Tutorial Simple guide to stripping plastic and metal miniatures

[pawl]

Greetings, my slithery friends! =]

When I came back into the hobby a couple of years ago I acquired a number of pre-owned models, but found that information on stripping them was rather difficult to come by, and often relied on using substances that were either very dangerous (like brake fluid) or not available where I live (like Simple Green in the UK).

Therefore I set about finding a solution, and ended up writing the below guide. When looking for stripping agents I had 4 main criteria:
- That they be strong enough to remove paint with relative ease.
- That extended exposure would not damage the model. Accidentally damaging details isn't what I'm looking for!
- That they be readily available (almost) everywhere, so no brand names.
-That they be reasonably affordable. A magic paint stripper that costs the earth isn't so magic!
Reusability wasn't one of my criteria (through oversight rather than choice), but fortunately this is something that wasn't an issue.

So, the guide itself! I'm going to link to it rather than repost, but I hope when you see it you'll understand why! It's in need of a revamp, but the information itself is still valid.

Simple guide to stripping plastic and metal miniatures

 

[Vedras]

Oh this is interesting. I use dettol, and while it works, the smell permeates everywhere. Does isopropyl have as much of an odor?

 

[pawl]

Oh this is interesting. I use dettol, and while it works, the smell permeates everywhere. Does isopropyl have as much of an odor?

I can't lie, it does have a smell. If you've ever used alcohol-based hand sanitiser, it's basically that smell.
Personally I don't find it to be too overpowering, but this is obviously a personal thing. Working with an open window is usually a good idea when doing almost anything hobby related - Tamiya Extra Thin is 50% acetone! - so it's nothing unusual. The smell does dissipate pretty quickly, and once it's gone it stays gone - it evaporates completely, which is why they use it in labs to clean glass and other equipment.

To be honest I just like the stuff. It's cheap (last time I bought some it was ~£5 a litre), reusable, multi-purpose (iso is great for basing, too), and it does the job. No residues, no unexpected results, just cleaning! =]