Fromper Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 So I'm worried about messing up painting a mini so badly that I feel the need to strip the paint from it and start over. 1. What product(s) do I need to buy? 2. How do I use it? 3. Is it different for metal minis and Bones, since I have both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nytflyr Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 simple green seems to be the popular choice, and reports are it doesnt matter what the medium is (though it may discolor if left in long enough) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captenglish Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I use Pine-Sol and an old toothbrush (and elbow grease of course), pretty much works like a charm especially with Reaper paints. Haven't tried this with Bones but it doesn't hurt resin at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Knight Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Simple Green. Soak the mini in it for a day or so, scrub off the paint with an old toothbrush. Works fine with metal and Bones. And you can keep the used Simple Green for the next one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sundseth Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Stripping Materials Compendium 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I had to strip a dragon yesterday and all I had on hand was acetone/acetate- nail polish remover. It was a metal dragon and it worked great. I painted a Bones sprue and then stripped it with the acetone/tate (I really need to check on which one it is) and it didn't seem to affect it, but I also didn't let it soak. It was in there just long enough to get the paint off it and then rinsed. I am far too aware of what chemicals can do to plastic and I'm not interested in turning my Bones to mush so without more extensive testing with sprues I'm not inclined to use it on a large figure that would take time to strip. I plan on getting some Simple Green before my KS Bones get here. Better safe than gooey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercius Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Simple green for plastic and Bones, and I use Pine-Sol for Metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baugi Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I keep a baby food jar of Pine Sol on my hobby desk. If I'm dissatisfied with a paint job, and simply going over with a new coat doesn't seem like an option, it gets the dunk. Put the lid back on, leave it in for a day or two. Take out with tweezers or whatever you have on hand, then scrub under the tap with some dish soap and a toothbrush. Good as new! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loim Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I use simple green for everything. It's easily available, non-toxic, and I like the way it smells in my apartment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bblythe84 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 goo off and elbow grease Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loth Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 I use non acetone nail polish remover for metals and plastics. Dunk my toothbrush in solvent, brush on area to be stripped and the acrylic paint comes right off Loth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 So I'm worried about messing up painting a mini so badly that I feel the need to strip the paint from it and start over. 1. What product(s) do I need to buy? 2. How do I use it? 3. Is it different for metal minis and Bones, since I have both? Mini painting is supposed to be a fun, relaxing, hobby. Don't stress about how they look or about messing it up. There is a HUGE learning curve for all aspects of painting minis, it's going to take a while to get a handle on all of it. Different brushes, different paints (don't get us started on the Great Paint Debate!), different prep work, different techniques, etc. There is no *one right way* to do any particular piece. If you want your ogre to purple with orange polka dots then go for it. Do whatever makes you happy with it. Do NOT expect the end result to look like the picture in head until you've painted a ton of figures. They just won't unless you're some sort of mini-painting-savant. Do NOT compare what you do with ANYONE ELSE on any site. You have your own skills and hurdles that do one else has, so your work won't look like other people's. And when all else fails- if you really really really hate the way a mini turned out, set it aside for a few days before you make the decision to strip it. But if after those few days you still really really really hate it- then give it a bath and start over AFTER you have really thought about why you don't like it. If you just have a knee jerk reaction to a botched spot and you clean it right away, you won't really learn from your mistakes as quickly as you could if you examine it more closely. Don't forget to take WIP (Work In Progress) pictures and post them here at the forum. We all know you're new to this and will be happy to offer constructive tips & tricks to help you grow with the hobby. We're a generally friendly bunch that just want to see the hobby grow and help people have fun with it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipchuck Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 I'm for Simple Green too, but I wanted to give you a pep-talk on your other comment. It's okay to mess up a mini. Don't fret. We all do it. My advice would be to keep it, and finish it out. Then have a look at it and take a few notes (mentally or on paper) as to what you think you need to work on improving, what colors worked or didn't, and anything else you like or dislike about it. If you have the means, keep that one and buy another of the same to make your second effort with. Then you can compare them side by side to see progress. If a second copy isn't equitable, it's understandable. Take your notes, maybe a few pictures, and dunk that sucker. An old toothbrush after a day or two in Simple Green will clean her up....just don't brush your teeth with it after a night of drinking. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fromper Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Mini painting is supposed to be a fun, relaxing, hobby. Don't forget to take WIP (Work In Progress) pictures and post them here at the forum. We all know you're new to this and will be happy to offer constructive tips & tricks to help you grow with the hobby. We're a generally friendly bunch that just want to see the hobby grow and help people have fun with it. Heh. That first sentence I quoted really stood out to me. I've never been artistic. I flunked coloring inside the lines in kindergarten. I got a B in my high school art class for showing up every day and doing all the assignments, even though the results were awful. The only reason I ever even considered getting into painting minis is because there aren't enough prepainted ones on the market for my gaming needs. Which, frankly, I don't understand, but that's a rant for another day. I don't consider mini painting fun or relaxing. I buy unpainted minis so I can use them in my RPG playing, and then see painting them as a necessary evil because they look goofy on the table unpainted, though that hasn't stopped me from using some of my metal minis unpainted for over a year now. Getting my Bones kickstarter in made me more enthusiastic to try this painting stuff, in the hopes that with some practice I might actually be able to do a decent job at it, and maybe even learn to enjoy it. So for now, I don't hate painting, but I won't take bets on being able to say that a month from now. As for taking pics for the WIP threads, I keep meaning to do more of that. I did a little when I started. The problem is that I don't own a camera, the one in my cell phone sucks, and the one in my tablet is my best bet, but slightly inconvenient to use. I should take a pic of what I did last night to post, though. I wanted to give you a pep-talk on your other comment. Which other comment is that? All the comments I've made about how much I suck at art in general? Don't bother. I know my own limitations. I figured I'd try something new with this painting stuff, but I'm not optimistic about ever being good at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Sundseth Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Don't get me started on art classes trying to teach art without actually teaching the craft of using art tools. Drawing, painting, or sculpting things that look like things are skills not inherently more difficult than laying a brick wall that doesn't look like it was done with donuts and frosting. (Not to say that everyone can do it, but certainly many more people can than leave art classes believing they can.) That also doesn't mean that all those people will be great artists; there's more to good art than craft. But nice miniatures don't require good art; competently executed technical paint jobs look just fine (and better than the vast majority of painted figures you'll see). And if do you have the artistic ability, you'll never be able to use it without the craft, anyway. See, you got me started. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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