"Stripping paint off Mins" Topic

Hello,
I have just received a Essexs 15mm DBA Spartan Army the paint job is pretty average. I am after away to strip the paint off so I can repaint it. Any help will be great.
Thanks

This might help but you need patience – bit.ly/qXWDlh

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Martin Stephenson
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if the figures are metal, just drop them in acetone or turpentine for 24 hours and then scrub them with a toothbrush under running water

Thank for the tips will give them a try and let you know

Put them in an air tight plastic container bases and all, with some paint stripper in the bottom, the fumes alone will break down the paint glue everything. I've done this lots of times. Leave over night, take them out pull them off the bases wash em down ( water ) and if needed put them in over night again, keep doing it till there's no paint remaining. Can't go wrong.

Here's my recipe.

An important point with Essex figures is the lead is soft – you want as little scrubbing as possible, or everyone will end up with a snub nose.

I wash them first with boiling water from the kettle and soap. This loosens the paint a bit, and helps get them off the basing material. Dont stir them about if you can help it – soft, soft essex lead.

Then I let them dry and put them in a decent proprietory stripper – Nitromors is good, though perilous. Cellulose thinners are better as they are fairly safe.

I leave them a week, strain off the thinners and rinse the figures with hot water. 90% of the paint will just fall off. Then back in the stipper they go overnight. Lastly you can gently scrub them with a soft toothbrush. Give them a good wash before you try to paint them, stripper can lurk in pockets and casue your new paint to melt.

Pat

Nail polish works too.

Nail polish works too

For that 'pretty Wargamer on the prowl for a hunky man' look, yes it does. For stripping figures you will find nail polish remover is better….

Pat

White spirit.
It is not fancy, it is not cool, it does not clean your dishes either.
But it does work and is cheap.

Put them in a jar with Simple Green, which is a lot safer on your skin than the paint strippers or acetone, let them sit over night and clean them off with an old tooth brush and warm water and your set!! This stuff is a household cleaner, so you don't have to worry about re-cleaning them with soap, at least I've never done that.

Pine Sol. Cheap, easy, smells good.

I just stripped about 50 Ogre minis with practically no effort by soaking them in Pine Sol for 24 hours. Most of the paint just floated off in sheets, I did use an old toothbrush to scrub a few areas. They look like they just came out of the mold now.

What abelp01 said – Simple Green is tops in my book for this.

Doug

I use either Pine Sol, Simple Green or Easy Off oven cleaner.They all work well.

I've tried them all and Simple Green is best. Less toxic and after 24 hours or so most of the paint will literally fall off.

none of the PINESOL products are available in the UK. Always keen to try something new – know what is comparable in England?

You can get Simplegreen in the uk but its mail order only.

Try Detol link

Andrew

detol seems to just melt the paint and leaves a nasty tarry residue.

Pat

No matter what solvent you use, please remember to wear heavy plastic gloves when you handle them. Solvents will also strip off the upper layers of your skin. I speak from painful experience with Pine-Sol!!

Jim

Simple Green. Let them soak in it overnight, rinse the next day…

I've stripped hundreds of figures and I use Simple Green for almost all my paint stripping. A soak or two of SG and almost all paint comes off. Also, you can leave them in for as long as you like without danger to plastic or metal figures and it's completely no-toxic. I don't even use gloves, though it can dry your skin out a bit.

If the paint resists simple green, I've got a jar of MEK out on the porch that is remarkably toxic (and will melt plastic), but will make short work of any paint on metal miniatures.

MEK is extremely toxic – you don't want to breathe those fumes!

I use Pinesol on metal models; Simple Green on plastics. Both work well.

Would it not be easier to take the "average" paint job and bring it the next level? An evenings works and you could be done.

Cheers,

Simple green for me. And I strip plenty of left over figures after the HMGS conventions. I have tried other stuff, but it turned plastics and resins into gooey messes.

Like some of the other posters said -- the lead in Essex line is really soft -- so whatever scrubbing you have to do, do with the softest toothbrush (think baby toothbrush) and lightest had you can.

none of the PINESOL products are available in the UK. Always keen to try something new – know what is comparable in England?

I generally use Tesco own-brand pine disinfectant for 24 hours, followed by a gentle scrub with an old softened toothbrush under running water. If there is any residue left, I soak them for 24 hrs in Boots brand nail polish remover.

Yet another recommendation for simple green.

I finally decided yesterday to strip off the paint from my Warhammer 40k Eldar.

They were my 2nd army after my Harlequins. The paint has been on them for nearly 20 years now.

So far the Aspects have been soaking in Simple Green since yesterday afternoon and I will check them after I eat breakfast later.

First time stripping paint with Simple Green.

After the Aspects are done then the Guardians are going in next.

Boy, how I wish we could try simple green over here in UK.

But Dettol original – I have used and someone has just mentioned it to me again. Safe on plastics for a while – don't leave hard plastic in it too long though :-)

Ditto the comments about Simple Green working so well. It is also one of the least toxic solutions you can use.

Sorry it's not available in the UK. Some enterprising capitalist should figure out a way to import and sell it.

The guys at Bolter and Chainsword had the "UK equivalent" discussion a while back.
link

I think we've had similar discussions here as well.