GHQ Models Forums

I'm stripping paint agin and I'm out of Pine Sol, my stripping agent of choice so I'm going to use Acetone since I have that on hand. What I ould like to know is how long should the minis soak? Should they soak fully submerged or does the Acetone work better if there is air in the jar?

Paul

Cool thanks! Thev've been soaking for a couple hours now, guess I should go look at them.

Paul

Thank you for asking the question. I have been meaning to post the question for a while. Off to the store to buy some Acetone.

Harlan

I don't mnow it it will be of any use to you, but I use an Acitone base nail polish remover, and an old Toothbrush to remove any paint I need removed.

Works wonders for me, and can be bought in any drugstore.

Good luck with the stripping,

Mark. (SeaHarrier2006)

I found a product a while back called Chameleon paint stripper. The stuff works fantastic. It's safe for metal or plastic and removes acrylic and oil base alike. best of all its non caustic and non toxic. I know the have a website, just do a search for it.

David

How long do you leave them in if using Pine-Sol?

Do be careful if you are using acetone -- not only are the fumes toxic, but as I understand it, acetone also dissolves plastic. Be sure the model you're "stripping" does not have any plastic parts!

Regards,
Tom Stockton

[quote="vinceor"]How long do you leave them in if using Pine-Sol?[/quote]

I typically leave them in for 3-5 days, although I have not experimented with a shorter time.

re: Pine Sol -- works great, but leaves an oily residue on the models, which requires a good washing afterwards. Also, it stinks like you wouldn't believe.

Pat

Pat's right, Pine-Sol can leave an odor and the residue does have to be washed off. I used Pine-Sol because it is less caustic and non-flammable. My work / life schedule makes it hard to reliably plan when I'm going to be able to work on a project. With Pine-Sol I can leave miniatures unattended indefinitely - I think my record was three weeks. Pine-Sol should be mixed with water for best (fastest) results, I typically use a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio. To work right it needs to sit at least 24 hours but as Pat said 3-5 days works just fine.

Pine-Sol doesn't work uniformly well on all paint types. I bought some micro armor on ebay that stubbornly refused to come clean but unfortunately I can't say what type of paint was used. The other issue I had was when I tried to strip some Testor's enamel paint that I bought in Hawaii. Pine-Sol had a difficult time completely cleaning the models. I don't know if paints have a different formula for shipment to Hawaii or if it was just an anomaly.

Other than that I have always been satisfied with its performance. Acetone is a new one for me so I'll have to let you know how it turns out.

Paul

I have also had problems removing Testors paint with Pine-Sol, but the paint was over 30 years old. Don't know if it's the same formula today.
The other big problem I had with Pine -Sol was Humbrol; also very old paint...
I'd been told to use it full-strength; thanks for the tip about diluting it for better effect.
The stuff can also destroy some styrene plastics.
I'd used it successfully for stripping N scale RR cars, but ran into a tough job with some red chinese painted stuff- the cars started to slag before the paint would come off...
It's a moot point for me, as I seem to have developed a nasty sensativity to the stuff...
Jim R.
(edited for spelling error "humbroL)

I used to use it full strength but my chemistry professor friend at Towson explained how water increases electron transfer which is the cause of the breakdown in chemical bond in the paint blah, blah, blah. Whatever. It seems to work for me that way.

Paul

I use simple green. Takes it off overnight for the most part. A couple 3 days otherwise.

Cama said:

Acetone takes minutes to remove paint, it's terrific (and toxic!).

I put some some acetone in a small glass dish, then put the minis in, walk away for about 15 minutes or so, and then use an old toothbrush and hot water to remove what's left.

Make sure you have lots of fresh air, acetone is harsh.

I don't use acetone, but I do use lacquer thinner, which does the exact same thing. Heck, I've even tried Brake Clean and it works as well. All of which need to be used in a very well ventilated area. The lacquer thinner only takes a few minutes as well and does well for cleaning out my airbrush. Just a couple of drops in it cleans out.

I'm not that impressed so far with the Acetone approach. I had the minis soaking for more than a day and when I tried to remove the paint it took repeated scrub - soak - scrub cycles to get any of them clean. I didn't do a side by side Pine-Sol test or anything else to know if its just really tough paint, maybe I can do a side by side Laquer thinner test. For all its toxicity etc. I expected more.

Paul

I have a spare Oral B electric toothbrush (the rotary kind) that I use.... once I let the minis soak in simple green for a while, the electric toothbrush cleans everything out extremely well. You don't have to sit there and repeatedly scrub, just hold the toothbrush to the mini and move it occaisionally.

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