How to remove paint?

Hey all!

Is there a way to remove old paint on metal miniatures?

Yes! Find some Simple Green. It's a concentrated cleaner you can find most anywhere (assuming you are in the US) and just soak the mini in it for a few hours. Use an old toothbrush and scrub, the paint will just peel off.

Note; some primers seem to be very stubborn with this stuff.

Brake Fluid also works, but not recommended for any plastic models. You may have to soak it the better part of a day or two.

Hope this helps!
Cami

Thanks! Well I'm from denmark so I don't really know this "green", but concentrated cleaner will do, maybe like cilit bang (if you got that in the us)? Another (perhaps) stupid question: Can this damage the model in any way?

I've never heard of that. I've used simple green. Reports are also going around about the "Awesome" cleaner from dollar stores working well for plastics.

Since your mini is metal you don't have to be so careful as it's not going to melt or soften. You can use normal paint strippers, nail polish remover, et cetera.

The only paints that really give the chemical agents a tough time are those Testors paints designed for model cars. I've stripped multiple layers of paint from some Blood Angels I inherited using Simple Green (which is just an eco-friendly, multi-purpose household cleaner for all surfaces) and soaking them for about 9-10 days before using an old toothbrush and dental pick to clean off any stubborn paint.

Good luck

Thanks sounds pretty easy! I will try that now!

I use paint thinner for cleaning metal models. I have a old jar with a metal lid that I keep in the kitchen sink.

Leave them soaking for a couple of minutes and remove the paint with an old toothbrush. Works well even on multiple layers of paint. It's perfectly safe for your metal models.

The only downside to this method is the smell... And it's not that healthy for your skin... And it's quite unfriendly for the environment... But otherwise it's just fine.

Okay thanks

Simple Green is a brand name for soft soap. It's called "grönsåpa" in Swedish, can I assume you have something similar in Denmark?
If it's metal models you can use acetone (it's a bit faster than green soap), but that won't be good for plastics.

Hmm... It doesn't really ring a bell? The girlfriend does most of the cleaning I will try acetone though!

I always used this stuff for Jasco; it's as powerful as brake fluid (the ultimate stripper) but you'll want to be sure to have plenty of ventilation and a place to dump it when you're through.

It only works on metal minis — plastic ones will simply melt. So will your hands, though, so be really careful with it.

You'll need to put it in a glass container and make sure that all the miniatures are covered. I did a batch of about 20 Eldar before I eBayed them all, and I left them in there overnight. I used a toothbrush for the hard-to-get bits (and the toothbrush melted when I was through), but this will get those minis nice and clean.

Not sure if Jasco is for sale outside of the US, but it always does the trick for me.

Usually I put my minis into brake fluid on few hours. After this bath you should wash the mini in running water using old toothbrush - it's easie and quiet fast method

Acetone is great for stripping miniatures.

Even better ( and much more unhealthy) is dichlor methane. I don't know i f you can get it in your country.

But normally acetone does this job very well too.

I recently used nitro dilutant for my Reiklander captain. The miniature stayed in it entire day and didn't damage at all. Just washed it with tepid water and old tooth brush. Of course first I stripped the base of.

For everyday stuff you can use on metal minis try oven cleaner
There is a brand over here called Mr Muscle, spray it on, leave for two mins and clean with a tooth brush. It hasn't damaged any of the metal minis I tried it on.

I use my girlfriend's nail polish remover. She really hates it when I do it!

JoaoS wrote:

I use my girlfriend's nail polish remover. She really hates it when I do it!

By the way, this only works for metal figures. Very risky to try on plastic models, as a lot of the detail from the sculpture will be gone along with the paint...

This s right.

The solvent in there is in most cases Acetone. Buy it pure it saves you money and the anger of your girlfriend.

i've used dettol on both metal and plastic mini's
Dettol is a kind of bacterial killer they use for example on little kid's toys to make them bacteria free
you should be able to find it at a pharmacist or drug store if your country has it
method's the same as above ; soak it between half a day and 2 days, then toothbrush scrubbing and rinsing in clear water
smells a bit, but I don't think it's dangerous, viewing the "normal" usages
cheers