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Just stripping my first figs using PineSol... how anal do I have to be about getting every little bit of paint off? I'm finding it hard, especially in the deeper crevices. Will I have lifting/peeling problems later if I leave little bits of old paint on and just prime over it?

I'm talking about things like the rear of the belt on hobgoblins, residual paint in eyesockets, etc.

Edit: Metal figs, if it matters.

Paint in crevices just obscures detail. I'd worry about the paint down in there not really sticking since it's been in the stripper but, my thought are that, if I can't get it out with a toothbrush and running water, I doubt it's going to fall out after it's been painted over.

That said, make sure you rinse them well. A little dishwashing soap works well. It makes sure there are no finger oils on them and will make sure there's no residual stripper on the mini.

Great! Thanks!

After I strip a fig I like to take a dental pick, or something else sharp and pointy and work it through the crevases. It won't get everything, but it helps.

if it is not stripped bare then you might as well forget it
2nd ed skaven for example will lose all the fur and detail - so master the stripping. Try soft toothbrush in liquid and about 15mins of effort. No idea what solution you using (uk sorry) but leave it in for at least a week.

Pinsol seems to be the same as nitromorse Juck. This topic has cropped up many times over the years. I doubt whever soaking for a month will get paint out of the detail so the only way is to scratch and scrape with scalpel and pins and patience. A tooth brush still won't get it but you may want to try a spark plug brush (very gently!)

Acetone and a hard toothbrush will get all the paint off. Soak in undiluted acteone for 30 min., take it out (use pliers!) dip the toothbrush in acetone, brush away. (use gloves!) Acetone is quick to evaporate, so work in a well-ventilated area. Repeat if necessary. Scalpels, pins etc. tend to damage the surface of the mini instead of getting the paint off (at least I always manage to damage mine when I use metal tools for stripping.)

As stated, I've been soaking in PineSol (which I gather from other threads is the same as Nitromorse -- it's a pine-based cleaning solution, dilute it and use it to mop wood floors) -- 1.8 litres in a large margarine tub and I just stood all the figures up in it with about two inches of liquid over the minotaur's head. I'd left it for four days before trying to strip, and was disappointed when none of the paint fell off by itself -- it peeled off easily, but every figure I pulled out of the liquid looked exactly as it did when I put it in.

For the bulk of things, I have a wire brush originally bought for removing old chipping paint from windowframes -- it takes paint off fast without any scratching. Maybe PineSol doesn't soften the metal enough to be scratched by the brush?

To get the rest, I've been using both an old toothbrush and an old head on my electric toothbrush, which is pretty good.

But like I said, there's still bits remaining. I put everything back in the PineSol yesterday after my first cleaning attempt, and will try to get the remaining paint in a couple of days. I'll try the pick method (I don't have any dental picks, but I do have some metal kebab skewers).

Winter in Canada means I can't use acetone in the house -- there are no rooms well-ventilated enough to keep me from getting stoned, and there's no way in hell I'm going to do this outside .

The other thing you'll have to remember. On really old paint jobs, the paint is going to be very difficult to remove.

Hmmm. This is a really old paint job -- 5+ years at least.

Here, this is probably one of the most useful paint stripping articles I've ever read.

http://www.paintingclinic.com/clinic/gu ... paint3.htm

Of course, The Clinic is one of the best places to learn how to paint miniatures.

Matt - As a fellow Canadian I can happily recommend Canadian Tire paint Remover. It comes in Spray and can formats, ( I use the spray) and it only takes a half hour to strip the paint. I spray the mini's in an old bottle, outside, bring them in, and clean them in my kitchen sink a half hour later.

I will get on that tomorrow, Chairface, and thanks!

- Matt

Fantastic Matt. Let me know how it turns out.

I've used oven cleaner and it works pretty good