Stripping Figures

[MSzwarc]

I'm sure no one who is a member of this forum would ever need this information , but I thought perhaps there might be some poor, unskilled lurker out there who maybe could use the information, so I thought I'd pose the question . Suppose someone wasn't happy with the paint job they did on a figure, and wanted to try again. How would they go about removing the paint (oil, acrylic, or both) from the figure, be it metal, resin, or plastic, without damaging the figure?

Mike

 

[Craig B]

Over the years I've stripped many a models and a few figures, although I have never tried resin so I can't say what would work properly.

I have used "Easy Off" oven cleaner and it works great, doesn't harm metal or styrene although it will eat away at puttys. Make sure you shake the bottle first, then just spray it on an let it soak for about 1/2 an hour and use an old tooth brush to scrub and then rinse it off in running water. It works great for acrylic, oils, enamels, although the longer it has been on, the more work it will take. The only thing it won't touch is laquers, not much will.

I have just stripped my current project twice, the Benneito French Foriegn Legion officer, and have just started to repaint it the third time.

Hope this helps
Craig

 

[Anders Heintz]

Good Question!

I've heard that breaker fluid works good, even on platic, but I've always used a paint stripper that can be found at Wal-Mart. I use an old toothbrush to scrubb the figures down and then I wash it in warm water and soap and It's ready to prime again!

 

[poetwarrior]

Hi Mike,

In the past I have stripped acrylic paint from a painted figure or two. For resin, I have used Thompsons Acrylic Floor Cleaner with some success. If you let the resin figure soak overnight, use a stiff toothbrush to scrub the raised paint and re-soak if needed, rinse with warm water. For metal figures painted with oils or acrylics, I use Citri-Strip. Citri-Strip is a citrus based stripper. Let your figure or individual parts soak for a couple hours and the paint drips off with the stripper when rinsed under cold water. Some mild scrubbing may be necessary. What is nice with both of these techniques is the odor is pleasent and not as harmful as some more volatile compounds. Not that you may have to strip a figure, but it's good to be aware of contingencies, if the need should arise.

Good luck!

Dave Neary

 

[Mongo Mel]

For a while in my model club, I was known as the "King of the strippers"
I used to use Polly S stripper but i found another brand that I like better. It's Chameleon and is available in a liguid and a gel. The best thing for me was that the liquid is completely reusable. No more pouring it down the drain. The gel doesn't seem reusable because you rinse it off whle removing the paint.
I just used the gel version to do some precision stripping. I used it to remove the paint from the bottom of the collar down on my von Blucher bust . It offers very good control and worked like a champ.
A warning, it's a bit more expensive than other strippers I've found but I think it's well worth it.
Craig

 

[gforceman]

I too use the ovencleaner. Only here in Belgium the best you can find is from a brand called "Decap four".

Gino

 

[frank h]

Hi
While on the subject of stripping figures, I use isopropyl alcohol on
selective areas, usually faces. It works well if your acrylic paint has
been applied thinly, and can keep the primer intact if a brushful of
water is to hand as you go.

Frank

 

[MSzwarc]

Many thanks, guys. I've been in a bit of a painting slump lately , just not happy with the way things are looking. So far I've been successful just scrubbing paint off with water and a toothbrush soon after I apply the paint, but I feel as though I'm on the verge of needing some more aggressive techniques to fall back on. I've avoided painting altogether the last two weeks, and played with putty instead , but sooner or later I'm going to have to become a colorist again, and it may take stripping a figure or two down to bare metal to get beyond the slump.

Mike

 

[Guy]

Hello again Mike,
Years and years ago I used to strip paint off a figure that wasn't turning out right. It got so depressing, I stopped stripping figures and just did the best I could on each and put it aside when done so I would do a better job the next time. Sometimes we are out own worst critics and that can work against us as well. "Keep on Painting" your work is good!

Guy

 

[MSzwarc]

I appreciate the encouraging comments, Guy.

... just did the best I could on each and put it aside when done so I would do a better job the next time.

That's just how I got through my 120mm Tamiya samurai that was giving me such fits, and I realize how valuable the advice is. It brings to mind an article I recently read, in Historical Miniatures I think? Any way, the author bravely showed a progression of his work (although he said he generally stripped and repainted his bad pieces). What struck me most about the article, though, was the amazing improvement in his work over time. I guess if you don't have any of the early pieces around, it's hard to gauge the improvement. And seeing that improvement, I believe, would be quite encouraging. I guess it's easy for the frustration of the moment or the current project to blind us to the goals of learning, improving skills, simply enjoying the hobby.

Mike