Removing paint

Whiskas · **Posted:** Sat Apr 02, 2011 2:49 pm

Hi all, what would be good to remove old paint from models?

Beowulf03809 · **Posted:** Sat Apr 02, 2011 3:35 pm

The general concensus around here is soaking in Simple Green (cleaner) and then a soft toothbrush. I'm about to start soaking my first models (some Rohan from an ebay lot) this afternoon so will hopefully have some first hand confirmation for you. :-)

charluke12915 · **Joined:** Thu Sep 16, 2010 6:39 pm **Posts:** 58

For metals a great product is De-solv-it GREAT STRIP. It's none caustic so safe to touch. Comes as a blue jel. Just put some in a jam jar and leave over night.

Plastic goes soft. Can be used but don't leave it on long. Couple of mins at most.

Just use an old tooth brush to clean.

Whiskas · **Posted:** Sun Apr 03, 2011 9:50 am

Beowulf03809 wrote:

The general concensus around here is soaking in Simple Green (cleaner) and then a soft toothbrush. I'm about to start soaking my first models (some Rohan from an ebay lot) this afternoon so will hopefully have some first hand confirmation for you. :-)

Simple Green isn't available in the UK.

Charluke, thanks for the info about metal figures.

ForgottenLore · **Joined:** Sun Mar 27, 2011 10:47 pm **Posts:** 491

If Simple Green isn't an option, I have had luck using Pine Sol on plastic.

Fair warning, however. Some people have reported Pine Sol softening plastic and eroding detail. That didn't happen to me but if you go that route be careful. Also, the Pine Sol I used lost effectiveness quickly. The first batch I put in it came very clean after just a couple hours soaking, the second batch I had to leave in over night and it still didn't get as clean as the first.

Whiskas · **Posted:** Sat Apr 09, 2011 8:41 am

Mhm, I don't think I'd feel safe using something that has been reported to have softened the plastic.

Dezartfox · **Posted:** Sat Apr 09, 2011 8:52 am

In the UK get Fairy Power Spray.
squirt it on and the paint comes off in like 30 seconds. No soaking needed! Doesn't damage plastic, resin or greenstuff, and doesnt disolve glue.

Drumstick · **Joined:** Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:57 am **Posts:** 1223

Ah yes, I also had trouble with that. There's a thread I started up when I asked the question, plenty of suggestions/hints/tips if you need there: viewtopic.php?f=46&t=20189&start=0

Drum

lotrmaster89 · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2011 3:48 pm

how long do you soak the plastic models in simple green??

Beowulf03809 · **Posted:** Mon May 02, 2011 7:57 pm

I took longer than needed probably just because I used a cut of the mixture. I started with a few capfulls to 2 cups of water and increased from there. My final mix is probably 1:1 water/concentrated Simple Green. I have another model to try soon but I think about 24 - 36 hours with at least one or two "breaks" in there to scrub off the loose paint. I do this under a slow flow of water with a soft tooth brush. Getting rid of the loose stuff gets it out of the way so the chemicals may work on the paint still solid.

It seems the metal models came clean easier than the plastics so that will need to be taken into account. And a few people have told me they just use SG direct with no dilution. Though more expensive it would most likely be faster.

What I also liked it is broke several of the glue bonds. I was able to easily separate horse from rider. The horse bodies stayed together but they have a lot more surface area plus the pin-in-hole joins. But I imagine you can pop apart many binds less than that. So be careful when you're cleaning that you don't loose a piece down a drain unexpectedly.

Removing paint

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