Stripping miniatures with an airbrush

[ArmC]

Hello everybody

I am planning to strip minis with an airbrush, using dettol in the color pot. The idea came to me as I was watching a sandblasting video the other day, and I thought maybe you can strip a mini in a similar way. Even though sandblasting works through abrasion, it could work, since minis are painted in acrylics, which are much softer than paints used in the car industry.

I would like to ask if anyone has done this before, and I would really appreciate any advice on pressure settings, any alternatives other than dettol and anything that you think is important. The only reason I believe dettol could not work is its viscosity, which is quite high compared to an average oven cleaner or similar alkaline stuff, but high pressure should (hopefully) take care of that.

I would really prefer having tested it first and then come for advice, but I am currently away from home so I won’t be able to put it into test for another month at least. The idea is stuck in my mind though, and I’m getting a bit impatient.

Thanks for all the advice, I really hope someone tried this before me and worked

 

[Zab]

Sounds like a good idea. I recently saw on one of the blogs I follow a guy strip the back end of a war griffon he was painting with airbrush cleaner, let me see if i can find it quick....
http://bottegamoderna.blogspot.ca/2013/11/imperatore-karl-franzjawohl-14.html AH -HA! There.
Just make sure dettol doesn't strip or corrode any of you AB's inner workings. Not sure what you have, but some older models have plastic or polyurethane valves and washers or unpolished spring plates and springs that you might not want that stuff blasting over.

 

[MAXXxxx]

I'm not sure it will work. Most of the chemicals used for stripping need time to loosen the bond, so you can get the paint off. Sprayed with the AB it will dry too fast to affect it.
To be completely honest I expect that it won't be effective at best, won't do anything normally, and the chemicals could destroy parts of the AB at worst (most likely the rubber parts if the model has them).

Zab: on the link I can't see that it was sprayed. I use the Vallejo AB Cleaner in a similar way sometimes, but not through an AB, but with a brush, as it needs a few seconds (1-3 if the paint is fresh, more if it's older and set) to begin affecting it.

 

[RuneBrush]

MAX's echoed my concerns straight off, I think you could mangle any non-metal parts of the airbrush - plus I really wouldn't want to risk breathing in detol fumes Detol softens the paint rather than dissolving it so all you really are going to achieve is covering it in a thin layer of detol - that likely won't be enough to shift more than the top layer of paint (if that). Sand blasting also achieves two objectives - it strips the paint from something and scuffs it up to increase adhesion for it's subsequent re-paint.

However it does sound like there is mileage in using an airbrush cleaner.

What are you hoping to achieve by doing it this way? Quicker striping, more efficient, less messy, etc?

 

[Rahz]

I'd like to echo the thoughts above. Unless you're blasting it through a really high volume and pressure, I don't think it's going to be successful.

What I use cheap ultrasonic cleaner with Simple Green in it. Let soak, give it a couple 3 minute cycles, brush and repeat if necessary.

 

[ArmC]

Thanks for the replies,

@Zab Airbrush is all metal, needle, nozzle etc, so it should be ok, and rubber o-rings don’t normally come into contact with the liquid

@MAXXxxx What you say is quite probable, so I might have to dip the minis first just a bit to get the chemicals working. Dettol works relatively fast for acrylics

@RuneBrush What I am trying to get is a completely clean model, which is not always easy with the toothbrush. Plus, if it works, it should also be much quicker. You’re right about the fumes, I‘ll try it outdoors for sure.

 

[hamster52]

Faster and easier, however, is traditionally striped paint - brush

 

[ArmC]

Just continuing this post to let everybody know that, well, my idea didn’t turn out so well.

In fact, it was a total failure.

I tried airbrushing the dettol on a mini, painted with acrylics, around 40 psi from a small distance...nothing happened. I kept trying for something like 15 minutes, no progress whatsoever, not even a flake went away. It felt like it always feels when you think you have a great idea but then you realize it was mostly wishful thinking. Terrible feeling. Maybe I should have soaked the mini overnight, but I doubt results would be anything different.

In any case, I want to thank everyone that replied to my post in the first place, and confirm that stripping with airbrush doesn’t work at all.