To strip, or not to strip

[daredevil]

Well, my 64mm "grail knight" is looking like a mess to me. I should have picked a different piece to learn my painting chops on because this figure is too gorgeous to waste!
I used Model Master enamels on it and the only part that came out truly well was the chain mail. But the biggest bummer was that I had to paint the underside of the cape & the back of the armor before attaching the cape--which I did with 5-min epoxy. I filled the gaps on the shoulders with Miliput, etc., too. I don't think there is any way to remove it at this point...
So here's the deal--I have learned a lot since starting this figure & I'm thinking about stripping it and starting over using all the new paints & techniques I've acquired over the past month in this forum. I also scored a copy of Paine's book on figure building & painting, which is worth it's weight in gold.
I once used EZ-Off oven cleaner on an old Aurora plastic Mummy model and it worked like a charm--so I was gonna strip the knight with the same stuff.
The biggest delemma is how I'm going to repaint the underside of the cape & the back after I do this (yea--I know--CAREFULLY--HA, HA!).I know I can't be the first person who has been up against this one--so any input will be appreciated.
--linda

 

[Guy]

I have never stripped one....messed up alot and usually just re-do the area that was messed up. Because the enamels I use (floquil ) have 1st coat coverage and seem to shrink into the detail, I can usually primer with a brush, the area that needs help and re-do just that area.

 

[Einion]

Oven cleaner would certainly get my vote as the best way to strip paint cheaply and reliably. The good news is that if you leave the figure in it longer (like a day or so) you might be lucky that it will weaken the glue enough to make removing the cape possible. I know I've had it work on glue before but I can't remember for sure if it was cyano or epoxy or both.

About the stripping, you'll probably have some stubborn bits of paint and/or primer clinging to the recesses in the detail, particularly on the mail, these can be very difficult or impossible to remove. Scrubbing the figure after the over cleaner has done its job with a mild abrasive cleaner and an old toothbrush helps but you may have to live with a few spots of old paint that you just can't shift, unless you want to try to pick them out one by one with a cocktail stick or something; this can work but it's rather tedious as you can imagine

You're right to be worried about painting an area like under the cape because it's not hard to be able to see something but not be able to get a paintbrush to it, especially in smaller scales with the more confined space. If the cape won't budge you can paint the entire underside a dark colour before anything else and then work up to it, without holding the figure upside down you may get away with this not being noticeable at the end of the day; most of us have done something like this at some point if we had to pre-assemble a tricky model.

Einion

 

[daredevil]

Einion--I actually had no choice but to put the cape on because the points where it met the body on the shoulders had such huge gaps I had to putty it! What a job. It was a huge 'what comes first' delemma for me. Also, this figgie's cape has a red underside & a white top--also tricky. The knight's back is armor and there's a real tight area to work under. Gads, I wish I hadn't been so eager to start this particular figure...
I actually had to brush the hell outta that Mummy model--and I just put on rubber gloves & my respirator & used the oven cleaner to do that, too. The enamel had been on there for 30+ years and was might stubborn! It pretty much all came off, though--and I did it all in one afternoon (I used the 'heavy duty' easy-off!).

Guy--can you paint acrylics over enamel? I think I read somewhere that you can't. I know it's okay to do enamel over acrylic, but not sure about the other way 'round. Did I understand you right that you just re-primered over the enamel parts? I scored some Floquil bottle primer & could do that.

Here's what I'm up against:

--linda

 

[Guy]

I have painted the floquil primer over enamel floquil paint and acrylics many times without any problems.

 

[Bert Takken]

You can use some brake fluid for the hardest spots, but clean it very good before repainting.
Maybe you can airbrush the difficult spots with a dark color, the calor you wanted mixed with a heavy shadow color, so that spots are covered with paint and no problems to damaged it with a brush
Bert

 

[PJ Deluhery]

I have stripped a lot of figures over the years, andI find that good old Easy Off - No Fumes works well. You can even put some on a Q-tip and deal with messy items one at a time without ruiningthe rest of your paintjob! It has removed enamels, oils, acrylics and just about anything else fo rme. Leave it for a few hours, then brush well with a toothbrush or small wire brush. If it's not clean, repeat the process. Twice will usually do it.

Superglue will break cleanly with a little tap - as I found out once the hard way when I dropped a piece on a hardwood floor - the arms, legs and head all went in different directions! Take a small hammer (or other "blunt instrument") and tap somewhat gently towards the upper end of the cape - near the shoulders from the inside. It should pop off. This is a "get the feel" kind of thing, so start gently and work up the force.

Good luck.

 

[thegoodsgt]

I'm with Guy on this topic. I don't recommend stripping the figure and starting over. Here's why.

When you're new to the hobby (or even experienced), you will likely to be unhappy with many of your figures. If you resort to stripping and starting over, you could spend the rest of your life painting one figure! I recommend just finishing it as best you can and then displaying the figure as you would any other. Then learn from your mistakes. Every time you look at that figure, it'll serve as a reminder not to do that (whatever "that" mistake is) again.

My two cents.

 

[Guy]

Amen

 

[John Long]

Originally posted by thegoodsgt@Dec 24 2004, 11:34 AM
I'm with Guy on this topic. I don't recommend stripping the figure and starting over. Here's why.

When you're new to the hobby (or even experienced), you will likely to be unhappy with many of your figures. If you resort to stripping and starting over, you could spend the rest of your life painting one figure! I recommend just finishing it as best you can and then displaying the figure as you would any other. Then learn from your mistakes. Every time you look at that figure, it'll serve as a reminder not to do that (whatever "that" mistake is) again.

My two cents.

I agree with Steven to a point. The times I have stripped a figure have been when I have performed below my ability at that time. It's good to have those older figures as a reference and legacy of your growth in the hobby.

 

[Bluesking]

I have taken old kits apart, stripped the paint off and undercoated them - NEVEr reassembled or repainted any though - I have a great collection of bits!

 

[daredevil]

Point well taken about not stripping it--I thought about it a lot last night while turning the figure around and around in my hand--there is no decent way to backtrack without making a real royal mess of it.
I have learned a LOT from the mistakes I made on this one! I now feel free to go ahead and do the face--can't screw this one up any more than I have!!!
--linda

 

[thegoodsgt]

It's good to hear your going to proceed with the figure. The other option to stripping the figure would've been to simply toss in into a box and forget about it, so continuing your painting will give you a chance to paint and practice.