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Offline Mabluz

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Removing Paint.
« on: August 13, 2002, 08:03:22 AM »
How can I remove old paint from a model?  ???

I know you need to ues white spirit. But how do you do it?  ???Do you put the model in white spirit or do you rub the model with white spirit?  ???OR do you use something completely different than white spirit? ???
« Last Edit: June 9, 2009, 09:25:40 PM by Dux Aurelius Elysius »
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Offline Dangonblane

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2002, 08:37:37 AM »
White Spirit is best used for enammel (oil) based paints.  For the Acrylic (water) based paints that GW supply (and most other miniature producers these days) you're better off using brake fluid.  Yup brake fluid.  Let the models soak for 24-48 hours, fully submerged, then have at then with an old toothbrush.

Works for me all the time.

Offline Mystic511

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2002, 01:44:35 PM »
I justed used acetone that i bought from a hardware supply store.  Be careful though, acetone dries really fast, so I had to basically leave it in the acetone as I scrubbed it.  Because of that, i recommend gloves and open air.

I didn't try it on any plastic models though, so be wary.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2002, 01:45:27 PM by Mystic511 »

Offline The Pooply Experiance

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2002, 01:26:05 AM »
not that long there was a post covering this

Offline Afaflix

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2002, 03:05:11 AM »
Breakfluid works great.
Pine sole works just like it, except the smell gets a bit much sometimes.
Simple Green works too.
Just drop your minis in a tupperware full with that stuff and then use a old toothbrush to clean them.
careful with pine sole tho', it makes plastic parts rubbery if left in for two weeks. My buddy has now some Dark Eldar with week knees .... the cowards.

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Offline Necros

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2002, 10:51:10 AM »
I recomend Pinesol, in fact I just used it to strip the paint off of a whole squad of old marines. Let them sit for about a day or 2, then take them out and use an old toothbrush with some warm water to get the paint out of all the little cracks. Pinesol worked really good for me

Offline Romulus

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2002, 06:22:58 PM »
wouldnt some of these things dissolve/wear away/destroy the plastic  ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
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Their fast, dangerous and if the rubber breaks you are DEAD.

Offline .Panda.

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2002, 07:22:05 AM »
I just get some nail polish remover (cheap stuff) Get an old toothbrush and start scrubing in 10 minutes u got a brand new model ( i did this with a friends chaos lord, it had 7 LAYERS of paint on it.....=(.
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Offline Antioch

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2002, 01:04:56 PM »
Hmm. I've found that nail polish remover and pinesol work best.  I'm not so sure if pinesol is good for plastics, but I know for a fact that the remover is plastic-safe..it might not be as powerful a paint stripper as some of the other things out there, but it won't leave your beloved mini a lump of squishy plastic.... :o

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« Last Edit: August 19, 2002, 01:05:27 PM by Antioch »
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Offline Venerable Wraithlord Trokoshea

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2002, 01:21:35 PM »
Pinesol overnight (its long enough even for thick coats of paint). Brush the miniature with an old toothbrush while rincing in the sink using warm water. That's fast and does not make a mess.
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Offline cento

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2002, 02:59:38 PM »
Pine Sol WILL melt plastic.

Brake Fluid or Simple Green are the safer choices for stripping plastic minis.

Offline Monoglycer

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2002, 08:00:18 PM »
What about striping paint of one specific area (face) what do you use then??

Offline .Panda.

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Re:How can I remove old paint?
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2002, 05:48:45 AM »
Nail polish remover & a brush, wash the brush WELL after use, as you keep rubbing more paint should come off, be carful though don't let the remover drip onto other parts of your mini.
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Offline P0L1C4J

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Removing Paint
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2005, 02:30:17 AM »
I was thinking we should do a sticky on removing paint so you don't have to go to the painting clinic or anywhere else. Everyone should submit their experiences and what they used and any pics if they have them, and we'll sort of compile an article. I also have a lot of material, because I have a whole army in need of stripping and a lot of different solvents I can use - I'll also take pictures.

And, I am aware this topic comes up very often, and that we have a sticky linking to the painting clinic, but I also believe it is a lot easier to simply make sticky instead of having to browse the forum since the search function doesn't work.

So, here it is

PAINT REMOVAL GUIDE v0.3
(last updated: 7. July '06)

Cleaning Products:

1. Acetone (and other products containing it)
A clear, colorless fluid. Has a sharp smell, evaporates quickly, feels cold on the skin. It is highly volatile, poisonous and may irritate the skin.
Is also used as ingridient in other cleaning products (nail polish remover)

Effects: Very rapidly dissolves GW paints, superglue, green stuff, also eats plastic very quickly! Very useful for metal models, DO NOT USE ON PLASTIC MODELS!

Cleaning: Soak the models in Acetone for a few hours (you can get good results in as little as 5 minutes, depending on how much Acetone the product you're using contains), 1 day should remove most of the paint. Don't forget to remove the plastic bases from your models and once again, don't use Acetone on plastics!
After soaking, scrub them with an old toothrush with hard bristles and rinse them under warm water.

Contamination: Acetone gets contaminated really quickly, so your first bath might take as little as 5 minutes, while the next one might already be an hour or so... it all depends on how much you use and how many models you clean at the same time.

Availability: Can be bought in most hardware stores, nail polish removers also contain it (they can be found in cosmetic stores).

Safety issues: If you soak your models, make sure you store the container in a ventilated place, it evaporates quickly so when working with it, make sure you don't have any flames in the vicinity :D. Also, it dissolves fats, so your skin will feel very dry after contact.

Environmental issues: Check your local environmental laws, otherwise I think you're not allowed to pour Acetone into the drain, but because those are really small amounts and most of it evaporates anyway, I think you should be ok.


2. Brake fluid
A yellow, oily fluid, used for hydraulic brake systems (in cars, for example). Is volatile and has a high boiling point (depends on the standard you use). Comes in different standards, DOT 3 and DOT 4 seem to work best, but you shouldn't use DOT 5 (DOT3 & 4 are based on glycerol, and DOT5 is based on silicon or something)

Effects: Slowly dissolves paint, plastic glue, also softens green stuff, and doesn't damage metal or plastic (IT'S 100% SAFE FOR PLASICS (i left a model in for a bit more than 3 months, it came out squeaky clean)
Also, it should dissolve superglue (but it takes a looong time)

Cleaning : Soak your models in a Brake Fluid bath (doen't mix with water i think, so don't dilute it). It takes a while (anywhere from 6 hours to a few days, even weeks), but it's worth the effort as you can literally peel the paint off when done. Be careful, as the glue melts and your models will fall apart. Make sure to scrub off the messy sludge that remains in the recesses, and rinse the models under running water very well, as the oily residue tends to stay on the model and make your life harder when you paint it :D. It might be a good idea to give your models a nice soapy bath, not only for your warriors to relax after a hard stripping, but to wash off the brake fluid completely.

3. Castrol Super Clean (CSC) (works well for metal and plastic minis)

4. Simple Green (a great tutorial: http://www.40konline.com/index.php/topic,79520.0.html)

5. Pine Sol (not sure if it's safe for plastic)

6. Cleaning Petrol (Benzine) (doesn't work, all it does is melt plastic minis from the inside out)

7. Lysol All-purpose Cleaner (use for metal, NOT PLASTIC)

8. Epoxy Paint Thinner (thanks to OmegaOne for that one)
Has a strong, distinctive smell, also evaporates quickly. It is used to thin paints so they can be applied with an Airbrush.

Effects: Thins the paint, so it becomes less dense; it loosens the paint on metal minis. Also, it turns plastic into goo if used improperly, so you have to be very careful and fast when cleaning palstics with it.

Cleaning: Take a toothbrush, a glass of Epoxy Paint Thinner, a glass of water, and some toilet paper. It might be a good idea to do this outside, if there isn't enough ventilation where you are.
Now, take the model, and dip the toothbrush in the thinner. Scrub it where is needs to be cleaned, and dip the toothbrush in water quickly thereafter and scrub again till clean. Use the toilet paper to dry it. (Editor's Note: You might want to give the model a good rinse under running water, too)
The models might have a grey/black look afterwards, which is probably because of the primer, but it shouldn't be a problem. The details are clear and paint sticks well to it.
This method is quite difficult, so unless you've got some experience, or no other solvents, I wouldn't recommend using it.

9. Dettol (Works well, just don't use the pre-diluted one)

Here's 2 links on how to use Dettol:
http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=101638.0
http://www.40konline.com/index.php?topic=106929.0

(Thanks to Zany Reaper and xxRaVeNxx for those)

10. Window Cleaner (I doubt this one works, but it might be worth to try, I've heard it works, but very slowly)

11. Methylated Spirits

12. Orange TKO

13. Coke (Now, I've heard Coca Cola can be used to clean windows (truckers supposedly use it because it's cheaper than detergents), remove rust (this one's fishy), clean oily residue off of engine parts (fishy one, too), and, clean Chrome. Mabye it also cleans minis, who knows? :D (I'm gonna try this one out sometime soon, Zany Reaper says it doesn't work, but I'll check anyway)


----------------------

Alternative methods (unconventional, non-guaranteed, dangerous, experimantal, not tested ;)):

- putting your models into the washing machine - useful only for metal models (also remove the bases), as the plastic doesn't seem tough enough to survive a washer-warp-whirlpool (submitted by Azumi_chan)


Credits:
- Eon Kull
- Chemimarines
- Azumi_chan
- Grimnar
- OmegaOne
- Zany Reaper


This is all so far, please tell me about any mistakes, missing or incorrect information, weird language, grammar and spelling mistakes (English isn't my first language)... Also, if you feel you should be credited for any info, PM me. I'll check all the information, get some pics, links, I'll do a little dictionary too, so, expect some updates every few days
« Last Edit: July 7, 2006, 06:23:33 AM by P0L1C4J »
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Offline tonyzahn

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Re: Removing Paint
« Reply #14 on: April 13, 2005, 09:23:05 AM »
Besides just giving the link, the FAQ lists some suggestions (CSC and brake fluid). It leaves out my personal favorite choices: Simple Green for plastics and nail polish remover for metals, but it's adequate.

Offline P0L1C4J

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Re: Removing Paint
« Reply #15 on: April 13, 2005, 10:20:10 AM »
yes, but it thought of making a sort of, almost exhaustive list of different products you can use and experiments and stuff...

so, whenever you strip any models of their paint, just post here and if you have any pictures, even better!
« Last Edit: April 13, 2005, 01:10:44 PM by P0L1C4J »
Wanna know how to keep an idiot busy for hours?  Click here!

Quote from: Archon_Yggdrisil
Romance applies to chivalry, but chivalry does not apply to romance. It's like a sandwich. You need cheese to make a sandwich, but you don't need a sandwich to make cheese.

Now I'm hungry.

Offline Eon Kull

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Re: Removing Paint
« Reply #16 on: April 21, 2005, 02:38:38 AM »
Didn't take pictures but I started stripping models tonight with CSC and Easy Off (use the classic w/ Sodium Hydroxide, not the new foam stuff!). My CSC guys are still in their bath but I got results off the Easy Off guys as that was a spray. Has anyone tried the pump-spray CSC before btw?

Anyway, the Easy Off stripped all the paint off of my test plastic model but left all the black primer on. It completely stripped a pewter scout model and got about half the paint off of a Daemon Prince (the paint was really thick) on this one. All models had been sprayed and brushed twice within 2 1/2 hours. The Daemon Prince went in the bath with the other test batch and we'll see how that came out. The Easy Off also caused some of the super glued pieces on the pewters to fall off during brushing.

As a side note, I have not seen anywhere online anyone mention any stripping agents that would be safe on green stuff work. Is it possible? (The green stuff filling the torso hold on the DP got really weak and cracked)


Offline ChemiMarines

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Re: Removing Paint
« Reply #17 on: April 21, 2005, 06:58:47 AM »
where can i buy some of this easy off stuff and how much would it set me back??  ??? ???

Offline P0L1C4J

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Re: Removing Paint
« Reply #18 on: April 21, 2005, 03:02:29 PM »
I've used brake fluid on metal and plastic minis and some of them had some green stuff, too.
The paint came off the plastic ones really well (after 3 days in a bath), it also works quite well on metal models, although i think it works better on plastic
as for the green stuff, it was soaked in brake fluid for 5 days and it came out a bit softer (still in it's original form, only a bit... bendable :P)
so, to clean green stuff, i think you should soak it for 1 day, then brush it (not to roughly), let it dry, then repeat this process until it's clean
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Quote from: Archon_Yggdrisil
Romance applies to chivalry, but chivalry does not apply to romance. It's like a sandwich. You need cheese to make a sandwich, but you don't need a sandwich to make cheese.

Now I'm hungry.

Offline AzumiChan

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Re: Removing Paint
« Reply #19 on: April 21, 2005, 03:33:06 PM »
For metal models, try taking them for a spin in the washer (yes that works really well), just don't forget to remove the base..they tend to warp "a little" ;D
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