 John the OFM  | 05 Nov 2025 9:33 a.m. PST |
I want to strip the paint off around 20 Austrian hussars.
But the paint is really caked on.
I mentioned hussars specifically, because of the frustrating detail.
I've had them soaking in PineSol, rinsed and then Simple Green.
The bulk of the surface paint comes off, but the nooks and crannies are frustrating.
Has anyone tried ultrasonic jewelry cleaners?
Do they work well?
Dies it clean the nooks and crannies?
What kind of solution have you used? |
| Wackmole9 | 05 Nov 2025 11:00 a.m. PST |
Has anyone tried ultrasonic jewelry cleaners? Yes I have one Do they work well? Mini is in water and Soundwave vibrate the paint off Dies it clean the nooks and crannies? Yes and No It best on plastic and so so on Metal. What kind of solution have you used? I uses a cheap degreaser |
| KarlBergman | 05 Nov 2025 12:09 p.m. PST |
I have used an ultrasonic cleaner to strip both plastic and metal minis in the past. I have used both Simple Green and acetone. The worst figures I had to clean were 6mm GHQ and CinC tanks, made of pewter, that had been originally painted with a rattle can color. I was able to strip off most of the paint using acetone in the ultrasonic cleaner, but had to use a fine dental pick to clear out all of the high detail areas. It worked well enough for me to repaint but was not a pleasant experience. For plastic figures Simple Green would be the way to go. |
| Zephyr1 | 05 Nov 2025 3:00 p.m. PST |
If they are metal, for a test, hit one or two of them with WD-40 and let them sit for a day or two, then pick them clean with a hobby knife blade. They'll need to be really washed well afterwards to de-grease them… |
| John the OFM | 05 Nov 2025 3:04 p.m. PST |
WD-40 is certainly cheaper than an ultrasonic cleaner. 😄 |
| Louis XIV | 05 Nov 2025 4:34 p.m. PST |
If they are metal: Acetone would work I have an Ultrasonic Cleaner for plastics and use 90% IPA. This is NOT advisable but it works so well I can't help myself |
 Sgt Slag | 05 Nov 2025 4:43 p.m. PST |
Ultrasonic cleaners are supposed to require nothing more than hot water. I would add a small amount of dish soap, as this will break the surface tension, allowing the water to reach inside the nooks and crannies. They work by cavitation, so anything that will break the water's surface tension, would be a great aid to the process. Having watched numerous videos on ultrasonic cleaners, I've come to realize that water is good, but solvents can be more effective. Heat, also, is critical to their function. I would love to acquire one, but I fear it would see little use. I bought a Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter several years ago. After I finished a large foam cutting project with it, it now sits, collecting dust! I am hesitant to buy another expensive tool that will see more shelf time than usage for my hobbies. Cheers! |
| John the OFM | 05 Nov 2025 5:04 p.m. PST |
Yeah. I have 20 figures to clean. So…. Do I want to spend $35 USD on a cleaner, or $5 USD on a can of WD-40? 🤔 |
| Zephyr1 | 05 Nov 2025 9:42 p.m. PST |
WD-40 contains kerosene, more powerful than acetone (it also *almost* dissolves that old Testors model glue, but is murder on plastics after a time.)
I also have an USC, but I never found it to be very effective at cleaning anything… |
| KeepYourPowderDry | 05 Nov 2025 10:32 p.m. PST |
Used sonic baths, as we call them in the trade (teacher of the deaf) for many years – cleaning ear moulds. But never for mini stripping. They are brilliant at cleaning jewellery, waterproof watches etc. All the muck that gets trapped in tiny recesses comes out. All you need in the sonic bath is water, special solution seems to be a marketing strategy/opportunity. From knowing how they work, I would suggest that you will get best results in soaking the minis in whatever you use for stripping, long enough for the paint to go fuzzy and starting to come off, then put them in the sonic bath. This will remove the paint. The sonic bath just replaces the laborious task of cleaning the figures up after the paint stripper soak step. I can imagine that a sonic bath will have better results on plastic figures, due to their slight flexibility. Paint stripper in the sonic bath would probably be the best solution, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it unless it was very well ventilated. |
| Red Jacket | 06 Nov 2025 4:11 a.m. PST |
How often do people repaint figures? |
| Louis XIV | 06 Nov 2025 4:46 a.m. PST |
How often do people repaint figures? After a convention flea market? I often do single figures if the test model isn't working |
| John the OFM | 06 Nov 2025 5:00 a.m. PST |
I mentioned the 20 hussars above. They came from a flea market, without horses. Miraculously I have Empty Horses.
I think the paint job is too dark and thick. So I'm redoing them from scratch. |
| Alakamassa | 06 Nov 2025 6:12 a.m. PST |
Do not use solvents like acetone with ultrasonics! Not sure you would get good results with the cheap machines housewives use on their engagement rings. I'm a jeweler and have a $400 USD unit with heat and it works great. I soak the figures in Simple Green concentrate over night in a glass jar. Then I place the jar in the water bath of the ultrasonic and run it for one or two 20 min cycles. This removes 98% of the paint if its acrylic without mocking up my ultrasonic. |
| Sgt Slag | 06 Nov 2025 7:35 a.m. PST |
The higher end USC's have better quality transducers, and they are more firmly attached to the tubs (better welds, better transducers). I've heard that many of the inexpensive USC's will have their transducers fall off the bottom of the tubs, with use. Cheap is cheap. The reviews indicate that price does equal quality, for the most part. Still, an inexpensive (cheap) USC is better than no USC. LOL! I would like to have one to occasionally clean mine and my wife's rings with, more than I would use one for stripping miniatures of paint. Cheers! |
| KeepYourPowderDry | 06 Nov 2025 11:26 a.m. PST |
Alakamassa, agreed I meant the alternative strippers that people use (disinfectant type stuff) rather than the solvent based strippers. It was early in the morning when I wrote that and hadn't had enough coffee. Hence I wasn't completely clear, thank you for clarifying |
