So for today's post, something that has been boggling a number of players now: how do you strip paint from your precious minis?
I've asked this question a number of times to different people even before having the guts to try it out and they all had different answers (Summary is in the bottom for those of you who don't want to read through. I tend to get carried away in thoughts).
1) 70% isopropyl alcohol - well I tried it and it actually works. It really does strip paint but is volatile so the solution quickly evaporates. It can't strip the primer though.
2) Brake fluid - a lot of people attest to the effectiveness of this method but something about using a car product for a non-car purpose sounds dangerous.. not to mention the part wherein it is not environment friendly and can seep through your wounds to atrophy your tendons and cartilages so you'd always need gloves.
3) Simple green - some people highly recommend this.. if you can get it! Places where I've seen this is in ACE Hardware store in SM Megamall and the grocery in SM North EDSA (but I got one of the 2 bottles remaining so good luck and I hope they restock ^^). They clock in at 300-400 pesos and I have only seen large bottles so far. Simple Green kinda smells nice from afar but is really strong for the nose so I don't recommend smelling it..
THE EXPERIMENT
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| Simple Green. Yep! Buy the concentrated one |
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| The victims.. uuuuhh I mean the test subjects! |
Reason for stripping: My girlfriend hates them because they remind her of the teenage mutant ninja turtles. They are my Mantis Warriors and they shall know no fear my dear :)) Now I will try and turn them to White Scars where they truly belong!
I started 7:44 am in the morning. As you can see above, I tested first with one model because I was scared of what might happen (some people reported that their minis melted). The second picture actually shows the yellow in the shoulder pad sloughing off on it's own after a day's soak.
After a day and a half of soaking I was told there would be a good amount of scrubbing to be done and I'm sad to say that it's true :(
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| I recommend a stronger toothbrush. |
THE RESULT
The OC in me is screaming at those remaining green spots but overall I'm satisfied. It strips out paint though you really need to scrub. There are hard to reach spaces and I had to use my nails in some (which is a more effective way of removing the paint than the toothbrush). Also, it stripped the primer off, which I wasn't expecting! Now I can work on the first models I ever had who suffered from bad primer-ing.
Next question is, can you use the solution again and again? So i tried it again and this time with the 3 remaining bikers for a 2 day soak...
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| Some parts will come off... |
To answer that question, yes! You can use it again. I'm using it for a third batch now actually :)
So there you have it! Simple Green works and the above is proof for you doubters.
SUMMARY
1) Simple green can strip off paint and primer
2) It doesn't melt your minis
3) I recommend at least a 2 day soak
4) You really have to scrub so get a good toothbrush, and prepare your finger nails too!
5) Prepare for certain parts detaching (and it's not even from the trauma dealt by the tooth brush)
6) you can use the solution over and over again
7) It may be environment friendly because you use it to clean the bathroom and it would eventually go down the drain.. same if you were just dumping the used solution in the toilet bowl.. or better yet, use it to clean the bathroom grout!
That's it for now! Even though I have a 5 day weekend, I have a crazy week of exams, practicals, reporting, and paper submitting ahead of me and so much limited time!
Once again this is WLC, Jarl of the 8th, hoping that you have learned something new for today!
