How can i do it without hurting the strength of the plastic? I wish to start over on my pieces and i would like to know if this is at all possible..
Actually one of the big problems with removing paint is that it can also remove the glue as well. Of course this isn't a problem at all for you. I have found brake fluid works well, as always make sure you test a bit of dead sprue or a model you don't care about first regardless of how many people tell you something is safe. But it is very hard to remove the superglue cleanly because it slightly welds the plastic, so once you have weakened the bond a bit (and stripped the paint) you are best off cutting through the joints, or applying force and trying to snap them since the bond will be weaker than the rest of the plastic.
Breaker fluid... Can be water, mostly water. Drench the model(Or piece) you want to remove in the water then put it in the freezer. Water expands when it freezes and so will weaken the bond, making it easier to get off. I've never needed to do this myself but have seen people say it many times, maybe look it up on Youtube even. Good luck and happy breaking. Cheers!
Thats a pretty good idea with the water actually, I have never heard of that. Water being the unique molecule that expands when solidifying rather than contracting I'll have to keep that in mind and maybe test it out. The clear advantage is you already know that water isn't going to mess with the plastic at all.
so should i first brake the pieces apart and then strip the paint or should i first strip the paint and then brake the pieces?
Depends on if you are going to try the freezing technique. Since it will quite likely weaken the bonds as well as the paint, leave them together. Actually, if you are going to soak them in something like brake fluid, leave them together too. There are other things where you scrub the model like rubbing alcohol (or straight ethanol if you can get your hands on some, I love being a chemistry student sometimes ) or dettol then best break the model apart first so you can scrub in under arms and such. Shouldn't really make a huge difference though.
simple green for me works wonders, and non toxic. but. I just found out it doesn't seem to affect spray primer @.@ the rest of the paint fell off. but the spray stayed on, unfazed like our mighty temple guard attacking snotlings. I was mostly amused. didn't seem to hurt it... simplegreen won't affect plastic at all too
Green soap should work fine, guessing that it's what angelwuff is refering. Just drench em in it and let em be for a few days. By drench, put em in a jar, fill up, put on lock. Then just scrub of the paint with a brush. Non toxic, no damage on plastic and if you were unlucky and bought the kind with parfym your soldiers will smell pine fresh ^^
Thanks for the help guys I like the idea that i can 'start over' on my pieces.. They arnt terrible, its just i know i could do better... And i am going to try painting them (at least the base coats) before assembling them, because on CoKnights it is one PITA to paint them assembled... (not glued to the mounts though, mind you.. I'm not completely senseless ) And i'll be sure to buy the stuff WITH the pine fresh sent for some reason i find that an entertaining thought
Hmm, wonder if it has other names outside the US. But otherwise, from what I heard brake fluid can damage them after a while, and is toxic. Don't think I've seen a pine scented one, these ones have a weird, minty scent @.@
In sweden we have a thing called (direct translate green soap) Grön såpa. It's green , almost like syrup in consitence. And often parfymed like pine fresh... might be a scandinavian thing. Uesed mostly for floor cleaning. Here is a link to a great guide on it. http://www.avianon.net/pictures/paint_stripping.php
That IS green soap. Anyhow, as for only paint removal I would recommend methylated spirits, or T-röd in Swedish. Works wonders, but is slightly irritating for the skin. Cheers!