Stripping for Fun and Profit - part 1

Sooner or later most people in the hobby have a paint job that they'd rather see the back of. Whether it's an ebay purchase with a thick layer of paint (ultramarine blue usually), an early paint job from years ago that you're too embarrassed to look at, or simply a mini that you think needs a different paint scheme, that paint just has to go.

I recently stripped some old Judge Dredd minis for T'Other One and he suggested I share my techniques with my blogging public. I didn't think to record the process at the time, so I've got some more minis to strip. 

There are several suggested ways of stripping minis. When I was starting out in the hobby I used Nitromores, a proprietary paint stripper that worked well on metal minis, especially with enamel paints, which were the norm in the day. However, it smells foul, is caustic to skin, gives off harmful fumes and melts most plastics (including plastic minis).

The three methods I'm looking at, all of which I have used to a greater or lesser extent, are Nail Polish Remover, Detol, and Isopropanol. 

I don't know where I first heard of using nail polish remover. I think it became popular with the rise of plastic minis. As long as you use the sort designed for acrylic nails, and don't leave plastic minis in too long, it does the job. 

I switched to Detol after reading Orlygig's Realms of Chaos in the 80s blog where he uses it. I've had some good results with it, especially with plastics, and it tends not to leave a faint trace of whatever colour the paint was.

Iso is a new one on me, and I read about it on Fauxhammer. Unfortunately since the article was written the price has risen steeply, and it became hard to find. I assume it was being used for medical purposes. 

The volunteers, or victims, for the trial are a group of original Space Orks from 1987 that I found on evilbay. This does mean that I don't know what the paint is (though the skin certainly looks like Citadel Goblin Green) or what undercoat has been used, but it should be an interesting experience. 

I've split the orks into three groups and I'll check on each batch regularly. Experience suggests that it will take a few days to fully strip the minis, so don't expect instant miracles. 

You can see part two here.