stripping a portion of a painted mini

[Fencig]

if this has been discussed before, please link.

Anyone ever need to strip a portion of mini they painted that they are otherwise happy with (and don't want to strip the whole model)?  for me this has happened a few times, mostly faces. I would think there has to be something that is water soluble and can safely applied with a small brush?

found this

Quote

Use denatured alcohol, as it works the best on the most stubborn dried acrylic stains. Pour a little on a cloth or cotton ball and hold against the stain for a minute. With small circular motions, rub the paint until it lifts. Use a damp, soapy washcloth to wipe the area free of the alcohol.

anyone try this with a Q-tip?

Edited January 19 by Fencig

[R2ED]

That's a tough call.  I am sure you're only asking this because the face on your model is too gunked to paint over.  If AT ALL possible just paint over it.  If you need to strip it, I don't think an area like the face could be done without hitting something else.  If it's a metal model, you could use paint stripper or like Windsor Newton's insanely strong brush cleaner to do it.  If it's plastic, honestly I'd give it the full bath in LA's Cleaner.  

 

Or.... grab another mini and move on.  Don't look back.  

[Inarah]

The problem is going to be getting paint out of the crevices -- eyes, mouth, etc.-- no matter what you use.  Rubbing with a brush or cotton swab usually only gets the high points.  You need a firm bristle brush to get into the little details, and those generally aren't small enough. 

 

Cotton swabs get messy fast. They are ok for applying a drop of liquid or soaking it up, but if you try to scrub anything with texture they start shredding and leaving fibers everywhere. 

 

Might try scraping with some dental picks, if you have any around. They usually have a point, but are soft enough to not cause damage to the model. 

 

 

[haldir]

16 minutes ago, Fencig said:

Denatured Alcohol

anyone try this with a Q-tip?

 

While I've never had really have tried a spot removal, I do know DA will remove Tamiya spray paint from a plastic car body.

[Wren]

I have spot stripped a mini once. If it's not a case of having filled in detail, I just paint over it. This was a very delicately sculpted figure and I had filled in some filigree. It was a thin belt. I used Winsor & Newton brush cleaner applied and scrubbed around a little with a small brush. If you have an old rough brush you can cut it down to very short length to get a bit more scrubbing power in a small tool. Then I brushed on and removed water from that area a few times to rinse it. Isopropyl is similar enough in consistency and effect that I'd try with that first if you have it. You might need an etcher or dental tool style pointy tool to pull paint out of deeper crevices.

 

Having only done this once, I don't know if it can be made to work consistently, though. The belt was a slightly raised single area, so it had fairly defined edges and protruded above the other surfaces of the figure. Inset faces with hair hanging over them might be a different proposition. Edges of faces are often pretty well defined from other areas, though. I probably used brush-on primer, which is not as tough as aerosol. The paint will be easier to remove if it's fresh. Acrylic paint doesn't fully cure for 24 hours or so.

[Fencig]

      

2 hours ago, Wren said:

I have spot stripped a mini once. If it's not a case of having filled in detail, I just paint over it.

 

thanks for all the great replies, yes, filled in detail is the problem. It's a true 25mm metal RP elf, so the face is very delicate. The problem i think started with my spray on rattle-can  primer, which is  fine in most cases but very poor for fine details. A car painter I once knew called then Spits-cans, because they spit more than spray. it looked OK with just primer, but once i put on my paint, even thinned out, it was too much.

      I'm still looking for a decent primer, the Vallejo brush on i had i threw away, it was terrible.  Ordering a bottle of Stynylrez, 2 Ounce , and i will try brushing it on, but i have a feeling i'll need an air-brush sooner or later.

Edited January 20 by Fencig

[SparrowMarie]

6 hours ago, Fencig said:

      

thanks for all the great replies, yes, filled in detail is the problem. It's a true 25mm metal RP elf, so the face is very delicate. The problem i think started with my spray on rattle-can  primer, which is  fine in most cases but very poor for fine details. A car painter I once knew called then Spits-cans, because they spit more than spray. it looked OK with just primer, but once i put on my paint, even thinned out, it was too much.

      I'm still looking for a decent primer, the Vallejo brush on i had i threw away, it was terrible.  Ordering a bottle of Stynylrez, 2 Ounce , and i will try brushing it on, but i have a feeling i'll need an air-brush sooner or later.

 

I use Stynlrez as a brush on and it goes on fine. No thinning needed IME. It does, however, need a ton of shaking if you have let it sit for a while. Brush on slowly to avoid bubbles on the mini too. Lastly, in my case, I've found that you have to have good ventilation or a fan blowing away from you to reduce fumes. I got a few migraines before I figured that out. 

[Fencig]

On 1/20/2023 at 6:07 PM, SparrowMarie said:

 

I use Stynlrez as a brush on and it goes on fine. No thinning needed IME. It does, however, need a ton of shaking if you have let it sit for a while. Brush on slowly to avoid bubbles on the mini too. Lastly, in my case, I've found that you have to have good ventilation or a fan blowing away from you to reduce fumes. I got a few migraines before I figured that out. 

thanks that's helpful, what you describe suggest a solvent/acid based primer, AKA " etching primer" , and by most pro painters opinion i believe is the best primer you can use on metal.  Really odd that your getting that reaction from a water based acrylic polyurethane, but it's good to know about the need for ventilation. Would be nice to see an MSDS for Stynlrez

[Count Urlik]

FWIW, I had good luck stripping just a face by using a relatively stiff bristled brush (think dry brush) and pure ethanol.  I packed around the sides of the face with absorbent paper, then dipped the brush in solvent and ‘painted.’  The paint loosened up pretty quickly, so I alternated between drying the brush out and using it to pull off excess solvent, then ‘painting’ again with fresh solvent.  It worked really well, by the end I had the face down to bare bones (so to speak) and most of the hair and chest paint was left intact.  By stabbing the brush in I could loosen up the paint in the recesses pretty effectively.  I suspect isopropyl alcohol or 90% ethanol would be as effective, but I didn’t actually try those.  Good luck!

[SparrowMarie]

1 hour ago, Fencig said:

thanks that's helpful, what you describe suggest a solvent/acid based primer, AKA " etching primer" , and by most pro painters opinion i believe is the best primer you can use on metal.  Really odd that your getting that reaction from a water based acrylic polyurethane, but it's good to know about the need for ventilation. Would be nice to see an MSDS for Stynlrez

 

I have weird migraine triggers. It could just be a me thing.

[cmorse]

3 hours ago, Fencig said:

thanks that's helpful, what you describe suggest a solvent/acid based primer, AKA " etching primer" , and by most pro painters opinion i believe is the best primer you can use on metal.  Really odd that your getting that reaction from a water based acrylic polyurethane, but it's good to know about the need for ventilation. Would be nice to see an MSDS for Stynlrez

 

All water based polyurethanes still recommend being in a ventilated area to use due to the polyurethane. Vallejo's airbrush primer is also water based polyurethane and it's easy to fine their msds info. Stynylrez is likely very similar.