Stripping non-metal minis?

The Serene Badger

The Serene Badger

Vassal
Hi all. I've just received this fine figure of a dwarf for my battle standard bearer. I want to repaint to match my 80's and 90's style (I know the mini isn't Oldhammer but I like it). It's a bit big for a 20mm square base, but I'll fudge it.

It was described as metal, and I usually just chuck metal minis in acetone and go to work with a toothbrush. But this really doesn't feel like metal. It's very light and doesn't sound like metal when tapped. Unfortunately the slot tab is also painted underneath, so I can't check that. I scraped the tab, and that looks like resin.

WHat"s the best way to strip non metal minis? I've googled and had everything from Dettol to washing up liquid to various other unguents. So I thought I'd come ask the sages here for advice. I'll have some psychostyrene multi part dwarves to strip later too (though may keep some of my earliest horrors for posterity).

Thanks in advance!
 

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I'd second that. Fuze Biostrip 20 is my goto these days. Although I have yet to use it on a resin model actually my plastics regularly end up in it and have been fine.

For metal models if there is anything stubborn, like yourself I then use acetone (after the biostrip), but generally the Biostrip works wonders. I throw on a glove, dunk the model and then chuck it into another tub, forget about it for however long, then give it a scrub with a hard toothbrush in a bowl of water and chuck it to one side to dry.
 
I use Dettol, about 50:50 with water. It has to be the proper stuff with chloroxylenol in it. The other thing I use sometimes is Clean Spirit. It’s a water based white spirit. Also a fan of the ultrasonic bath.
 
a real ultrasonic bath on old lead? yikes (you get alot of fake ones which work to various degrees but are cheap (under £100) which aren't ultrasonic they are just a vibration motor. With real Ultrasonics, I wouldn't 100% trust on old lead cause it'll add strain on the metal and if something is starting to break or rot, it'll really help it on it's way.
 
Never had an issue to be honest. That said I have never had a mini that’s had any damage/rot etc. I guess you can’t tell if it’s got rot until it’s stripped though 🤣
 
Welp. I dun beggared that up. I didn't know that GW did a plastic version of this mini, but suspected as it felt light (I know it's not an Oldhammer one). After 2 dips in biostrip all the detail seemed fine, so I left it in a bit longer while I finished covering the game board (messed that up too). Dwarf here has lost his finger, there's a couple of holes through the banner and lots of detail gone. I can patch him up to be serviceable whilst I look for an alternative metal battle standard bearer. A costly mistake! Ideas for dwarf battle standard bearers welcome. I have the longbeard, hammerer, ulther's and a couple of others, but they're all serving with their respective units! Bum.. it's not going so well today
 

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never had a problem and the biostrip is kinda designed for plastic so.. that' a bit weird.. though never left it for some time in a pot of biostrip, just dipping...

what figure is that by the way? does look patch-able with some green stuff

EDIT: just though.. if the figure HAD been repaired in the past.. the glue would have been stripped.. and maybe some putties..
 
Looking at it, I think it's finecast. I've only ever seen unpainted ones of this model being metal on eBay etc, But his was a very light, hard detailed plastic/resin. Some further research I've done on biostrip does say "don't use it on fine cast". We live and learn. Two quick dips and scrubs seemed ok. The third damaged it. Maybe I shouldn't have used an electric toothbrush?! You live and learn.
 
Citizen Sade said:
Is the moral of this sad story: "If it don't go ting, it ain't my thing"?
Click to expand...
Yup. Apart from my psychostyrene dwarfs. They can stay. I just didn't realise this model came in finecast rather than metal. I can patch it to do its job til I can find a better one. But as my youngest has now passed her gold swimming lessons and so gets to join her sister in riding lessons, that may be a while til I find the spare cash. I should never have put the eldest on that donkey when she was 2...
 
That sucks!
I just ordered the USA version of Biostrip, it's called SmartStrip. Hope it doesn't eat plastics. I have a bunch of old monopose space Marines from the 2nd edition box set that need to be stripped.
 
I've not had any issues with normal hard polystyrene minis in Biostrip, but I've not left them in for ages. I might have to find some resin bits and test it with those to see if it's all resins or just whatever Citadel were messing with for their finecast. Metal models I might abandon for a few days if I forget, but hard plastics are generally only in for a while. Which reminds me I threw a load of metal Harlequins in some acetone last week to try to shift some stubborn red paint - I should go and see how they are getting on.
 
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