[Djinn24]

This is a report Tutorial. For the original please visit: Ever Insane's Paint Stripping
By Assistant Doc Haywire

All the talk about paint removers is starting to make me wonder. I have heard some being tried and never believed them, I have also heard of some and tried them and got no results whatsoever.

I had a bunch a Necromunda Goliaths and some other minis that need to be stripped but I do not need all of them so I am not afraid of losing a few as sacrifices. I plan to do some testing over a weekend and will post the results over a 24 hour period.

THE TEST GROUP:

Lizardmen Skinks, Lizardmen Saurus, Orlocks, and Goliath volunteers dared to be volunteers for this experiment in hopes of a fresh start at life and renewed vigor. All volunteers had their weapons checked at the door and were tested for their specific skin afflictions (Citadel, Polly S, Testors).

THE EXPERIMENT:

In a specially ventilated room, their were placed several foil containers, each containing a specific chemical bath

For each test bath, 2 Lizardmen Skinks, 2 Lizardmen Saurus, an Oarlock, and a Goliath volunteers were placed in a chemical bath. At each time interval, a volunteer was removed from each bath and sent to the scrubbing facility. Each individual was then told to take a shower and be scrubbed down with a Oral B electric toothbrush.

RESULTS:

Here is the list of chemical baths and the results I have seen:

Chemical Product Price 30 Min 1 Hr 2 Hrs 3 Hrs 6 Hrs1 12 Hrs 24 Hrs Damage to Plastic Main Ingredients

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Easy-Off oven cleaner (Sprayed)
$3.50/16oz bottle

30 min: VG
1 hour: A
2 hour: A
Damage to Plastic: None
Main Ingredient: sodium hydroxide

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Easy-Off oven cleaner (Soaked)
$3.50/16oz bottle
30 min: P
1 hour: F
2 hour: F
3 hour: P
6 hour: E
Warning: aluminum foil and E-O do not mix...
Main Ingredient: sodium hydroxide

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Simply Green (Sprayed)
$3.99/24oz bottle
30 min: F
1 hour: F
2 hour: G
Damage to Plastic: none
Main Ingredient: 2-butoxethanol (undiluted)

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Simply Green (Soaked)
$3.99/24oz bottle
30 min: G
1 hour: G-VG
2 hour: G-VG
3 hour: VG-E
6 hour: E
12 hour: E
Damage to Plastic: none
Main Ingredient: 2-butoxethanol (undiluted)

---------------------------------------------------------------​

409 (Sprayed)
$2.50/22 oz bottle
30 min: NP
1 hour: NP
2 hour: NP
Damage to Plastic: none
Main Ingredient: isopropanol, 2-butoxethanol

---------------------------------------------------------------​

409 (Soaked)
$2.50/22 oz bottle
30 min - 12 hour: NP
24 hour: P
Damage to Plastic: none
Main Ingredient: isopropanol, 2-butoxethanol

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Pine Sol/Pine Oils
$1.99/28 oz bottle
30 min: VG
1 hour: G-VG
2 hour: VG
3 hour: VG
6 hour: E
12 hour: no data melted
WARNING: started to melt after 12 hours pine oil

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Brake fluid (linseed oil)
$?
30 min - 3 hour: G
6 hour: VG
12 hour: E
24 hour: E
Damage to Plastic: none
Main Ingredient: polyalkylene glycol ethers

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Isopropyl alcohol
$.99/16 oz bottle
30 min: NP
1 hour - 2 hour: P
3 hour: F
Damage to Plastic: none
Main Ingredient: alcohol

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Castrol Super Clean
$6.99/gallon
30 min-1 hour: VG
2 Hour-3 Hour: VG-E
6 Hour: E
WARNING: aluminum foil and CSC do not mix
Main Ingredients: 2-butoxethanol, sodium metasilicate, sodium hydroxide

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Efferdent $
30 min-24 hour: NP
Damage to Plastic: none
Main Ingredient: H2O

---------------------------------------------------------------​

Water (Control)
FREE
30 min-6 Hour: NP
12-24 hour: SP
Damage to Plastic: none
Main Ingredient: H20 hydrogen dioxide

---------------------------------------------------------------​

LEGEND

1. The 6 hour test was a test of paints other than Acrylics, mainly Testors Model Master and Pollys S Paints.

2. This was diluted with 8 Oz water which is why there are discrepancies. I will have to retest this after I find a better container.

(sprayed) - Item was sprayed with a covering of chemical

A - awesome... washed off or needed very little brushing

E - excellent... needs brushing but all comes off

VG - very good... needs a lot of brushing/scraping

G - good... good amounts coming off

F - fair... shows signs/splotches of paint removal

P - progress... shows signs of paint removing

NP - no progress

CONCLUSIONS

The Big winner is definitely the Easy-Off oven cleaner with CSC and Simply Green following in for second and third place. The Sodium Hydroxide must be the main ingredient that causes this to work so well.

Many Goliaths and Orlocks drowned in the chemical baths (they never learned to swim), and some had strange color changes as their skin mixed with the chemicals.

The test group for the Pine Sol complained about a strange burning sensations. One Saurus, the only fatality among their ilk, was so deformed by the chemical, decided it was better to hide among the scavenged wastes or try to find a job ringing bells in a cathedral church somewhere... maybe even write opera... alas, he felt suicide was best.

Otherwise all the other Skinks and Saurus liked the baths quite well and would like another go at it. They believe it added in their skin shedding and got most of the little bits off. Also the scrubbing was very relaxing.

Others I have heard but will need to find or have not tested:

Acetone

nail polish remover (non-acetone)

Chameleon model paint stripper from Custom Hobbyist, Inc

Coca-Cola (canned)

Lighter Fluid

Floquil/Polly S Dio-Sol

Methylene Chloride

Poxy Scum

Dettol, the pharmaceutical cleaner

Bix Paint Stripper

If you know of, or have tried others with some success, email me and I will give it a try and post the comparative results.

djinn24's notes: I made a few changes to this because the information was conflicting. This is a source of information. if you know any other substance please try this test regime and post the notes, I will also contact the original author about this as well.

I also noticed that if you have to clean off a painted model it would seem 409 might be a good substance since it reads no paint damage on the chart.

 

[Death 0F Angels]

with the oven cleaner do you need to reapply spray at all our just spray it down and wait?

 

[The Son of Horus]

Spray 'n' wait. Although I've found DRAINO! works even better for the time.

To follow suite though:

DRAINO! Drain de-clogger (classic liquid formula)
30 Minutes: VG
1 Hour: E
2 Hours: Somewhere between E and A
3 Hours: A

Careful with this stuff, it's serious brew... the paint completely dissolves in about 2.5 hours, and all you really need to do is rinse the draino off. Oh, and you don't want to touch it... it's designed to disintegrate biological matter... use rubber gloves with this stuff. As a side note, DRAINO also cures athlete's foot in one application.

 

[Marneus Calgar]

Non Acetone Nail Varnish Remover:

30 minutes: VG
1 Hour: VG
2 Hour: A
3 Hour: N/N

N/N = Not needed

Test Model :- Caked up Khorne berzerker painted with very thick red paint.

 

[moc065]

I am a big fan of Brake Fluid (probably because I have lots of it - and different types do make a difference), and the stuff I use works wonders in 1-3 hours (awesome, soft brushing and rinse for 90% removal with no damage), One more soak (30 min) and rinse and its virtually brand new. And its not nearly as toxic as Oven Cleaner. I also like Simply Green; but i find it needs a little longer soak (average overnighter for me - although it works great) but its tough for me to find in my area.

 

[WoRLoKKeD]

As said in the other thread, I pretty much swear by Dettol now. A 6 hour soak in indiluted liquid just leaves the stuff coming off in the liquid, then putting them on paper towels just lets the paint run off. With a toothbrush or old paintbrush, just brush over any detailed areas to make sure.
Also, some people are sensetive to it, but no more than washing up liquid. It's usually fairly safe to use and great for soaking while you go to work/school/gaming/shopping/church of your chosen religion/drinking/whatever. And it cleans craft knife cuts, albeit with the byproduct of profanity in my experience :grin:

 

[bloodthrister]

thnx this was a great help (i used brake oil, since I still had that lying somewhere around XD) and it does work great!

and waaaaay cheaper than those special (plasic ruining) paint removers over at the art store near my place

 

[Chaos&Beer]

I've found a product that works extremely well for removing all types of paint from models with no damage to the plastic whatsoever. It's called Clean N' Dip and it's a product used by commercial house painters (which I am) to clean tips for sprayers and other spray equipment. It costs about 8 bucks a jar and works freaking awesome. You should be able to pick it up at any commercial paint store.

Here is a link to the product: www.doityourself.com/invt/0304683

I couldn't find the small jar size on this website but it does exist.

 

[The_One]

So with the Easy-Off oven cleaner (sprayed) you took the bottle and sprayed the model and then left it? Because I have A LOT of Space Marines that a color couldn't be determined upon, so I want to remove ALL the paint and redo them in my Chaos colors to try out Chaos...

Note: Tried spraying the Lt. Varras model from the Battle of Macragge set with Easy-Off oven cleaner...took it out to my chicken coop, sprayed it ALL OVER and left it for 2 hours. After 2 hours I went back and got it, used an old toothbrush to start getting paint off and TOO MY SURPRISE, no paint came off. I was just wondering if I did anything wrong?

 

[Telliphas]

Ive found that Mr Muscel Oven cleaner works wonders on metal, for a easy clean leave in for 24hrs and brush off with an old tooth brush. It breaks the paint down so much that ive noticed that it can be removed with water and my finger, obivously to get into the small gaps a brush is needed. The tooth brush doesnt even need to be a hard bristled one, i paid 19p for two from my local supermarket and its working wonders.

On plastics though it seems to leave my chaos black undercoat on the models and it doesnt seem to come off as easy as the metal ones, at the moment my plastic mini's looked slightly shadowed but it hasnt effected the detail in any way.

Ive ran two tests, one on a plastic spure cut off and one on a ball of Green Stuff I left them in for a full week to see if it effected either one. The plastic was fine no problems what so ever, but the Green Stuff went a odd shade of brown and slightly mushy. It doesnt like Green Stuff, the stuff breaks down and becomes un-usable.

...WORD OF WARNING.....
Dont dunk your converted mini's in it.

I think the shortest time period ive left a mini in for soak was around the 8hr mark, with similar results to the 24hr one.

Hopefully this is of use to some one, as Mr Muscle is alot easier to get a hold of in the UK then hunting simple green off tinternet.

 

[Inquisitor Aurelius]

One hell of a tip-bucket. And for the record, acetone will tend to do the trick (and very quickly), but nonetheless I've been looking for something better. I reckon I'll be trying Dettol next, as I think I've got a bottle somewhere. Now, to find it...

 

[lordmat0]

I tried Dettol didn't work too well wouldn't recomend it :\

 

[shas'o_mi'ros'kai]

mineral turpentine works best for metal miniatures. do not use on plastic unless you have put soooo many coats of paint on it its not funny. Use oven cleaner sprays to remove paint on plastic but wotever you do, do not get the lemon scented ones. they never work

 

[Inquisitor Aurelius]

Right, update: I've now experimented with Dettol, and it's bloody fantastic. After soaking the mini for several hours, the paint is more or less sloughing off, and with no damage whatsoever to the plastic. The destroyed paint does tend to get somewhat tarry, but that's a relatively minor complaint. Far and away the best substance I've tried yet.

 

[Steel Nathan]

Hmm all this looks very interesting to me to try on my Blood Angels and Eldar.
Now let me be of some assistance. I will volunteer to try coca cola ( canned) and see if the paint'll come off ^^.

I'm not expecting much but I'll give you guys an update VERY soon. k:

 

[ghazghkull-killyork]

now i have just used crc brake cleaner ( soaked) DON NOT TRY it completle wrecks the plastic to the point where half the poor goblin was dissolved/ melted away
also the coke does not work a goblin was soaked for 3 days and nothing happened!

 

[Fivetide]

Awsome thinking about buying some stuff off ebay and stripping it..
My tip for metal is simple and ultra fast.. buy some airbrush cleaner place what you want in a container you can make air tight .. spry all over figure... close lid for 60 seconds wash under tap.. infact in a clear container you can see it peal off an form large guey lumps around the base.. DO NOT use on plastic unless you want it to look like a melta has hit it lol.. wash off with soap and water u can paint it

 

[Bloodhound]

Add another one.

Methylated Spirits
5 mins - A
>15 mins - Don't do it. Melting chance high.

Damamge to Plastic none if kept under 5-10 mins


Every one always tells me that methos melts plastic.
This is not true.
Trust me. I strip all my minis with it and i haven't had a singe model melt on me yet.

 

[Haraldrr]

So which ones the best? lol

 

[Bloodhound]

Metho.
Definately.
Doesn't melt Plastic, takes about 5 minutes and minor brushing....