Paint stripping help needed

[gogul1]

Hi guys trying to strip the paint off of my Iron Man Silver Centurion at the moment for a repaint. However there is a problem with the nail polish. I've tried 3 different brands from acetone to acetone free stuff but nothing seems to make the paint stripping any easier. It's taking absolutely ages to try and get the paint off. It's took 40 minutes to try and get this much off of the chest plate. Any ideas on what I can use to make this process a little easier?

 

[SteveU30]

Cellulose thinners, can be bought from Halfords

 

[gogul1]

Cellulose thinners, can be bought from Halfords

Thanks are they ok to use on plastic?

 

[SteveU30]

Thanks are they ok to use on plastic?

Yes definitely, I use it all the time

 

[gogul1]

Awesome thanks will try and hunt some down tomorrow )

 

[ali032373]

You can paint over the plastic. Then apply sealer. I tried stripping the paint and I did some damage to the piece and it took forever. Done it a few times. My .02.

 

[gogul1]

You can paint over the plastic. Then apply sealer. I tried stripping the paint and I did some damage to the piece and it took forever. Done it a few times. My .02.

Thanks yeah it's a bit of an effort,
I mostly want to make sure he still has posability once finished so decided the best way to achieve that would be through stripping the original paint off etc but there will be some bits I will just paint over without stripping first as the movement won't damage those parts.

 

[gogul1]

Also whats the best sealer for this type of work. I may need to seal the silver layer, then blackwash it before I put the other colours on and I want to do the black wash but then clean some of it off without removing the silver paint too.

 

[gogul1]

Yes definitely, I use it all the time

It melts the plastic (

 

[Artoo]

Can you expand a little on your process? I've been wanting to strip the paint off of some larger pieces/figures and I never know whether I should use acetone and dip the pieces in a bowl of it, let them soak in a bowl, use a cloth to wipe with, etc.? I've used acetone dipped q-tips for smaller areas with success, but I haven't tried it on larger armor pieces like this.
Hope it's going well for you.

 

[ali032373]

I use tamiya paints and sealers. They make a vaiety of different kinds of sealers. I stick to clear matte if i dont want any effect. Ive also used testors high gloss on one or two IM figures for a real shiney look. Generally though i try to stick to the same brand of paint and sealer/top coat.

 

[gogul1]

Can you expand a little on your process? I've been wanting to strip the paint off of some larger pieces/figures and I never know whether I should use acetone and dip the pieces in a bowl of it, let them soak in a bowl, use a cloth to wipe with, etc.? I've used acetone dipped q-tips for smaller areas with success, but I haven't tried it on larger armor pieces like this.
Hope it's going well for you.

I tried the bowl dipping process but I'm trying not to remove the silver bits so I can't dip them all. Its real tough to take the paint off though. I was not expecting it to be this tough.

 

[Doom Saber]

I don't know why this method is such a secret outside the table top miniature community, but using something like Simply Green is great for removing paint and crazy glue. It is a safe liquid cleaner that you can reuse. Simply submerge whatever you want to strip in a container filled with it and leave it overnight. You should be able to take an old toothbrush and scrub off the paint and glue, which should be goopy by then.

 

[Doom Saber]

If my last post wasn't clear, this method is safe for plastic.

 

[gogul1]

If my last post wasn't clear, this method is safe for plastic.

Thanks for the tip I will try that methid next I think

 

[K.bowen]

I use turpentine and a hard brush to strip my heads never had any problems tried nail polish remover once and melted my sculpt haha, don't know if turps would work with what youre trying though, good luck! hopefully you get it all off

 

[Hydeous]

Obviously there's a few methods to do it, and I don't claim my method to be all, end all.

But I think the best one personally would be using hobby lacquer thinner (I use mr. hobby brand or some local brand in my country that I don't think is available else where) to remove it slowly using cotton swabs, toothpick and paint brush. Do not leave it overnight as it will be to harsh to the plastic and will melt it.

 

[gogul1]

I have bought a new chest piece as the damage was so bad it looks terrible. Will paint over the it without stripping it this time.

 

[Doom Saber]

Obviously there's a few methods to do it, and I don't claim my method to be all, end all.

But I think the best one personally would be using hobby lacquer thinner (I use mr. hobby brand or some local brand in my country that I don't think is available else where) to remove it slowly using cotton swabs, toothpick and paint brush. Do not leave it overnight as it will be to harsh to the plastic and will melt it.

I use Mr hobby thinner as well (to remove excess Mr Surfacer) and it works great. However, it doesn't melt the plastic as I don't wash it off afterwards as it dries off.

 

[verdun]

Somewhat related,
I have a polystne statue I want to paint up, but worried once finished I wont like it!
As an illustrator I typically cant stand to look at my own paintings, but the factory paintup of this statue just cries for a makeover.

Also considering the cost of the item, I dont feel comfortabe not being able to return to original state.

Is anyone aware of applying a 'draft' paintup to polystone while preserving the original factory paint beneath?

Perhaps a sealing spray which would allow removal of the custom layer but protect the original?

I expect gauche would be the safest paint, but being water soluable it makes layering impossible.
Any ideas?