Stripping Paint

[BlackStatic]

I got some second hand models the other day that have some pretty average paint jobs that I want gone.
I've heard of using cleaning products, brake fluid, disinfectant...etc but I was hoping that some people here could share their personal experiences with different products and techniques and recommend their favourite.
Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Sam

[Svennn]

Many things do work, you are certainly not short of choices. I personally now favour "Fairy Power Spray" which is a non-toxic cleaning product. It takes a little longer, and perhaps a couple of applications on more stubborn stuff, but does work and there is no faffing about with rubber gloves and worrying about the ceramic on the sink etc.

[BlackStatic]

Thanks Svenn.

I also just noticed the related topics below - a great new feature

[Hammers]

Depends on the paint.

Acetone/nail polish remover will disolve acrylics into a pathetic little nothing. There are, as mentioned, less hazardous alternatives.

I have had good success removing enamels, laquers and oils with the commercial paint stripper you find at DIYs. That is however potent stuff and not at all friendly to the environment. But, hey!, fuck the owls, right?! ;-)

White alcohol (enamels) and turpentine or linseed oil will probably disolve oils if left in long enoughbut be prepared to do some scrubbing to.

[Admiral Benbow]

This is a very diverse topic as the correct paint stripping chemical depends not only on the material of the miniature, ie. metal, plastic, resin etc., but also on the paints used (acrylics, oils, enamels ...). If you use "stripping paint miniatures" on Google, you'll see what I mean ... 

Personally I use either brake fluid or oven cleaner. Brake fluid will need longer, but is useful for plastic miniatures, whereas oven cleaner spray will work quite fast but will disolve plastics. With both materials you can stop the reaction under running water and scrub the attacked colour with an old toothbrush. But be careful when working with those quite aggressive chemicals, always use eye-protection (glasses) and rubber gloves!

Most of the paint strippers from a DIY will also work on metal miniatures.

A slow but quite harmless and very environmental-friendly method is using Coca Cola  I had very good results removing chrome from plastic parts I wanted to use for scratchbuilding. Chromed parts are quite common in plastic car and motorcycle kits and will not take glue and paint easily, so removing the chrome is necessary. Usually after 24 - 48 hours soaking the parts in Coke will show the bare plastic! But to my experiences only the original Coke will work. 

[Citizen Sade]

I use Dettol disinfectant. Cheap, widely available (in the UK at least) and not nasty like many of the other chemicals that people use to strip paint. Good for metal or plastic and anything but the toughest paint jobs. Stick some in a glass jar, drop your figures in, leave 'em for for a day or two and then give 'em a scrub with an old toothbrush. However, I'd advise wearing disposable rubber gloves as I find it can really dry your skin out.

[Heldrak]

I have great deal of experience stripping the paint off miniatures, and I've tried most of the methods/products commonly recommended on the various painting websites. Here are some of my experiences with pros & cons:

Brake Fluid
I had no luck at all with this (it did next to nothing towards removing any paint, even after soaking miniatures in it for more than a week) and it is highly toxic. That being said, I'm told that there are different kinds of Brake Fluid, so maybe I had the wrong kind...?

Pine Sol
Pine Sol works reasonably well as a stripper and it's readily available, cheap and non-toxic. You want to use the original Pine Sol (not the lemon-flavored variant) and cut it 50% with water (the water helps the chemical reaction). You probably want to soak the figure(s) for a minimum of 3 days. The cons with Pine Sol are the astringent Pine scent (which can linger on figures for a long time) and sometimes the paint will take on a sticky "tar" consistency which is difficult to eradicate completely. Fine for metals, not safe for plastics. Long-term soaking (a month or more) is good for removing stubborn paint in the crevices of models.

Easy-Off Oven Cleaner
Works very well and is safe for plastics. Care must be taken when applying (I use the spray-on variety and I hold my breath while spraying and cover the steel bowl I use to spray into immediately when I'm finished so I don't inhale any corrosive chemicals...). I let figures stand in a generous amount of the foam overnight. Probably works the best of the various methods, although paint on some plastics can resist it. Metals may become darker/discolored. Obnoxious scent may linger.

Simple Green
Guaranteed safe for plastics and has probably the least offensive scent (bubblegummy) but is rather weak in comparison to the other methods. I pretty much only use it on very delicate plastics, or as an after-treatment on the other methods to help cut the obnoxious smells they leave behind.

A word on scrubbing. After soaking, I scrub all miniatures clean in the sink with Dawn dish detergent and a denture brush (use a denture brush, rather than a tooth brush because they are much stiffer and they have a small pointed brush at the end which is good for getting into crevices). After scrubbing, I leave figures on the window sill for a week to "off-gass".

[BlackStatic]

Thanks everyone, I'll try some oven cleaner soon

Does it make a difference if the model has been varnished (metal mini, acrylic paint)?

[BarmyBob]

I use Simple Green for most projects, especially plastics or resins. However I have used this stuff called "Tire White"(brand name) that worked wonders. It is a bit difficult to find but it works great.

[Heldrak]

Thanks everyone, I'll try some oven cleaner soon

Does it make a difference if the model has been varnished (metal mini, acrylic paint)?

I have not found that having a varnish coat makes any real difference when stripping paint- Sometimes it actually helps, as it holds the paint together and encourages it to come off in sheets...

I've tried Tire Cleaner (Westley's Bleche-White?) and it did not work very well for me.

Note: Do not use Pine Sol on plastic models (as it purportedly dissolves them).

[pixelgeek]

Note: Do not use Pine Sol on plastic models (as it purportedly dissolves them).

Do not use PineSol.

It has health issues when used improperly and stripping paint is one of those "improper" uses of the product.

I would suggest that before anyone uses a product that is not labelled as being non-toxic and/or water soluble that you do research on the health impact(s) of the product and the possible side-effects of using them.

PineSol and other similar cleaners are intended to be used at quite low concentrations in water. People that do use it at higher concentrations are supposed to wear masks and gloves.

PineSol is nasty and I am always surprised when people suggest it for anything. Think back to your earlier comment... it melts hard plastic. You can't think that the product is safe.

[pixelgeek]

I use Simple Green for most projects, especially plastics or resins.

I've had little to no success with it on plastics. Are you in the UK?

[pixelgeek]

Brake Fluid
I had no luck at all with this (it did next to nothing towards removing any paint, even after soaking miniatures in it for more than a week) and it is highly toxic. That being said, I'm told that there are different kinds of Brake Fluid, so maybe I had the wrong kind...?

Brake fluid effects vary wildly but it is also known to contain carcinogens.

[Keith]

I use Nitromors - standard 'viscous' for tough jobs and 'Master Craftsmen's' for delicate work.

Its so good that I have no fears buying second hand painted models from Ebay etc. knowing that I can strip them easily in under a day.

[Heldrak]

Note: Do not use Pine Sol on plastic models (as it purportedly dissolves them).

Do not use PineSol.

It has health issues when used improperly and stripping paint is one of those "improper" uses of the product.

I would suggest that before anyone uses a product that is not labelled as being non-toxic and/or water soluble that you do research on the health impact(s) of the product and the possible side-effects of using them.

PineSol and other similar cleaners are intended to be used at quite low concentrations in water. People that do use it at higher concentrations are supposed to wear masks and gloves.

PineSol is nasty and I am always surprised when people suggest it for anything. Think back to your earlier comment... it melts hard plastic. You can't think that the product is safe.

I certainly don't wish to promulgate unsafe use of a product...

That being said, personally, I always wear rubber gloves when stripping paint (even if the chemicals weren't harmful, the action of scrubbing with the denture brush would tear up one's fingers anyway) and I work in a well-ventilated area. Figures go from the dilute solution of Pine Sol straight to a scrubbing with dish detergent (and the Pine Sol container is then re-sealed) so I'm not touching or inhaling any more significant quantity of Pine Sol that anyone scrubbing a floor with it would get, so I'm reasonably confident of my own safety.

Easy-off is probably deadlier than Pine Sol- When I use it, I always rinse the residue away in a slop sink before I go to scrub the paint off the figures (or a burning in the eyes and the throat will result).

Frankly, in my experience anything that does a half-way decent job at removing paint is pretty deadly in one way or another, and products that are safer (Simple Green, etc.) do a fairly poor job. If anyone's got a recommendation for a product that's absolutely safe and very effective, I'd love to hear it...!

Any advice you get off the internet re: stripping paint should be considered to be intended for adults who will read warnings and take adequate precautions with their health when applying the advice.