Remove Paint from Metal and Plastic Models with Dettol

There comes a time in every hobbyist's life when he looks at his painted Model Making and thinks "I really want to start over." The only problem is it's so darn hard! Brake fluid will remove the paint, but can also eat your models and your hands. Methylated spirits will do the trick with metal, but erodes detail, not to mention being poisonous. However, do not despair, there is a fool-proof method to strip your models that is easy, safe and cheap! Introducing Dettol, a model-painter's new best friend!

Steps

1. Gather the ingredients and equipment that you will need for the process. You will need the following:
   • An original bottle of Dettol solution, which is a liquid disinfectant available from most supermarkets, pharmacists or general stores. Do not get any variation of the Dettol solution or your results may vary from those intended.
   • Two old toothbrushes, preferably hard or medium in strength, as soft toothbrushes fail to remove as much paint.
   • Some sort of fine object, such as toothpick, pin or paper clip. These will come in handy later on in the process.
   • A large container, about the size of a gherkin jar or larger. Glass or plastic will suffice, but make sure it is one you can do without as it will not be usable after the process.
   • Several rags or cloths, preferably thin so you can feel models through them. Again, make sure they are old and unwanted.
   • Two rubber gloves. Dettol, while not dangerous, does dehydrate skin and can cause peeling and discomfort on areas exposed to it for too long. Wearing thin surgeon's gloves, or similar, will help you avoid this problem.
   • Access to running water, preferably where you are working with the process.
   • Newspapers or covers for the area you will be working with, as it can get quite messy and the paint that you remove will be hard to get off any surfaces should it fall onto them.
   • A well ventilated room. The mixture can give off a lot of fumes, which although harmless, can be a bit overwhelming in a confined space. An open door or a few open windows should allow sufficient airflow.
2. Create the Dettol solution. You can create as much of the solution as you require, and to varying degrees of concentration too, so there are no hard and fast rules. Generally, a 1:1 ratio of Dettol to cold tap water in the container you have brought will give you the best result in 24 hours. You can make the mixture with more water, for example a 1:2 ratio, but the models will need to rest in the solution for longer. So if you have bought a whole bottle of Dettol, the easiest thing to do is simply pour the bottle in and then mix in an equal amount of water, and add more if you wish. Nothing else needs to be done to the solution.
3. Choose the models you wish to strip the paint off of. This solution works with both plastic and metal, and on both heavily painted and partially painted models. The mixture does loosen joints of "green stuff" modeling putty and occasionally super glue, so do not soak any models where you wish to keep the miniature in once piece with these adhesives.
4. Place the models carefully in the Dettol bath. You can do as many, or as few as you'd like.
5. Leave the models in the bath for approximately 24-48 hours. Most models will only need a day's soaking, but with the newer, stronger paints available and better knowledge of undercoating, some models will indeed need much longer before all the paint will come off. Of course, the mixture will not harm detail, so is perfectly safe for this period of time. Remember to screw the cap on of the container and leave it in a safe place.
6. After 24-48 hours, remove the container cap, put on your gloves and remove a model from the mixture. The mixture should be almost opaque, maybe milky or brownish, and paint should have formed a loose slime covering on the models and with one of your toothbrushes, will be very easy to flick off onto your newspaper.
7. Brush off all the loose paint onto the newspaper with your toothbrush. Only use one toothbrush, as the second will be used later in the process. Flick away from you at roughly a 45 degree angle to the model's surface. Keep scrubbing away in all the grooves and areas until the paint is gone. If it won't budge, read further on.
8. Dunk your brush and any equipment clogged with removed paint (i.e. your gloves if they are getting paint back on your clean model, you model if it still has loose paint etc) back into the Dettol mixture NOT tap water to remove any loose paint from it. This is very important - if you place the mixture with loose paint into water, it will clog up your brush and the model, and anything else it touches and make it near impossible to continue. See the tips and warnings sections for more information.
9. Re-soak the miniature if required. Sometimes you will need to remove the majority of loose paint and place the model in the bath for a further 24 hours or so before the most difficult-to-remove paint will budge. Scrub off as much of the loose paint as you can and if it still isn't fully cleaned, place the model back in the mixture. Repeat these steps as many times as needed until you are happy that all the paint is gone.
10. Place the cleaned models on the towel or cloth you have placed down. By now you should have a nice, bare model. However, there are a few more steps to go - paint can still be lurking in the recesses of the model and can obscure detail or even weaken layers of paint on top of it later in your painting.
11. Take the models individually and rub them with your hands under a tap of running water. It is safe to take your gloves off now as most of the mixture will be washed away. Rinse the models under the water until you can feel they have lost their "slimy" feel on your skin. Place them back on the cloth.
12. Taking another cloth, "Polish Cutlery" the models but rubbing the cloth over the model's open areas. You will be surprised how much paint is still left on the model. This will also help dry the model fully for the next step.
13. Flick off any remaining paint in the deep recesses with your second toothbrush and the hard, slim object you have (i.e. paper clip, toothpick etc). There is no need to get this brush into the mixture. Really look to force the toothbrush into the gaps and recesses to make sure there is no paint in them.
14. Rub the models down one last time with your cloth and leave them to dry for about a day. After this time period, the model should hopefully be ready to be painted on and of course, all your paint will have been stripped in a non-lethal, easy way!
15. Reuse the mixture if you want. The Dettol mixture can be kept for a long time, but generally, it begins to lose its effect after the second use. It would be advisable to throw the mixture away in a safe environment, clean the container out and then remake a new batch of the solution.

Tips

• If you are unsure of the ability of the mixture, or if you don't think you have mixed the solution correctly, simply take an old, less-valued miniature and use it as a test case. The mixture will hardly be affected by one model and you will gain the knowledge of how your mixture is going to affect your more prized models.
• Never ever get your brush with the loose paint and mixture wet under a water tap. It will turn the solution on your brush into a thick, gooey mess and you will not be able to scrub the paint off your models with it, and will in fact get harder to remove paint onto your models. To solve this, stop what you are doing, place the toothbrush and anything else affected (like your gloves) into the mixture and leave them overnight, exactly as if models themselves. Then pick up where you left off the next day.
• Paint on model glue is harder to remove, as it literally bonds to the glue, turning it black or brown or sometimes another colour. Do not try to scrub these areas away, but leave them to dry with the rest of the model and then chip them off afterwards with your modeling tools.
• The container can get pretty mucky at the bottom, and prized models that you are trying to strip alongside others may not be getting the attention they deserve. Simply create a smaller amount of solution in a separate container to give the model that extra attention.

Warnings

• Be aware of the laws where you live of disposing of chemicals and paints down drains. Dispose responsibly!
• As mentioned in the main article text, Dettol dehydrates skins rapidly. Always wear gloves when using it for prolonged periods and always keep a bottle of moisturizer handy for when the process is complete.
• Always perform this process in an environment with good air-flow. Dettol can give you headaches and be overwhelming if you breathe too much of it.

Things You'll Need

• An original bottle of Dettol solution.
• Two old toothbrushes.
• Some sort of fine object, such as toothpick, pin or paper clip.
• A large glass or plastic container, about the size of a gherkin jar or larger.
• Several rags or cloths.
• Two rubber gloves.
• Access to running water, preferably where you are working with the process.
• Newspapers or covers for the area you will be working with.
• A well ventilated room.

Related Articles

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• Remove Mold Lines from Metal Miniatures
• Prep and Paint Cast Resin Models
• De Chrome Model Car Parts

See also

• Make a Miniature Cobblestone Stamp
• Paint Plastic Models
• Paint Over a Diecast Car

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• Paint Miniatures