Paint Stripper? Any suggestions on starting over?

[Lawot]

I got some skinks from a friend that were painted pretty poorly...I re-sprayed them with primer, but it didn't stick well, and came out cracked, for one, and covered over details, for another. Anyone have suggestions for something that will strip the paint off a plastic model and let me start over? Or am I stuck with the crappy ones?

 

[n810]

I have tried soaking them in "simple green" overnight, and giving them a good scrub with a nail brush or old tooth brush the next day... it's a bit of work but it should remove a lot of the paint. http://simplegreen.com/products/all-purpose-cleaner/

 

[teufelhund]

Purple power concentrate and other concentrated degreasers work really well soak for a day and paint comes off with a toothbrush. You can also spray them with easy off oven cleaner and leave them in a sealed container for a day to strip paint.

 

[Lawot]

Thanks! I'll find one of those and give it a try.

 

[Dyvim Tvar]

I have tried soaking them in "simple green" overnight, and giving them a good scrub with a nail brush or old tooth brush the next day... it's a bit of work but it should remove a lot of the paint. http://simplegreen.com/products/all-purpose-cleaner/

I also use simple green, but I usually let the models soak a lot longer. The longer they soak, the easier it comes off.

 

[n810]

I have tried soaking them in "simple green" overnight, and giving them a good scrub with a nail brush or old tooth brush the next day... it's a bit of work but it should remove a lot of the paint. http://simplegreen.com/products/all-purpose-cleaner/

I also use simple green, but I usually let the models soak a lot longer. The longer they soak, the easier it comes off.

yea, I almost forgot about that... it does reach a point where it doesn't loosen any more paint though.
(I let some set for a couple of months as an experiment, not a lot of difference than a couple of days)

 

[Dyvim Tvar]

True.

A really good thing about simple green is that it does not melt or soften plastic models. Even some other household cleaners (like Pine-Sol) can do bad things to plastic if you leave them in too long.

 

[Fhanados]

Oooh a subject matter I have experience in!

Simple green and most of the other methods didn't cut it for me, but I found an alternative that is rarely mentioned: Dettol.

Just plain old Dettol disinfectant (or the cheapo alternative) has worked wonders for me, and is pretty easy to find. I normally pick it up from Coles or other supermarkets, but I've also scored it at a petrol station once or twice in a pinch.

Soak your minis for a day or two then take them out for a good scrub with an old toothbrush. It gets really messy though, and the paint will turn into a sticky sludge so I tend to wear gloves and do it outside. Having a tub of clean water and another of soapy water helps to get them really clean.

Afterwards let the minis dry fully and rinse them before trying to re paint.

Half of my Chaos Space Marines are part of a "reclaimation project" of mine, so I can say with confidence this works.