"Why strip paint from Clix?" Topic

Why can't you just prime them, and paint over that?

Thanks, Xin

the only thing needed to be removed from a clix is the clicky base.

I found that when I tried to just prime and paint over, the thickness of the original paintwork meant that much of the detail was lost in the finished piece. However, I was also less than successful in my attempts to strip them of paint.

Parmenion has it, loss of detail, on some not all.

Same reason people will buy a primed mini without batting an eye but that nanometer of paint from a painted mini (that they could just as easily paint over) makes them cringe.

I typically just treat the paint as the primer coat and paint right over the top. I'm using artists acrylics and generally do not lose much detail at all.

Is there a good way to strip the paint off of them?
Some of the Rackham PPP might appeal if I could take the paintjobs off of them.

The more layers of paint you have, the more detail you (potentially) lose. Plus a lot of the pre-paints have pretty thick factory jobs which ALREADY compromise detail. I know this is true on the HALOClix, as I've examined them with the idea of repainting.

Damon.

Very true; the factory paint job is often pretty thick. I've had luck with Pine Sol, but only with the harder plastics -- the softer ones don't take well to pine oil, and will literally soften to the point where they'll take FINGERPRINTS…

I've used Pine Sol with good results on the chromed bits of plastic model kits… bumpers and such… but it did seem to soften the (hard) plastic a bit… for a while.
I'm wondering if a loooooooong soak in Simple Green might be the safer bet… even if it took some scrubbing.

Pine Sol will eventually dissolve styrene. Chrome bumpers IIRC have a coating underneath the chrome to assist in the chroming process, so that may have inhibited the solvent. I'd be inclined to try Simple Green instead, which does not affect styrene plastic (or most plastics for that matter)…

Damon.

My method involves acetone in a sprayer, running cold water, a brush you don't care about (and that acetone won't eat), and patience. It works very well. Acetone will also eat the original plastic 'clix were made from, I don't know about the later, softer stuff.

Simple Green or Formula 409 are your best bets.

I have soaked clix in Simple Green for over a month with no factory paint removed. The best metohd I have come up with is a q-tip or small sponge dipped in acetone. Then I just rub it on the clix like an eraser. It takes time, but it works.

You can dip the figure in acetone but they become very soft. They get bendy and gummy. As someone else mentioned they will take a finger print or imprint of things that touch it at this point.

Does anybody know if certain primers will eat the soft clix plastic? I have many stripped but have been hesitant to prime with spray primers.