Removing the Colours of War – Redux – A Guide to Stripping Miniatures

This is a repost with updates for one of the more popular questions I have been asked and one of my most popular posts

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One question I have seen come up a lot on my various travels round the wibbly wobbly web is the question of stripping and everyone seems to have an opinion or a theory and all seem to work or at least have a measure of success, so I thought its maybe time to share my experiences. my go to stripper was Kandi.... oh hang on wrong topic!

In the past my stripping experiences have being somewhat hit and miss, so I've decided to compile a list of my experiences and let you decide what suits your needs best!

As something to note, with the possible exception of Dettol and possibly Nitros Mors, everything in this list is easily available in every country and its one of the reasons I have made the list so people from every where can find something to help them out

NITRO MORS

back when most things were metal I used to use Nitro Mors, the stuff is somewhat slow compared to other methods, smells really bad and results in a bit of gunk over the model, it really needs to be used in a well ventilated area due to the fumes from it which are the only real downside, but I found it is a competent enough stripper but not something I would ever use now with a kid in the house just due to the fumes.

Pros:
strips well

Cons:
expensive
smells
gives off fumes
longer clean up time of model after stripping due to gunk

Safe for use on:
METALS ONLY



This was a definite miss when I tried it, I listened to some early advice on the then burgeoning communities and tried acetone, on metal models it was brilliant, it even stripped enamel paint, however metal and resin models just melted. Great stripper and dirt cheap, to get the model ready for use all it needed was a quick rinse under the tap and done. To be fair was far from perfect, especially given the growth of resin and plastic in the hobby.

Addendum:-
Newer nail polish removers are supposedly safe on the plastics used for models and some people are recommending them but given the ease with which you could pick up the wrong type I cant improve my recommendation on this.

Pros:
strips well
little clean up
very very cheap

Cons:
smells
melts lots of stuff

Safe for use on:
METALS ONLY

DETTOL CLEANER

This was a definite miss when I tried it, I listened to people about using it and found whilst it worked ok on metals, and then was ok with most plastics it actually melted a number of Forgeworld resin items. This may have been a fluke but after loosing 2 turrets and a command squad to it I wasn't planning on using it again. Personally I can not recommend this, however some people do swear by it, however keep reading as there is a cheaper more suitable alternative coming up.

Addendum:-
Brown dettol has recently changed formulation so the older stuff is getting harder to find, places like Poundland and the like are the most common sources now but this may soon no longer be an option.


Pros:
strips well
little clean up
very very cheap

Cons:
smells
don't get water in it goes gloopy
not convinced of its model safety

Safe for use on:
METALS ONLY - this is a personal recommendation and user experience might vary



This was another odd one, I have tried this in the past for metals and plastic and whilst it stripped the metal models it melted the plastics. Now knowing many Brake fluids have for environmental reasons become "safer" I tried again recently, I actually pick up two different types both were DOT4 "rating" but the bottle from Asda melted the plastic again however the bottle from Halfords worked fine, I left the models in both baths for about 24 hours.
Personally I can not recommend this, although some people rate it, given I got hit and miss results with different brands I wouldn't be happy to knowingly push this as an option.


Pros:
strips well
little clean up
fairly cheap

Cons:
smells
not convinced of its model safety
VERY VERY environmentally unfriendly and is not able to be disposed of in a domestic environment in some locations

Safe for use on:
METALS ONLY - this is a personal recommendation and user experience might vary




I use this stripper sparingly and only really when the big guns are required. It strips pretty much every type of paint I have come across but doesn't seem to work 100% on primer (more in a mo on that). It is safe on everything I have tried it on but it does need to be applied in a very thick coat and can leave a mess but the models do clean up fairly well, and if not a second coat doesn't hurt. I found that when stripping models with an undercoat that on plastic models the undercoat is not stripped and goes slightly gunkier than normal and takes a lot of effort to strip. On metal and resin it goes gunky but strips the base coat well. This really is the one to use if you have something that someone has basically killed with paint, it will get everything off but is quite messy - however if you use this initially and finish my with my next method you can strip pretty much everything.

Addendum:-
I have recently had to reorder this and had a bit of a disaster with the new batch when a model that was stripped and made from resin melted. I contacted the manufacturers who were very good with it and said they think they had a bad batch but reimbursed me the cost of not only the stripper but enough to replace the model that had died too. So worrying issue with the stripper (which should be resolved now) but excellent customer service.

Pros:
strips well
safe for everything

Cons:
smells
bit gunky
costly

Safe for use on:
EVERYTHING - I haven't found anything it isn't safe on yet

ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL or RUBBING ALCOHOL - New Entry

This is a newer addition to my arsenal and is one I am glad I added. It strips pretty much every type of paint I have come across but doesn't seem to work 100% on primer. As with Meths it is safe on everything I have tried it on, so Plastic and Metal are fine, BUT it can have a negative result on resin if it is left to soak,
I find to safeguard resin it pays to use it in "short bursts", I generally put the model in for 5-10 mins then take it out and give it a good rinse and scrub. If needed I will let it dry then give it another round of treatment. Usually two rounds does the job but in the cases where I have needed to do more I have played safe and left it a day or so before I go back and give it another cycle. If you leave a resin model in for too long the model can go soft and almost pliable, there is a train of thought on this that if that occurs then leaving the model for a few weeks before priming can resolve this but I thankfully havent had to try this (nor have I had the time).
Like meths this is very quick acting and fairly cheap, it can also be used in the sonic cleaner but for the sake of safety and not blowing yourself up DO NOT USE A HEATER FUNCTION on the the sonic cleaner.



Pros:
strips well
safe for everything

Cons:
smells
mid priced but can be awkward to find in some areas (and people look at you odd when you ask for it in a chemists)

Safe for use on:
EVERYTHING - I haven't found anything it isn't safe on yet but care must be paid to resin

METHYLATED SPIRIT with/without SONIC/JEWELLERY CLEANER

This was a definite hit and is now my newest favourite method! For ages I was put off using Meths just because in my mind it was the same as acetone, boy am I glad I was wrong! Whilst the Meths smells at the time within an hour or two the smell goes and the models come up well. If using on its own Meths takes and hour or so to work but if you do as I did and link it with a Jewellery cleaner, also known as a sonic bath, the results take 2-3 mins. Quick note: make sure your cleaner either doesn't have a heater or the heater can be turned off, there are two reasons for this, first the meths is flammable, sure I don't need to explain why heating that is a bad idea, and second I have found heating whilst stripping can actually damage some older metal models and make some resin a bit too pliable.
Once done all you need to do is rinse the models under water and give a quick scrub with a tooth and hey presto, resin and metal come up brilliantly as does most plastic. I did however recently strip a tank (pics below to show the effects) and I found that it stripped the colours as expected but the undercoat didn't come off fully, it left a light coat over the model (the fw turret stripped at the same time came up brilliantly) but it was a nice smooth coat and personally makes it easier for me as I don't need to go get some undercoat.

Addendum:-
still the best and the easiest to find.
Pros:
strips well
little clean up
very very cheap - meths

Cons:
smells a bit but soon goes

Safe for use on:
EVERYTHING - I haven't found anything it isn't safe on yet

Conclusions

All in all I can not recommend the Meths Method enough, teamed with the sonic cleaner (around £25gbp on eBay - make sure you get one with at least a 1 litre capacity to fit most leman russ/rhino sized chassis) you cant go far wrong.
Back that up with an emergency tub of Biostrip 20 and you'll never have to worry about buying badly painted models ever again.

Example

So there you have it, my experiences and thoughts on stripping, to give you an idea of how successful you can be here is the tank I picked up for sale the other week. this is a plastic Leman Russ hull with a Forge world Conqueror turret with some quite thick paint:

After 3-4 mins in methylated spirits and the sonic cleaner I took the model out, give it a quick scrub (over the grass so it didn't make the shed a mess) and then continued to scrub it under a running tap (one person I know doesn't scrub their metal models they just put them in the dishwasher but I could imagine my Mrs would kill me if I did that!) and after maybe 2 minutes of scrubbing I was left with this: