thought you meant... when you said strippers... oh well....

Acetone for metal, Modelstrip for plastics. Be careful with acetone as it is rather corrosive and does seem to cause/irritate respiratory problems (I know). Modelstrip comes from model shops etc.

I\'m sure we\'ve all been here before?!

 

[Braveheart712]

Originally posted by Sakura
What exactly is this Simple Green, what do you use it normaly for? I live in Germany and I doubt it has the same name here.

Simple Green is a biodegradable cleaner that has multiply household uses mainly as a degreaser. There was a website listed on the back of the bottle with many international links, just click on the words \'Global Partners\' in the upper right title bar then select your country for your website or distribution info, here is the link...

Simple Green website

As far as brake cleaner or brake fluid goes, I have tried it but it is very caustic, and also reacts with my skin. Acetone has some health risks associated with it as well. Personally I think Simple Green is best for me, but whatever you find works for you, go with that!

\"Of course that is just my opinion, I could be wrong...\" -Dennis Miller

 

[finn17]

Dragonsreach\'s exhaustive experimentation..

...has also led him to the discovery that Dettol makes a fine paint stripper.

 

[Mosch]

Acetone is my medium of choice.

By the way, I once was told that urine works really good too. I am not going to try it out though :|~

 

[dauber22]

Originally posted by finn17
Dragonsreach\'s exhaustive experimentation..
...has also led him to the discovery that Dettol makes a fine paint stripper.

I agree. Through my own extensive research I\'ve also found you can frequently find strippers at the Detox center. Oops! I guess I misread that. Damn dyslexia lol lol

 

[finn17]

Hehe...

I was going to add that Mike\'s experimentation was probably as much due to absent-mindedness and failing vision as a true thirst for knowledge:flip:

Through my own use of these attributes and the eye-watering powers of Czechoslavakian Pilsner, I have made the following startling discoveries:

1) Paintwater tastes like crap.

2) Coffee wont strip minis, no matter how hot or strong it is.

similarly...

3) Dropping minis into your coffee doesn\'t make it taste any sweeter.

4) You can make a mini much easier to paint by removing most of the detail with a dremel-powered wire brush.

I will endeavour to continue to push forward the boundaries of mini-knowledge.

:flip:

 

[Mosch]

lol You\'re my personal hero, finn17

 

[finn17]

You must be as sick as me then?

Although I have been called a \'cult\' a few times...

....

...at least I think that\'s what they said:innocent:

 

[Sturmhalo]

Originally posted by Mosch
By the way, I once was told that urine works really good too. I am not going to try it out though :|~

Hell, why not give it a go?! It\'s virtually free after all (I suppose you do have to pay for the liquid to go in one end before it\'ll come out the other!)!

 

[Justin[AsG]]

Brake fluid is amazing. Try it on some metal and the paint just comes off.

 

[beh]

What the heck is Dettol?!

Originally posted by U4-Welcome
It ate through the gloves ? Maybe it was sulphuric acid ?

Nah, it was some kind of furniture stripper or something.

 

[beh]

Brake fluid, eh? That sounds alright--it\'s pretty fluid isn\'t it? My main problem with the stuff I tried was that it was pretty viscous, and although it removed the paint well, it left chunky bits in some of the grooves of the details, which really sucks.

 

[Justin[AsG]]

After a few days in the brake fluid the paint will just release from the metal, its a little strange it will just float away.

 

[finn17]

Dettol?

Originally posted by beh
What the heck is Dettol?!

It is a disinfectant available in the UK. Basically the \'common or garden\' stuff you use to wipe down work surfaces. You can tell Dragonsreach is posh. Only posh folk use Dettol, us plebs regard the bacteria as additional nourishment:flip:

 

[beh]

Originally posted by Justin[AsG]
After a few days in the brake fluid the paint will just release from the metal, its a little strange it will just float away.

Well, that is exactly the sort of thing I\'m looking for. With that other stuff there was al this scrubbing, and the stuff would burn my skin, and it was all around not pleasant. I guess I\'ll give it a try!

Thanks finn for clearing that \"Dettol\" thing up, and thanks to everyone else too!

 

[Valander]

Simple Green\'s good, and used to be my standby. It takes a day or so of soaking to make them easy to strip, but it\'s biodegradable, so I don\'t feel bad about using an old toothbrush in the sink to finish them off.

Brake fluid works pretty well, too, but you have to be careful about disposal, since it\'s pretty nasty stuff.

Recently, I discovered Castrol Super Clean. This stuff is absolutely amazing. It\'s purple. It\'s biodegradable. It only takes like 4 hours of a soak, and the paint just lifts away from the model. It\'s safe on plastic, metal, and resin (softens resin a bit, but it will reharden after an hour or two). It works as a drain cleaner. It will, however, eat skin quickly, so you better make sure to wear latex gloves (surgical or kitchen type).

You should be able to find it in the US (and maybe Canada) at any auto-parts store, or K-Mart/Wal-Mart type place. Dunno about other countries, though I wouldn\'t be surprised if there\'s something similar.