Article: taking paint off of metal models

S. Devare

New member
Though Pine Sol is realllly toxic, it works. For plastic, I mixed it with half Pine Sol and half water, and it worked...but I don't know how long it would take for the plastic to melt. If you leave the model in too long, the primer starts to melt and it's extremely difficult to get off. Two days should be long enough.
 

DaN

New member
ADDITIONAL: If you're scrubbing a figure that's been in something toxic, wear rubber/latex gloves.

If you find any areas that the toothbrush won't reach (Areas like beneath the chin, or around a fine detail) then use a fine-tipped tool to pry the paint loose.

You CAN use a toothpick, although they are quite fragile and may not have a fine enough tip. Using a sculpting tool or a needle will work, but you risk scratching your figure.

A decent article - would've liked to see a photo halfway through, showing the paint dissolved.
 

bullfrog

New member
Oven Kleen ( Mr Muscle) works very well also. It is also non caustic unlike many other brands of oven cleaners and won't eat your skin off. One trade off with the non caustic quality is that you have to catch it at the right time when the paint has just softened which is usually overnight. I did forget about my minis once and left them for a whole day. By then the cleaner foam had dried and was a cow to scrub off.
If left overnight the paint is nice and soft and rubs off with a fingernail or toothbrush.
Other caustic brands work as well but are so very toxic.
 
I personanally use acetone for metal minis it is cheap and available everywhere.use gloves and use only in a well ventilated area.wash thuroughly after paint is removed.DD
 

Thorn

New member
simple green works wonders.... It took two layers of primer and a horrible paint job off a old model. It breaks down superglue also so thats a bonus. a warning tho if your stripping something with alot of green stuff conversions it will lift the GS off the model. I havent notced any interaction between SG and plastic model glue or any adverse effect on styrene. so it gets my thumb up. plus is smells simple greeny fresh and is bio degradeable.
 

Brooks

New member
Nice article. Depending on the type of paint, sometimes leaving over night is plenty...also try adding a dab of lemon joy or other dish soap to your tooth brush before you start scrubbing...helps take the paint off better.
 

J2FcM

New member
JASCO Green Strip Paint Remover - in gel form. Green bottle. At home depot\lowes. Takes a half hour. 2 hours for a "water will blast off all paint" deal.
 

Jay79

New member
For Vallejo paints i use... denatured alcohol/methylated spirit (which dictionary should i trust?). 3-4 minutes and paint softens, it's not as melted as when using acethone, and it's eas to remove. BTW you can use this technique to remove paint from plastic figures too, however you should be carefull because alco can matte model's surface.
 

dak

New member
alos, brake fluid, just regular penzoil, works extremly wel on plastic and resin models, and pretty decent on pewter ones.
 
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