Removing paint from miniatures

[chaoticprime]

Put isopropyl alcohol in an air-tight container. Put the miniature in it for about an hour. Use that hour to buy a small-and-thin-headed plastic-bristled paint-stripping brush (not metal). Remove the miniature from the alcohol, and then cup it in your off hand while you brush off the paint. Paint may still be left in the recessed portions of the miniature. Return it to the alcohol for another hour. Do not, at any point, use water while stripping. It will react with the alcohol and basically ruin its use as a solvent. Also, the less paint in the pot, the better--basically, placing fewer miniatures in the alcohol is better. It really only does take a little while. Also, if hte alcohol won't strip the paint off after a couple attempts, it never will. Soaking it further will accomplish nothing. Basically, some types of primer cannot be removed by alcohol--typically automobile primer and other vinyl paints.

[Daedalus]

Nice option. I'll have to try it.

[IvenBach]

I'll give the booze bag a try for some of my tragedies. Because of my utter slothfulness about priming I've still not redone the ones I stripped with SG. If it works as well as I'm hoping I'll gladly booze bag all of my unhappy paints. I question the possible reaction between the Isopropyl and the magnetic strips I use on my bases. The SG left it with a noticeably weaker magnetic strength than prior, still enough to hold them upside down. I'm guessing the glue will be affected. I'll try and report the results, hopefully this weekend.

[chaoticprime]

The alcohol will sublimate the adhesive you used to attach the bases, but should otherwise leave them unaffected. Some magnetic objects are made of rubber that is only spray-treated with a magnetic coating--the actual object isn't saturated within. In those cases, alcohol might damage the coating.

The biggest reason not to use Simple Green, is that it will turn your miniatures grey.

[Thantos]

My of input to this is DONT use nitromorse or other brands of wood paint stripper on metal minis.
I did a big batch of them over the course of one weekend, outside so well ventilated, turns out hunching over, scrubbing miniatures covered in paintstripper all weekend is not good. The vapors are nasty on your insides, monday morning coughing, blood, doctor, not fun. Minis not worth sacrificing alveoli for

Simple green, Dettol or Iso-p certainly safer bets!

[chaoticprime]

My of input to this is DONT use nitromorse or other brands of wood paint stripper on metal minis.
I did a big batch of them over the course of one weekend, outside so well ventilated, turns out hunching over, scrubbing miniatures covered in paintstripper all weekend is not good. The vapors are nasty on your insides, monday morning coughing, blood, doctor, not fun. Minis not worth sacrificing alveoli for

Simple green, Dettol or Iso-p certainly safer bets!

Safe is good. I've had some bad times like that, too.

The solvent in both simple green and dettol is isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol will always strip acrylic paint in every case. The primer under the acrylic paint, unless acrylic-based, probably won't come totally off, though. The only substance that will take off latex, vinyl or enamel paint are products made specifically to do just that--or hydochloric acid (plastic miniatures only).

[IvenBach]

SG ingredients = Water, Surfactants, Chelator, Builders, Colorant & Fragrance.

I'm guessing it's the Chelator or Builder that's the Alcohol as CP mentioned. Just immersed 1 completely and another that's exposed only to the vapors. Had some medical grade anhydrous isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) and that't what I used. Lets see how this experiment works. Neither had varnish on them. Only a bad yellow paint job I want to forget.

[IvenBach]

Tested by scrubbing at 30 mins and an hour. Results show that immersion and vapor alone both remove the primer. Stuffs like acid on the paint and tears it up fierce when immersed. I'd liken it to it being a 'workn girl on payday' results are that fast . The one exposed to vapor still worked but a lot more scrubbing was needed. Didn't have any problem with the adhesive coming off my magnet nor any apparent loss of strength, although it was only an hour opposed to a week with SG. Certainly a great way to strip paint. CP you sir deserve for your suggestion to use ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL (ISOPROPANOL). I will repeat ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL (ISOPROPANOL).

[chaoticprime]

SG ingredients = Water, Surfactants, Chelator, Builders, Colorant & Fragrance.

I'm guessing it's the Chelator or Builder that's the Alcohol as CP mentioned. Just immersed 1 completely and another that's exposed only to the vapors. Had some medical grade anhydrous isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) and that't what I used. Lets see how this experiment works. Neither had varnish on them. Only a bad yellow paint job I want to forget.

Actually, it would be the Surfactants. The 2‐butoxyethanol is actually the solvent in SG--I was mistaken just above (though in a much earlier post I was not). High concentrations of that are dangerous, so its greatly diluted with water, and is bonded with chelators that neutralize bad-stuff, and builders that make it foam up (which causes dissolved particles to stick together).

Here is the MSDS on Simple Green: http://www.simplegreen.com/pdfs/MSDS_EN ... leaner.pdf

You can get the same results out of Pine-Sol.

[chaoticprime]

Tested by scrubbing at 30 mins and an hour. Results show that immersion and vapor alone both remove the primer. Stuffs like acid on the paint and tears it up fierce when immersed. I'd liken it to it being a 'workn girl on payday' results are that fast . The one exposed to vapor still worked but a lot more scrubbing was needed. Didn't have any problem with the adhesive coming off my magnet nor any apparent loss of strength, although it was only an hour opposed to a week with SG. Certainly a great way to strip paint. CP you sir deserve for your suggestion to use ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL (ISOPROPANOL). I will repeat ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL (ISOPROPANOL).

That is also much cheaper to buy, and far more available, than Dettol or Simple Green.