From the Watch to Dorn - Leinmann's stripping blog

[Beachymike123]

greetings fellow fraters and sororitas. the aim of this thread is to show my journey as i strip my marines. i share this experience so others may learn from my mistakes and 'knowledge' but so others who are more experienced can give me criticism and tips, thus helping me and others who read this thread.

before i forget the tools i used for this were:

toothbrushes, antiseptic disinfectant (the cheap one, local brand from lidl, but can be found anywhere), large tub, small tubs. solution i used was 25:75 disinfectant/water in that order (although this increased to more 35:65 disinfectant/water after the 'communal bath pic). also anail brush at one point, but this is because i was desperate. also a pair of rubber gloves is essential as the smell will stick to your hands (and i'm a chef so i can't afford to have that lingering smell). 

process i have used is as follows:

1:make up solution, soak minis for 24-48 hours

2: scrub minis with toothbrushes

3: resoak if required

4: once taken down to desired layer, scrub in a soapy solution (washing up liquid and lukewarm water is what i used)

5: using an old tea-towel dry the mini to remove any excess gak. 

well, as i said a while ago, i intended to strip my space marine minis from their DIY colours to become Crimson Fists. i love the chapter and to be fair, its another string to my bow to learn how to strip minis back so as not to lose the detail. i could just paint over them, but then detail would b e lost, the new scheme wouldn't be as great, etc etc. so i decided to strip my marines for a couple of reasons. 1 - the cost of starting up a new army is simply too high and 2 - i can start from (almost) new. no repainting detail, trims, eye lenses etc. 

so without further ado, i shall present to you from where i started to where i am now. 

my DIY scheme before stripping

in their communal bath. i though putting this many minis in at one time was a great idea. turned out it wasn't. i tried stripping after a couple of days, and it wasn't pretty. although i removed the top layer, it was extremely gakky, and i went through a fair few toothbrushes. at one point, i was even using a nail brush, but only to find the same result. however, i persevered, and got them all to the same stage.  

so after the initial 'gakky stage' i thought about making up a more concentrated solution but in smaller tubs. what you see hear is a tactical squad and the commander in 1 tub. at this point, i also went to a low cost merchant (ie 99p store) and purchased a multi pack of toothbrushes. when stripping, i found that you should use 1 toothbrush per 3 models. after taking them down to a level i was happy with, i found that, after their soap wash, they still had a bit of paint on them but (and after much research) this was normal. in some of the recesses there was a tiny bit of gakky paint left but this can easily be disguised at a later stage. 

my commander after stripping. as you can see a couple of bits came away, but these are easily repairable and, to be honest, might be a blessing in disguise as i can paint the areas hard to reach before reattaching them to the model. i should note that when i repaint my captain he will receive extra attention (washes, highlighting etc) as such a model deserves. 

tactical squad 1. plasma heavy squad (plasma cannon and plasma gun, sergeant has a plasma pistol). the plasma cannon was a dream to strip as its an old metal one, the paint came away so easily i almost wished i had an all metal collection. alas i don't but there we go. however, as you can see the super glue was unbound in the process as well as a couple of other models (one lost their bolter, one came off his base). these shall be amended before priming as i actually find tactical marines a dream to paint (the old ones at least anyway. 

well this is what i have to offer so far fellow B&Cers. i should say i have currently soaking 1 (other) tactical squad, 1 assault squad, i devastator squad, 1 (metal) scout squad and 1 squad to be a sternguard veteran squad. after that i have to strip 1 terminator squad, i vanguard veteran squad, 1 predator, 1 razorback. i have also brought more toothbrushes, and a bottle of dettol and another bottle of antiseptic disinfectant.  

ALSO: do this in a well ventilated room. my wife suffers from migraines and the smell is bad enough in itself. i also have cats who are curios as to what i'm doing, but i think that those with small children can also relate to this in that it really needs to be kept where ventilation is at a premium. a garage is ideal, but if not just open as many windows as physically possible.

i shall update this thread as each unit is stripped, using various techniques i find. comments and criticism is welcome. if you have better tips or techniques for stripping minis please post them and at some point i'll probably use them. thanks in advance, leinmann (mikey beachus) 

[Beachymike123]

well peeps i was a bit busy last night. after taking the above pics i started soaking my scouts and sternguard veterans. as these were metal i knew they'd be easy to strip so i wasn't too worried about them. i stripped the second tactical squad first though as i wanted to have a 'bare core' f the army. here is the result:

tactical squad 2. i discovered that after getting the worst of the gak off use warmer soapy water as the warmer the better. in addition, put the tea towel/cloth through the models legs (i'll try and get a picture next time to show you what i mean) so as to get to that harder to reach areas. in addition, i also decided to detach the bolters so as i could fully strip the models and so as it will be easier to repaint them in due course. 

the '3 models per toothbrush' rule at work - a fresh toothbrush vs after 3 models. glad i stocked up on cheap multi-packs. 

 

after i finished the tactical squad i decided to get the scouts and sternguard stripped, being as they are metal i knew they'd take a fraction of the time that the plastics did. 

the scouts were an absolute dream to strip. the only parts that fell off were the missile launcher (which was glued on to the back of a scout as its actually from an old guard missile launcher team), and the sergeant's power fists. one of the fists ended up being a bit too gakky, and i was tired by this point, so i threw the old one and have a replacement lined up, which you can just about see in the picture. 

the sternguard, on the other hand, being mostly kitbashed from a variety of sources (3 original LoTD, 1 old special weapon from the blisters in 3rd edition, and one plastic who has parts from a berzerker, captain, assault marine etc), virtually returned to their original parts. although the bodies themselves were easy to clean, the (now) smaller plastic components were still a damn pain. i replaced the soapy water which made it marginally easier, but my rubber gloves by this point were also virtually undercoated themselves and getting a decent grip on the components was a tad tricky. perseverance paid ff though, and each is now ready for priming. after i've reassembled them maybe.

 

as of last night, all models that need to be soaked are now soaking. whereas the majority of models are using general antiseptic disinfectant, my terminators, vanguard veterans, predator and TLHB razorback will be soaked in dettol. i've heard many great things about this wonderous stuff, so thought i'd give it a try. as always, if anyne else has any tips for me, feel free to add them here. if you're using the method i'm using, feel free to share that here too. till next time, take it easy.   

[oldschoolsavant]

Just stick to straight Dettol myself, some sealed plastic containers, and tons of 17p a pair toothbrushes.

 

Had no problems at all so far, including a plastic Predator I'd forgotten about, soaking for weeks. 

 

Just that damn smell........

[Beachymike123]

well been a while but been pretty busy in both real life and getting stuff stripped. as i'm part of the Tale of 18 Hobbyists, i decided to strip the tanks first. these were soaked in a Dettol mix, and i completely agree with oldschoolsoviet it really is the best, but the smell is horrific so ventilation is essential (my wife suffers from migraines and this gave her a pretty bad one so i was banished to the spare room nearer a window!). however, although the tanks were a bit of a mix they were fantastic on the minis themselves, as i'll show in a second. this update is therefore on the pure merits and few drawbacks of using dettol:

stripped Predator, although the sponsons fell off it was pretty straight forward

stripped T/L HB Razorback.

When i was doing these vehicles i used a single toothbrush on each as i was initially loving the sheer amount of paint that came off. however, by the end of it it was slightly gakky and needed a real go over with the tea towel. however, once they were fully dry, and despite looking blotchy in a couple of area, they had been stripped to a really good level that i was more than happy with. if i do tanks again, i may use either more brushes or maybe a larger brush altogether. i'll bear it in mind for the future.

AOBR Terminators and

converted Vanguard Veteran Squad using mostly beakies. originally they were just a normal veteran squad back in 4th ed but had a makeover during the 5th ed update. when i get round to getting the 6th ed codex they may change again (probably jump packs but who knows?).

however, each unit required only 1 toothbrush before being unusable, which made dettol have it's own 5-per-1 model/toothbrush ratio. whats more, the models were taken down to pretty much plastic although there are still a few stained areas. after drying off, there was absolutely no tackiness whatsoever, although they did have a slight smell to them. all in all, i will quite happily get dettol again as opposed to antiseptic disinfectant and pay the price for it for what i want to do (it makes the job easier, and you don't have to shell out to get a new army essentially which is what i wanted). a great lesson learned here.

and before i forget, a couple of tips i picked up from doing this:

using the edge of the tea towel, make a taper and thread it through the legs of your mini. with marines it is easy enough, but thinner models (guard, eldar, nids etc) will require thinner tapers. once through pull back and forth a couple of times just to get in betwenn the legs as your toothbrush may have missed these.

for harder to reach areas (SM back packs, DE pouches, anything that involves a nid weapon i'd imagine but universally under arms) use the edge of the tea towel to really get in there if you notice your toothbrush didn't get in there.

so thats it for now. i can safely say dettol is the way forward and i truly recommend it. next up will be the assault squad and devastator squad, both have been soaking for a few weeks in antiseptic disinfectant. after i'd finished with the units listed in this update i soaked my command squad and some space wolves i'd acquired through a fulfilled promise, plus a couple of 2nd ed marines, all in the dettol that had been used for the pictured units as the solution doesn't lose its integrity. these will be up in due course, i'll deal with it drekkly as always comments critiques and tips are always welcome.

[Rhetoricus]

Wooden cocktail sticks can be very useful for digging paint out of hard to reach crevices where you just can't quite get enough purchase with a toothbrush. Denture brushes are also a fairly solid investment. I'm still using the same one and emperor only knows how many marines I've used it on. Brushes can be cleaned with dettol themselves to get a little more use out of them.

 

I always find its very useful to have a little glass full of neat dettol nearby whilst your stripping. Take your model out of solution and begin to scrub, it'll start to get a bit foamy and as you say "gakky" at this point dunk your brush in the neat dettol, then carry on scrubbing. Repeat as many times as necessary, before dropping mini in into warm soapy bath.

 

Word of warning with using dettol. Make sure that your models are properly rinsed off. No matter how long it takes. Soak em and soak em again then rinse thoroughly and brush with a clean toothbrush that has never even seen dettol. If you neglect this stage you can end up with some horrid results when it comes to priming.

 

I'm currently about to experiment with putting some stripped minis in the dishwashwer. To see if its an effective rinse that'll get rid of all the dettol (and hopefully the smell)

 

ill let you know how it goes. Hope some of this may be useful.

[chaplainmikey]

I stripped some stuff with Dettol months ago and my figure case still has that smell lingering over it. :P 

 

Rhetoricus knows what he's talking about so definitely take his sound advice. ;)

 

I do have something to add though. Be careful stripping resing, especially FW stuff! I don't know if it was down to the Dettol or because I left the models soaking for to long, but I've had some bad results with 2 FW MK 4 Marines I stripped. The resin gas become really soft and actually chipped away from the bottom of one of the torsos.

 

So, look it up before risking expensive FW stuff! :P 

 

Looking forward to seeing the CF take shape,

Mike.

[Olis]

My advice - get a hold of some Fairy Power Spray. It works faster and it doesn't smell like Dettol does. I would recommend it over Dettol every day of the week.

[StruManChu]

I can confirm that Fairy Power Spray works really well on GW plastic, Forge World Resin and Finecast without eating into any detail.

 

For Finecast/Resin, crack open a bottle of Power Spray and fill a container/tub/whatever enough to cover whatever mini(s) you're stripping paint off. Leave them in there for about an hour or so depending on the amount of paint. Plastics you can obviously leave longer as it's a more resilient material.

 

I had to strip some of my Sternguard a while back after accidentally caking on some Army Painter yellow undercoat. They were mixed plastic, FW and Finecast bits. It took a couple of goes to get it all off, but it worked in the end. It's a really quick and easy method without the lingering smells or dangers of Dettol or brake fluid.

[Rhetoricus]

Haven't tried FPS myself yet but after the stellar recommendations i'm hearing here i'll defo give it a go. Question though, how economical is it? I mean I can get 4ltrs of dettol for £12. How much is 4ltrs of power spray gonna cost me?

 

EDIT: Did some searches. Ok so 4ltrs of Power Spray from bought from a leading uk retailer in 375ml bottles will cost £37.33, 3 times as much.

 

So whilst FPS might be the best bet if youve only a small number of models to strip, I would say dettol is the way to go for bulk striping. It's really not that problematic if you handle it right and get your process down.

 

Am currently searching to trying and bring the cost of FPS down through bulk buying and different retailers. Will update with findings.

[Olis]

For bulk stripping, you'll want quantity, so Dettol is likely to be the product of choice there. But like you said, for small numbers (squad size or less) it's just the ticket.

[incarnus]

Fairy Power Spray (or "Dawn Power Dissolver" or "Dawn Grill Cleaner" in the US, all the same stuff) is not only extremely potent, it's also a spray, so it goes a lot further.  I really don't think it will be much more expensive, in practice, than any other choice.  You don't need to dunk models in it, just set them upright in a tub and spray them down.  Wait an hour or two, run them under a stream of water, and watch the paint melt away.  Particularly jerky primers may need a mild scrub, but that's it.  It is, however, caustic and stinky, and the smell will stick to your fingers, though not for days.

 

Also of note is Simple Green, it's less potent than Fairy but still very effective.  Submerge minis then toothbrush as normal.  Most rattlecan primers I've used require a decent scrub but come off cleanly (with the exception of Army Painter Demonic Yellow which seems totally immune).  The huge advantage of Simple Green for stripping is that it's non-toxic and has no nasty, caustic smell.  Some people actually seem to like the smell.  It's fairly ubiquitous in the US but from what I've read it seems to be harder to find in the UK.

[Beachymike123]

thanks for the advice guys. i'll bear it in mind, particularly with bolters etc. toothpicks ftw. and Fairy Power Spray,i'll be investing in that too cheers for the heads up,but from what i gather i'll save it for characters and veterans.

as some of you have said bathing is key with dettol. don't worry i figured as soon as i stripped them put them in a hot soapy bath and it is easier but good to know it has helped me in the long run. for me it was how it felt after the soapy bath as to how i continued ie re-soak or scrub in soapy bath. the idea of an intermediate soak, so to speak, seems logical but for me was unviable - RL commitments,smell to wife's migraines etc so i persevered. but thank you for the advice guys,its invaluable not just for me but anyone reading,which was partly what i was aiming for. Rhetoricus your advice regarding toothpicks will certainly be put to use very soon regarding toothpicks.i hadn't though of using them but as i said before all advice is welcome,so thank you very much for that (those hard to reach areas are now mine for the taking ).

thank you gents. any other tips, comments and critique are welcome.

[Olis]

Big plus for FPS is that you can rinse it straight under the tap, unlike Dettol.

Edit - Look what I found, some old advice from a while ago. It may be a wee bit late but it's advice, all the same. ;)

I have recently decided to strip the paint from my Hector Rex model. I am a little worried about what will happen to the model should i use the wrong technique.

How do I go about this?

If you are a US citizen I suggest getting a hold of a product called Simple Green, if you are a UK resident then I personally would recommend Fairy Power Spray (however others would swear by the brown Dettol). Each of these products are friendly to plastics, greenstuff and resin whereas products with acetone in them (nail varnish remover for example) are definitely not.

Now then; soak/submerge the model for a several hours (if you're using Dettol/Simple Green) or spritz it liberally with the Power Spray and wait half an hour. Now take a used toothbrush to it, preferably in an area where paint flecks won't be an issue (NOT the kitchen sink). Sometimes you'll find that all the paint won't come off in one go so repeat the process if you feel the model needs another go at it. Obviously once done scrubbing (relatively gently on the more fragile areas) you'll need to rinse off the model.

Remember, when you are using Dettol, use rubber gloves (marigolds) as the product does slightly dissolve the upper layer of your skin. If you do it without gloves you may find the skin on your hands might feel slightly 'soapy' (ever so slightly slippery) but this is not a cause for alarm. It is a bleach, after all. Also, if you are using Dettol, DO NOT rinse with water. Rinse first with some Dettol and then rinse with water otherwise you'll find little globs of paint will stick to the model and will need (tedious) removal with a toothpick.

Hope this helps.

[Beachymike123]

good advice is rarely late to be fair Olisredan, thank you for sharing. while i took a pic of my tactical squad as i started painting it i thought i'd best get pics of my devastator and assault squads, both of which were aided with the use of toothpicks this time (cheers guys, it helped no end).

Devastator squad stripped and ready. this squad and the assault squad were stripped in antiseptic disinfectant and have been soaking for slightly longer than the dettol soaked models, which is why they are still slightly stained (although its more of a pink tinge than black but hey ho). however, using the toothpicks was ideal as it got out bits in between the bolters, vents etc that the toothbrush couldn't reach, so i'm a happy bunny.

Assault squad. as you can tell, half of them came off their bases, but this was a slight blessing in disguise. their running stance means the legs are closer together so are harder to get to using the tea towel method. however, the jump packs were a pain in the with twice the amount of grooves vents and bits as a normal back pack, but again the toothpicks were used to get in there.

well my good chums out of 75 models and 2 tanks, i have literally about 15 left (space wolves and the command squad), which are soaking as i type. as soon as they're done, i'll be posting them up.