pae Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I just spent a fair amount of time today stripping a mini. More time than it originally took me to prep and base said mini. And there's still remnants of the paint in the cracks. So it left me asking myself what's wrong with my previous method (just throwing the damn thing away). Why bother stripping? What offends people so much about me throwing away minis? Why is it that people want me to send them the minis I'd throw away? Seriously, if I offered to send the next person to ask me to send them this mini that I should have thrown away, what is it they really want? What if I offered to send them $5 instead? Meh. I'm done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oracleartist Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Yah, I feel that way sometimes after making 3.00 an hour stripping minis, in the 20s that would have been a great wage... But I do it cause most of my minis are vintage minis that are hard to find and often worth 20-100.00 per mini, and then I just hate to waste materials and so make myself miserable as I try to keep something, including a mini, out of the trash... Just wait till you have a pile of them and then sell them as a lot on ebay and you will make someone happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valloa Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Out of curiousity.. What primer and strippers are you using? I have the same problem with miniatures primed 5+ years ago, but have never had to spend so long, or had paint left when stripping a miniature primed within the past four years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyberwolfe1 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I just spent a fair amount of time today stripping a mini. More time than it originally took me to prep and base said mini. And there's still remnants of the paint in the cracks. So it left me asking myself what's wrong with my previous method (just throwing the damn thing away). Why bother stripping? What offends people so much about me throwing away minis? Why is it that people want me to send them the minis I'd throw away? Seriously, if I offered to send the next person to ask me to send them this mini that I should have thrown away, what is it they really want? What if I offered to send them $5 instead? Meh. I'm done. ok Pae I'll bite. I bother stripping because I trade figures for the ones I want. I sometimes have figures that are crumby paint jobs and I want to revisit the figure with my new skills. I think why so many offer to take your figures is because for some it feels like they are watching you throw $5 bills in the trash. Your throwing them out is an incredibly foreign idea to most. After suffering through the pennance of stripping a few figures I am more careful and aware of what I am doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stink Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I would think that for the less financially stable, a $5 mini might be a luxury. I don't know....or maybe you've become jaded over time. You've handled so many minis that one of them is a drop in a bucket. Think of the newer people to the hobby though. I have plenty of money to throw around, but the thought of dropping $5-8 for some little pewter dudes is still something that I struggle with when it comes time to purchase. The wife pretty much forced me to buy the $20 worth of figures I grabbed last time....and I'd gladly take an unwanted one. Once you have a collection of them sitting on a shelf, I'm guessing maybe the idea of throwing one out isn't as big of a deal....when you only have a few though? Just a thought! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Froggy the Great Posted April 13, 2009 Moderator Share Posted April 13, 2009 I'll strip and repaint one. I'll just repaint one. I'll throw it in the slag bin. A $4 mini in the trash is 4$ in the trash. I'm on a budget, and that hurts to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flit Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Also, if you start all over with a new mini you have to prep it again. Maybe you can prep at warp speed, but it seems like it takes me forever. And it's not the fun part of painting. Not everyone can run down to the FLGS for a replacement. Some painters have to order minis online in batches and an order of $100+ is more financially noticeable than $5 at the FLGS. The metal is valuable in and of its self. In these days of worrying about our carbon footprints we can feel guilty about just pitching something that actually has some value to someone somewhere. At least save 'em up and trade them in for new minis at ReaperCon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heisler Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Not to mention that I have seen some of the minis you have thrown away and although you aren't happy with them they could certainly sit on my shelf as technique examples, much the same way that the three I have from Marike do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghaz Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Not to mention that not all miniatures will remain in production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooseyjoe Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I've never had that much trouble stripping. I just throw my metal ones in some pinesol, and then toothbrush them a few days later. This of course leaves stuff in the cracks, so i just throw it back in the pine sol. It takes maybe 3 or 4 minutes every time they pop out of the cleaner. 5 bucks for a mini is totally worth the cumulative 20 minutes of my time it takes to strip the suckers. The last time I pull em out, i just take some needle thin tweesers and grab any paint thats left in the cracks. Not hard at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanker22 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I'm not sure what some of you guys use for stripping but I have never spent "days" stripping a mini down, not even hours. Try using carberator cleaner and a tooth brush, 10-15 minites tops if even that and your down to shiney bare metal and I would say 95% of everything in the cracks as well. Let is soak for a few hours and super glue, green stuff and about anything else is coimg off just as easily. The only problem I've had was when I stripped some old stuff that was painted with enamals like 20 years ago. I have yet to see any noticable damage to the mini itself other than plastic bases ( no surprise there). Even tried using it on resin, just didnt let it soak and did it pretty quick (a few min) No damage. Just use the carb cleaner in a well ventalated area and wear gloves if you have sensitive skin. As for just tossing minis in the trash that seems rediculous and wasteful. Hey your money though, more power to ya. I get tired of stuff sitting around I'll thow it up on ebay to at least try and make something back on it or give it away to friends or new painters. Maybe someone that does have a tight budget and cant afford owning mountains of lead as some of us can, things like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Pae, I'll tell you why I strip the few minis I've stripped. To me if I toss away a mini after I've painted it I've wasted money that I don't have loads of. Even working two jobs doesn't mean I have cash to just blow. Throwing a painted minis away simply because I don't like how it turned out is like my Sister who can do beautiful freehand sketches and drawings in colored pencil on black paper working on a drawing for days and suddenly standing up, looking at it and tearing it apart. I've seen her do this much to my horror. Sometimes perfectionism isn't the greatest personality trait to have. If I can repaint that mini, I've saved myself the cost of that mini and then I can turn around, give that mini as a gift to someone and see the smile on their face as they hold something they will treasure forever and it's worth it to me. And if I don't like the paint job and don't feel like stripping it again? I just give it away anyways, I've never met a person in my circle of friends who hated getting a painted mini from me - no matter what it looked like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishil Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I dislike unnecessary waste. It offends me. And throwing away something that someone else would be pleased to have, would even pay you for, is certainly unnecessary. That attitude is indicative of much that is wrong with modern society as a whole. That's what I believe, anyway. Ishil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renowyth Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I'm just sad. I tried stripping down a mini...and took my dremel and wire brush to it to try and get the paint out of the cracks... ... i took the nose, chin, and mouth off the mini because I wasn't paying attention. :-( I did learn something, Not going to use a Dremel again like that. I just primed over the other figure, even with paints in the cracks. I'll see how that turns out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rastl Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I think the common theme from everyone who comments on your habit of throwing away minis you don't like is the waste. If you really don't want to bother with them then toss them into a bag and drop them off at your local store for those who don't mind stripping and repainting a mini. Same result for you, happy people who get a mini they might not have been able to afford before. Heck, if you don't want to give them partially painted minis they would probably even supply the jar of Simple Green you could use and exchange when you dropped off a full one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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