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Stripping Plastics
Tas	Post subject: Stripping Plastics Posted: Mon May 19, 2003 4:31 am
Brood Brother Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 10:01 am Posts: 7823 Location: Sydney, NSW	Hi Guys, I've been accruing a great heap of figures through here, ebay and other places, but the problem I now have is how do I best strip all the old paint off? I've found lots of old methods for metal minis, including Oven Cleaner, brake fluid and the like, but I would think plastics are a bit less resiliant to nasty chemicals like that. ?Plus you really want to get it all off the plastic infantry or all the detail is obscured. ?(I think Helen Keller undercoated some of these figures!) I'd be grateful for the wisdom of others' experiences, especially what NOT to do ? Cheers _________________ Tas My General blog: http://tasmancave.blogspot.com/ My VSF Blog: http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/ My ECW Blog: http://declaresir.blogspot.com/
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MaksimSmelchak

Post subject: Stripping Plastics Posted: Mon May 19, 2003 5:07 am

Brood Brother Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2003 4:43 pm Posts: 7258 Location: Sacramento, California, USA

Tas, I've been saving E-mails about stripping for some time. Here are a few: So far the best thing I've found to strip the paint from plastic miniatures is common brake fluid. You pour some in a bucket, jar, etc. over the miniatures, give it several hours - about a day works well, then most of the paint peels off and you can scrub the rest off with an old toothbrush.  As soon as you clean it to your satisfaction, you do need to wash the fluid off with warm water and dish soap.  If left in the fluid too long, (like, a few days) or not washed off properly, it will etch the plastic. The detergeant Fabuloso works also, but it takes longer and there's definitely more scrubbing involved.  The wonderful smell gets to be overpowering (IMO) after a while, too. I use oven cleaner. Spray it on the miniature in a thick coat then put it in a sealed plastic bag (baggie) and let it sit for about 6 to 8 hours then scrub with an old tooth brush. Make sure you wear gloves and eye protection. I find this works better than acetone, brake fluid or Pinesol. However a lot depends on the type of paint you want to remove (is it old enamel, was it sprayed on, was the a lacquer based primer underneath, was it varnished etc.). If the oven cleaner does not work 100%  on some tough enamel paints I use spray on automotive paint remover, wear gloves and eye protection and follow the directions on the label for penetration time, scrub with an old tooth brush and make sure you use good ventilation. To remove any residue or remaining paint soak in paint remover then scrub with a brush as the last step (lacquer thinner works best). Hope this helps, speaking from experience it is a miserable job.

Better check that whatever liquid you use doesn't eat the container. Nail polish remover usually is acetone, which will eat through most plastics. Glass or stainless steel are the best bets for containers.
Other tips I have seen are car brake fluid, oven cleaners and
a 'pinesol' organic solvent available in the states. Never tried any of them, I must say.

Personally, most of the locals seem to use Pinesol. I've had good luck with it. Leave the minis in an old glass jar for a day and then take them out and go at it with an old toothbrush. After you've scrub-adub-dub'ed them, rinse with luke warm water and let them dry thoroughly.

Check out TMP. There have been a few posts on this lately. One of the more helpful clues was to put a paper towel over the plastics so they remain submerged. Otherwise, they will tend to float.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

P.S.
I have many more posts about this saved.