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Forum FeedSo a question I see come up here quite a bit is how to successfully take paint off of a painted model in order to redo it. For me, this was quite an issue, as there are a variety of methods you can find online, and many of them a) use illegal substances, and/or b) use extremely hazardous substances, and/or c) can destroy your models, and/or d) don’t work at all.
When I started trying to strip my models, I originally tried methods, which I found online, that didn’t work and destroyed two of my marines. This did not make me happy. I have also seen brake fluid suggested. While this does work, the substance is also extremely hazardous if it comes into contact with your skin or is inhaled, and I do not recommend its use. Don’t use it.
Eventually, I came across the following method, which I will describe with pictures, to successfully remove brake fluid. To preface, I had models which looked like the marine on the left, and I had progressed enough to want them to look more like my newly painted models, of which there is a WIP on the right.
Step 1: Get Yourself some “Simple Green”
When I first heard of this stuff, I had no idea what it was and where you could get it. The fact of the matter is, you can get it at most home improvement stores, such as Home Depot or Lowes, and you can find it in the cleaning section, with all the concentrated cleaning chemicals and cleaning supplies. Heres what it looks like:
The great thing about this stuff is that it is non-toxic. It does have a smell, however, and you don’t want the concentrated stuff in cups in your house, so do this outside. Even if it freezes over a bit (which it has on me a couple of times) there doesn’t seem to be a problem. If you spill it on concrete or tile or whatnot, it’s a concentrated cleaner, and you’ve just cleaned the area a bit once you scrub it up.
Remember to read the directions and warnings on the Simple Green Bottle. Take any and all warnings seriously, although it is non-toxic. It can irritate some peoples’ skin. You’ll want to follow these directions, and wash up afterwards properly.
Step 2: Application
The best way I’ve found to do this is to use plastic cups, placing between 4-8 marines in each, and then fill the cup with simple green, covering all of the miniatures.
Here are some of my models soaking. You’ll notice a Land Raider Crusader over to the right in the first picture. It’s already been stripped on the bottom, so you can see some effectiveness there.
If I was in a hurry, I’ve had models be ready to have their paints come off in around 8-10 hours. The longer you leave the models in the Simple Green, however, the more the paint seems to loosen. I suggest a 3-5 day period of soaking for good paint removal.
Step 3: Paint Removal
This is once again a simple step. Either outside or in a sink that you can clean up afterwards with cleaning supplies, use a brush to scrub the paint off the model, doing so under running water. Be prepared if pieces come off the model where they were glued, you should be scrubbing fairly hard. I like to use an old toothbrush, but as long as you have a brush that will get into the cracks of the model and get the paint scrubbed, you’ll be fine. Here’s what my formerly dark blue model looked like after one scrubbing.
If you’d like, repeat Steps 2 and 3 to take even more off. I’ve reprimed the model and repainted from this stage, and been thrilled with the results.
Hope this helps, and feel free to make further suggestions in this thread if you have something else helpful on the subject.
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Great a good way of stripping plastics.. I need to find out if this product is available in the UK
Another product I have had very good success with for metal minatures is Nitromors. Its a gloopy paint stripper – toxic so use rubber gloves!, leaving metal miniatures in a good dose for at least 10 mins means the paint layers usually fall away under a running tap. It usually just a matter of getting to the nooks and crannies with a toothbrush and your all done.
I would however love to know a suitable paint remover for Resin Models..
test
Hi Leigh;
A good UK alternative is Swarfega. It’s generally used over here (dunno if it is in North America or not) to remove oil based smears / stains. Pretty cheap too from what I remember. Definitely works on plastic models (tried and tested
) and isn’t toxic!
or brown dettol. available in uk, just wear gloves (dries skin alot)
Thanks so much for the article! Definitely very useful.
Another good way to remove paint from Metal miniatures is to soak them in brake fluid for 2 hours. Use gloves and an old tooth brush to remove what didn’t peel off.
I found that methalated sprirts work quite well, leave plastic modles in a jar of the stuff for a couple of hours them scrub them with a toothbrush or similar.
I agree, metho works just as well and may be easier to find for some people.
you can also use nail polish remover and a toothbrush
I don’t suggest nail polish remover or brake fluid, personally. Nail polish remover can melt plastic models, and brake fluid is carcenogenic, on top of several other toxic qualities.
Tekore
good point about the brake fluid – thanks for pointing that out
I’ve always used rubbing alcohol to remove paint off plastic models. Have to soak it for a few days in a jar. I’ll have to try that simple green stuff to see if it works better. Thanks for the tip.
@Leighjt
I read a similar review on the Bolter and Chainsword where someone tested Simple Green on the off-white Forge World Resin and had similar results to plastic. Apparently some people have reported slight green tinges in the cracks of the resin after using this stuff, but I imagine that can be painted over easily enough, provided it is just the dye.
i have used Simple Green in the past and have found it to be lacking, it does not always remove paint and primer and tends to make the plastics feel a bit rubbery.
I have started using Purple Power; which i got in the automotive section of Walmart. It is a bit harsher (you should wear gloves when handeling models that have been in it or fishing them out of it) but it removes paint and primer on metal, plastic and resin in a shorter time than Simple Green.
i have had models sitting in Purple Power for 6-8 hrs that came out looking like the above marine photo. 24hrs will take nearly all of the primer and paint off leaving you nice plastic.
I have found that a cellulose thinner works great. Just put a bit on a cloth and it rubs right off. I’m guessing you’ll need to soak the whole thing if you want to get at the cracks.
Haven’t had any visible damage to models yet either.
No idea of its toxicity though. I’d wager drinking it aint to be recommended =P
Be sure to buy the right stuff when getting simple green. The car wash concentrate DOES NOT work. Waste of money for the purposes of stripping minis.
That marine looked realy cool even after the first scrubbing!
in the uk use dettol liquid pine disinfectant.
Leave plastic or metal models 24 hours in it and the paint just falls off.
It also leaves your models smelling nice and fresh
just a quick question does it need to be diluted or not because if it doesnt i’ll need to buy some gloves XD thanks by the way most of the other things mentiond here i dont think can be bought in the UK by the sounds of it.
In the US, Pine Sol will remove the paint from plastic and metal models in around 2-4 hours. I had models soaked in it for 2-3 days with no damage to them.
I’ve also used another cheap pine desinfectant with the same results, so my guess would be that any similar brand would work here.
I work at an auto part store so simple green is easy to get for me. I’m trying it now. I just tried the purple power on an old necron that my cousin broke and its been in there a few day with no results what so ever (i scrubed it once a day) so now its on to try the simple green.
Man ive been looking around for this, imma go to home depot today and get simple green, im going to fix my tank army up, I play ig Armored and my tanks with the exception for two of them are older than most peoples tanks and the paint has jsut been ruined, painted over so many times, and has gloppyness to it, i hope this stuff works, id be so happy if it did. question, if i soak the tanks for a bit and then take em out, can the simple green be used again or is it best to just dump it and pour more? btw i have 25 tanks todo http://warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14209&page=349 the tanks in black white and blue towards the bottom. i hope this stuff works i need it too =)
This looks good – I’ve been stuck with some old plastic models that need to be redone for a while now, because I know enough about chemistry to know that most methods I’ve seen will melt the models if left in too long (or melt the glue).
I use Goo Off (US/Canada only) for metal models, leave them to soak in a sealed jam jar for a few hours and the paint can be scrubbed off just like the above pictures. On the downside, it does smell bad.
brake fluid works really well but is toxic (harmfull to animals and plants) – so it’s really not good for the environment. I keep my waste brake fluid in a large container which I then take to the tip for proper disposal. Whatever you do don’t just poor it down the drain! I’d recomend going for these non-toxic alternatives – good work!
hi there!
As well as a wargamer, I also have an interest in model trains.
The acrylic paint on ready-to-run models is remarkably tough, but I’ve found a product for removing this works very well on miniatures too.
The only drawback is that it’s a little pricey (£7.25 for 125ml) and will evaporate if left uncovered.
The best way to stop this is to use an old glass container (jam jar, etc) with a sealable lid.
Superstrip works on plastic models without any damage, and models can be immersed for a few hours and attacked with a toothbrush.
This will remove paint and spray undercoats too.
Alternatively, dip the toothbrush in the Superstrip and scrub away slowly eating away through the paint.
Find it at: http://www.phoenix-paints.co.uk/superstrip.asp
Cheers
Starscream
I found out 100% acetone works very well. It takes off paint in an instant and does not damage the plastic (in my experience). Take a old toothbrush dip into the acetone (don’t pure into plastic cup) and scrub off paint. Just for safe measure I dip the mini into a cup of water. other then your hands burning from the acetone (wash you hands occasionally) its an ok way of stripping paint off a mini.
For metal models just use simple spirits/alcohol.Throw the model inside for about a couple of hours in a small cup and the paint will be removed in layers and from every simple crack WITHOUT any damage to the model.
P.S.Havent tried on plastic yet
I’ve tried acetone on a metal death wing terminator and the scrubbing took me 2 hours.And yes the burn and smell are awfull
I found out by accident that if you have just standard GW paints, Rubbing alcohol can remove the paint. dip a q-tip into rubbing alcohol and just scrub the paint you want removed. not the best strategy and time consuming but if you just have to get one model cleaned and don’t want to buy a bottle of this stuff, it works
This method is very effective. A friend of mine did the same thing on his Marines but watered the concentrate down a little. It made the smell die down a bit but it took a good week for the paint to start flaking off. However he also made the liquid circulate (apparently it helps) by jerry rigging his old Gamecube controller’s vibrate-mechinisim to work like a boat motor. The moving liquid helped to excellerate the whole process.
step given in the process of stripping are best.
worked great…i stripped my own model (a land raider that took a wrong turn) and after about 18-20 hours i scrubbed it and managed to clean it up and keep the primer on
Hey I was wondering if any other products besides detol worked?
as a trained Chemical engineer i can tell you that any Ketone will work (acetone being the most common) however it will break down the carbon bonds in the plastics after a time which is why some of you have reported “softened” models.
As for circulating the fluid, doing this with any process will speed it up. Basically what happens is the fluid around the paint becomes “saturated” with paint, by stirring the fluid you expose the paint to fresh fluid allowing the saturation to spread.
Another tip to try is putting your cups of remover in a window pane or some other warm place, for every 10 degrees Celsius you raise the temperature the rate of removal will increase 2 fold. ( that is at 20c the rate is X, at 30c its 2X at 40c its 4X and at 50c its 8X) dont go to high though as most ketones will begin breaking down at roughly 68c.
nice story
Here IS A BIG WARNING ” as what not to use DO NOT I SAY AGAIN do not use NAIL POLISH REMOVER I LITERALY CHEM MELTED 50 SPACE MARINES AND THEIR JUMP PACKS very costly
the simple and efcective method is SIMPLE GREEN. thanks for the artical
if you are not carefull you will have a glob o spacemarines very costly
In the uk Brown dettol has an active ingridient, which although it takes ages will strip paint off plastic. wear latex gloves as it dries out your skin alot.
you will need a toothbrush as some adhesive will remain, so it’s not easy, but with time and work it comes off those prized pieces.