Rebelyell2006 | 16 Jul 2014 2:33 p.m. PST |
I was looking through my hobby supply drawers and I found some 1:72/20mm Revell 100 Years War soft plastic infantry that I poorly painted about 15-20 years ago for a long-gone school diorama. I could do a fairly better job on them now (now that I know to clean, prime and undercoat), but what is the best way to remove old acrylic and enamel paints? Would soaking or scrubbing with acetone/nail polish remover work? |
ming31 | 16 Jul 2014 2:37 p.m. PST |
Simple green soak the a toothbrush scrub |
abelp01 | 16 Jul 2014 2:40 p.m. PST |
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ordinarybass | 16 Jul 2014 3:22 p.m. PST |
Simple green doesn't always do as well on enamel paints, but it generally does ok and almost any paint will strip easier off from soft plastics than other materials. Simple Green will probably do the trick. However, I'd recommend "Purple Power". It's half the price, notably more effective, and it still has the 2-butoxethanol chemical that simple green took out of it's formulation last year. It's what auto shops use to clean engines and other really dirty things. You can find it at any auto parts store, and most Wal-Marts. The only downside is that it's not non-toxic like green. It's not overly dangerous, but you do have to use gloves (I like Solvex green gloves). I've stripped hundreds (perhaps 1000+ at this point) of minis over the years and I'm very happy to have switched from Green to Purple. |
Rebelyell2006 | 16 Jul 2014 4:40 p.m. PST |
I'm not too worried about chemicals harming me, but would they off-gas in a way that would hurt my birds or my ultra-sensitive bloodhounds? |
ordinarybass | 16 Jul 2014 6:48 p.m. PST |
I don't know, but I don't believe so. It's really not much more harsh than some strong household chemicals. Here's the MSDS for it. You can compare it to the MSDS of whatever your other houshold cleaners are to be sure. PDF link |
davbenbak | 17 Jul 2014 8:13 a.m. PST |
Good for you. I have some old airfix Napoleonic's that I embarrassingly painted 30 years ago with testers enamel paints and brushes. I keep them hidden in a box instead on the shelf with the rest of their Esci, Italieri and Revell brethren. I swear that some day their units will be reactivated but the Emperor has yet to call their conscription class. |
Rubber Suit Theatre | 17 Jul 2014 9:12 a.m. PST |
The same kit is still available for less than $20. USD Available in a Revell box on Amazon, in an Accurate box from the usual sources. Probably worth it just to avoid the hassles. |
Cerdic | 17 Jul 2014 11:39 a.m. PST |
Oven cleaner! The sort that foams up. Put the figures into a small plastic bag. Squirt some oven cleaner in, close the bag and give it a good shake. Leave overnight. Next day, open the bag. Inside will be a gunky mess. Take out a figure and scrub with an old toothbrush under a running tap. You should get just clean plastic in a few seconds. Put figure aside to dry and repeat. Simple and cheap! |
ordinarybass | 17 Jul 2014 12:35 p.m. PST |
Will oven cleaner kill soft plastic minis. Oven cleaner can really damage hard plastic, but I don't know about soft. I've only used oven cleaner on metal figs because of this. |
Cerdic | 17 Jul 2014 2:04 p.m. PST |
It shouldn't do. I've used it on a load of old Airfix figures from the 70s, painted in Humbrol enamels. They came up a treat. No paint and no damage! |
Rebelyell2006 | 17 Jul 2014 7:14 p.m. PST |
I tried the Simple Green on two of the archers, using the concentrated formula diluted 1:1 with water in a small serving cup. It works really well, and except for some metallic paint the acrylics and what I assume was an enamel just melted off with a toothbrush after soaking for an hour. Thanks for the recommendations. I'll try it in bulk this weekend. |
Rebelyell2006 | 19 Jul 2014 3:51 p.m. PST |
Now that I am getting most of the old paint off, I think I could use them as a good starting point for a 100 Years War English army (as I have some heavy and light men at arms and billmen, some ribauds/brigans/Welsh infantry, and just 8 longbowmen). But they range in height between 22-24mm. Should I look for a "Heroic" 20mm range, or would Old Glory 25mm be a decent match? |