Anastrianna Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hey all, I could really use some help! A few years ago I have this "great" idea to prime a lot of minis at one time so that they would be ready for me to paint at any even time. Years later (and after 2 moves!) I now realize that was not the best idea so I have stripped them all down to start clean and fresh...all excect a few problem children. I let these minis soak in Simple Green for days and scrubbed until my hands are sore. I've attempted to use a toothpick and even a metal tool to scrape some of the primer off but it's not coming off easily and I don't want to harm the mini. I used Tester's White Primer. Anyone have any ideas I could try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pae Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 You could try a dremel tool with a nylon brush attachment. Or, you could use a toothbrush along with soap and water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelcore Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 If they've been primed for that long, Ana, I don't think good ol' Simple Green alone will do the trick. I know this might seem like a waste of materials, but whenever I've stripped a mini and have had similar problems to yours, I've found that an overnight bath in Windsor & Newton brush cleaner plus some vigorous scrubbing with a toothbrush usually does the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeySloth Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I've had this same issue and I used the concentrated Simple Green which removed about 3/4 of the stuff instead of about half. I'll have to try the brush cleaner trick to see if it works better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClauseRose Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I would try using Pine-Sol, that stuff goes through anything. Also, I use it full strength, so that may have something to do with why it works so well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anastrianna Posted August 8, 2011 Author Share Posted August 8, 2011 Cool, thanks guys! I really appreciate your thoughts!! I think I'll try a soak in the brush cleaner Kelcore recommended first. (though I'll have to get some first!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenity Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 When Simple Green can't do the job, there are a lot of alternatives out there. Did you check the pinned topic in this forum? The Stripping Materials Compendium. I typically use acetone or W&N brush cleaner, depending on how much more work is needed. Acetone is cheap, but smelly and melts some kinds of plastic. W&N brush cleaner is safer and smells almost not at all, but costs considerably more than other stripping agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ixminis Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 There is a quite toxic graffitti remover that can usually be found at your local DIY (do it yourself) center. I think I found some at Home Depot or Lowe's It's a spray can and you MUST MUST MUST use gloves and follow all of the instructions. It has never failed me. That being said; once I discovered simple green, I found that patience and high concentrations of it did wonders most of the time. Let us know what worked! Rgds, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstar Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 My go to solvents when the job is a tough one are Easy Off oven cleaner extra strength in the yellow can. (Not the fume free kind in the blue can, doesn't work.) Spray the Easy Off into a tupperware containing the minis and put a lid on it. Cover the minis liberally and let them soak overnight. Next day use gloves and long sleeves along with eye protection and a mask and scrub the minis with an old toothbrush. This stuff takes off anything I've thrown at it. Stripped entire armies of ancient ebay minis I've bought that were primed and painted with God knows what. Lately though I've found a product called "Totally Awesome" (no joke) that works well to get off paint and primer from old minis. I buy it at my local Dollar Tree but I've seen it at Grocery Outlet and the Dollar Store as well. Soak the minis overnight in a tupperware with the concentrated Totally Awesome. Strip em the next day, this stuff even softens hardened epoxy...it's really strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anastrianna Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Totally Awesome sounds totally awesome I have a Dollar Tree close to me. I'll check if they gave it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haldir Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Just don't use Super Clean in the Purple jug (formerly Castrol Super Clean) on metal. It'll eat it + do some funky reactions on yah. Brake fluid is good. My go to stripper for metal is Clean-Strip Aircraft paint remover. It's pretty caustic (ie don't get any on your skin, as it burns) but dang 10-15 min later the paint, tampo printing on die-casts just flake off. I find it either in the automotive paint section at Wally-world or at a good auto parts supply store. Never really have good luck with Simple Green (then again, I also can't stand the smell of it either......) RM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyHorde Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Just don't use Super Clean in the Purple jug (formerly Castrol Super Clean) on metal. It'll eat it + do some funky reactions on yah. Brake fluid is good. My go to stripper for metal is Clean-Strip Aircraft paint remover. It's pretty caustic (ie don't get any on your skin, as it burns) but dang 10-15 min later the paint, tampo printing on die-casts just flake off. I find it either in the automotive paint section at Wally-world or at a good auto parts supply store. Never really have good luck with Simple Green (then again, I also can't stand the smell of it either......) RM Wow, I have had the 100% exact opposite experiences. Must be some differences in metals and paints used on them. Brake fluid never worked on anything I tried - craft paints, hobby acrylics, just didn't work and I gagged from the smell. I like the smell of Simple Green, keep it around for non-toxic easy cleaning, too. Gotta use the concentrated version, full-strength, for easy jobs if I have plenty of time. If not, Purple Power (engine degreaser, equivalent to Castrol Super Clean) is a force of nature. Doesn't smell great and you don't want it on your bare hands, but it works great. Never had a problem with changing any properties of metal other than staining it a bit, just made some epoxy glues brittle. Stripped 50+ dragons and 200+ smaller minis with it, no problem. Still, I'll have to find the Clean-Strip stuff and give that a whirl. I'm out of Purple Power, anyway, so maybe that's worth a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Lead Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 I used Tester's White Primer. Anyone have any ideas I could try? I think Testor's is enamel-based primer. I've found that Simple Green and brake fluid don't work so hot on enamel-based paints or primers. Brake fluid has a reputation for removing paint, but honestly it's more in the realm of old automotive paints - acrylics and lacquers. Modern enamels and urethanes are different beasts. I tried using it to strip paints off vinyl toys and enamel-painted lead minis and it didn't touch them... I concur that W&N Brush Cleaner is awesome. It will strip paint and primer and is reusable for a long while - if you get it in the 32 oz bottle from Dick Blick for $15 it's not too bad. Not as cheap as Dollar Store cleaners or a gallon of Simple Green, though... Later, Laszlo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orionjp Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Of course you could always go with intense heat, not sure the effect it will have on the mini, but I can assure you if you get it hot enough the paint will separate from the mini ;). Just kidding of course, don't want any hate mails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kormydigar Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Lately though I've found a product called "Totally Awesome" (no joke) that works well to get off paint and primer from old minis. I buy it at my local Dollar Tree but I've seen it at Grocery Outlet and the Dollar Store as well. Soak the minis overnight in a tupperware with the concentrated Totally Awesome. Strip em the next day, this stuff even softens hardened epoxy...it's really strong. Heh. Back in my day we thought "fantastic" was pretty good. I'll have to look for this totally awesome stuff. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.