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Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: The Major on 04 August 2019, 10:09:06 PM
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Do any of you have any good techniques for stripping paint from plastic and metal models? I've been having trouble finding something that strips the model sufficiently but doesn't damage plastic. Metal models are tougher, obviously, but I haven't found the perfect paint stripper for metal either. Thanks.
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Biostrip's the best thing I've found - and it's also the quickest, cheapest and least toxic. You can get a tub of it for about a tenner on Amazon.
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Biostrip's the best thing I've found - and it's also the quickest, cheapest and least toxic. You can get a tub of it for about a tenner on Amazon.
+1 that, does not stink like "Detolmethod" does not threaten your physical well being as much as brake fluid.
Damn glad I heard about it from someone here years ago and got a tub for such instances related to plastic and metal minis.
Do not miss the smell of detol at all.
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I see your in the US so here's what I use. Only on metal but my friends tell me it works on plastic too. Simple Green Pro HD, its PURPLE. I used the green Simple Green for a long time with mixed results but this stuff is much better.
For metal figures I normally soak for 4 to 5 days then hit them quick with a metal wire brush. This seems to loosen the paint , or maybe it gets rid of any spray finish , so the SG can work on the paint. I then let them soak for at least another week before I hit them again to get the rest off. I've yet to find anything that works without a lot of brush work and picking paint out of crevices with tweezers. I did get nylon brushes for.my Dremel that worked great. They only last for about 20 metal figs but at 2 bucks a piece they were worth it.
Again this only for metal, the brushes would probably destroy a plastic figure.
I've tried acetone,brake fluid, brake cleaner, rust remover and denatured alcohol. Never got any better results from any of them.
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I use a dip on Isopropyl Alcohol 99% for plastic models and a dip on industrial strength acetone for my metal ones.
Sometimes, if the paint is too thick in the plastic models I just dip a toothbrush on acetone, give the model a quick brushing and immediately clean it with mixture of water/soap so the acetone doesn't eat the plastic, just starts peeling the paint. After the water bath, I throw it back into the alcohol.
It usually takes an hour or less for the paint to come apart.
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paint stripper for metal minis - no paint survives
for plastic and resin i use dettol.
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Bio strip 20.
Non toxi, odour less. Can be applied in a specific area as its the consistency of PVA.
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There's a video by Luke's Affordable Painting service, he uses some purple-ish liquid therein, cheaper than Dettol and readily available in the UK in shops like Wilkinson's.
Video should be on youtube, the purple stuff also works for plastic by the by, which is also demonstrated on some GW minis in the video.
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thanks to you all!!
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Do any of you have any good techniques for stripping paint from plastic and metal models? I've been having trouble finding something that strips the model sufficiently but doesn't damage plastic. Metal models are tougher, obviously, but I haven't found the perfect paint stripper for metal either. Thanks.
Simple Green won't melt plastic, though might have some difficulty dissolving some adhesives. I've been told Purple Power is about the same as Castrol Super Clean and works better than Simple Green. I've left plastics in Simple Green for months and haven't noticed adverse effects. For metal, you could use all the aforementioned and Pinesol - do not use on plastic! No idea how these cleaners will on enamels and old acrylic paint tends to stain plastics, without obscuring detail - learnt this after spending an hour using a Dremel to remove a layer of paint. >:(
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I use neat Dettol. It's great on metals and I have used it on plastics too but I am more careful with the dipping time with plastics. 85% of the time it's been fine with the plastics but the odd time it has reacted.
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Biostrip's the best thing I've found - and it's also the quickest, cheapest and least toxic. You can get a tub of it for about a tenner on Amazon.
This. It is also environmentally better than any other product mentioned. I have used paint stripper and dettol before but this is utterly miles better. Faster, no smell and quicker/easier clean up - no gunk.
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I use Cutex acetone-free nail polish remover on plastic miniatures. A couple of minutes' soak then attack with a toothbrush, no damage to the plastic.
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+1 for Biostrip 20, it will do plastic and metal no problem and doesn't smell, doesn't eat through flesh and bone (looking at you Nitromors) and is safe to flush away down a drain (apparently). Just be careful with resin, despite biostrip being safe to handle it seems to eat through, at least some, resin.
Though I notice in the duplicate thread you mention Heroclix as the plastic minis but that's a different beast entirely. I responded in my supers thread but acetone is what you'll need for clix pre-paints. They don't really use normal paints on them and regular paint stripper won't really work... though now I'm saying that I realise I've never actually tried biostrip... I think tonight will be time for an experiment. :D
Update: Biostrip does nothing to heroclix, so yup acetone for that job.
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Linseed soap.
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Since the OP and I are in the US, would someone point out where Biostrip 20 could be found?
Found a tub on eBay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Biostrip-20-Paint-Stripper-1-Litre-from-FUZE-Products-Water-Based-Paint-removes/303089801670?hash=item46918f59c6:g:25kAAOSwfVFcgvbL), but it's ~$36 for 1 litre and ~$19 in shipping.
There's this cautionary tale (http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?66340) about reacting negatively with some types of resin...
Might be changing my opinion about SImple Green, after finding out the formula was changed a few years ago...
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Spookily enough I stumbled across this comparison video before reading this thread
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqBjt1wKZfc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqBjt1wKZfc)
Should supply some answers for those in the US at any rate
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Spookily enough I stumbled across this comparison video before reading this thread
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqBjt1wKZfc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqBjt1wKZfc)
Should supply some answers for those in the US at any rate
The comments confirm the possible issues with resin, so won't risk my Forge World stuff...
Was going to move onto Purple Power, but now intrigued about LA's Totally Awesome (https://www.homedepot.com/p/LA-s-Totally-Awesome-1-Gal-All-Purpose-Cleaner-Concentrate-100539308/308562989?keyword=la%27s+totally+awesome&semanticToken=223t0000011_20190806125149606179_v1mp+223t0000011+%3E++cnn%3A%7B0%3A0%7D+cnr%3A%7B7%3A0%7D+cnb%3A%7B0%3A0%7D+st%3A%7Bla%27s+totally+awesome%7D%3Ast+oos%3A%7B0%3A1%7D+rt%3A%7Bla+totally+awesome%7D%3Art+dln%3A%7B574225%7D+tgr%3A%7BEnriched+Product+Info%7D+nr%3A%7Bla+totally+awesome%7D%3Anr+qu%3A%7Bla+totally+awesome%7D%3Aqu). One gallon is cheaper than a gallon of Simple Green and won't damage plastic, though will have to ask about resin.
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Is this the stuff you are talking about?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=Bio+strip+20&ref=nb_sb_noss
Thanks
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I tried many of your suggestions. I found sitting overnight in Easy Off oven cleaner worked very well--no damage to the plastic whatsoever. My next experiment will be with 91% alcohol which I know many scale modelers use to strip paint from HIPS plastics routinely. Sadly, I was not able to obtain any biostrip 20 here in the USA.
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OK, I am changing my vote.
I have used Dettol for some time to strip predominantly metal figures.
HOWEVER I have had 2 largish resin models sat in Dettol for a few days and done my usual scrubbing them with a toothbrush and then resoaking. And I am really unimpressed.
The models are ebay purchases so I have no idea what they were painted in... acylics, enamels etc. They were very shiny but no idea if that was a gloss enamel or an added varnish.
The paint has stripped - kind of. But EVERY panel edge or fine detail area is still paint filled. I have spent 2 hours with a fine point scriber scraping out every edge I can and i have improved the situation but not by much.
so - any one got any recommendations? I need something resin friendly, that will chemically release the residual paint to a point where a simple toothbrush scrub will release it. Spending hours on each model to mechanically scrape paint out of recesses is not an option.
Obviosuly it also needs to be something that isn't going to have a problem with the fact that the residual paint is probably already softened by and impregnated with Dettol.
Help!
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The paint has stripped - kind of. But EVERY panel edge or fine detail area is still paint filled. I have spent 2 hours with a fine point scriber scraping out every edge I can and i have improved the situation but not by much.
so - any one got any recommendations? I need something resin friendly, that will chemically release the residual paint to a point where a simple toothbrush scrub will release it. Spending hours on each model to mechanically scrape paint out of recesses is not an option.
Put it back in the same stuff for a while and see what happens. I bet the varnish was protecting the paint from the paint stripper. Now that you’ve broken through that layer, the stuff can get to the paint underneath.
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Put it back in the same stuff for a while and see what happens. I bet the varnish was protecting the paint from the paint stripper. Now that you’ve broken through that layer, the stuff can get to the paint underneath.
Thanks, but that's not it. The models have been in the dettol three times now and scrubbed in between. All of the flat areas have lifted fine. It's almost as tjough the corners are giving enough mechanical key for the paint to grip in the panel lines and edges. Scrubbing over them with a toothbrush has no effect, i am having to 'dig' it out with a scriber... and there are a LOT of details, vents, panel lines, wheel arches etc etc...
I'm looking for something that will dissolve the paint away chemically - rather than the dettol which seems to break the bond between paint and model.