A little help, please?

[Carlo]

I have a bunch of old 7/8" and 1" scale figures that I sculpted, molded, and cast in Polyurethane Resin, and painted (over the years) with a wide
variety of lacquers, enamels, oils, and acrylic paints.  Many of you have purchased these castings from me in the past. Now I would like to strip
all the ones I have left back to bare-nekkid Resin, so I can clean them up, alter poses, add details, and repaint them.

Ideally, I'd like to dump them all in a bucket, and soak all the paint off, although I realize some mild scrubbing would also probably be required.
Is there a simple batch method (some magic chemical mix) for stripping all this paint off, without damaging the castings? I could do it
outdoors if the fumes would be a problem, since temps in Maine this December are still over 50 deg. F.

Solutions (pun intended) and suggestions appreciated...
Carlo

[darrylhuffman]

Carlo, I have always used cheap brake fluid for removing paint from plastic.

Just soak it over night.

Try one resin figure to make sure it does not affect it.

It is important to use cheap brake fluid, not expensive as the expensive stuff is designed to not remove paint.

[lab-dad]

Try tequila - that usually gets folks to loose their clothes!




Sorry - could not resist.
The brake fluid should work.
-Marty

[Lawton Maner]

Brake fluid can turn some plastics into goo and make others brittle.  I remember with horror what happened to my next door neighbor years ago when he bled the brakes on his custom painted Chevy Nomad and touched the wheel well with his damp hand.  A metallic candy apple red paint finish immediately had fingerprints embedded into it.   

The stripper should match the paint.  Acrylics respond to 97% isopropyl alcohol, lacquers to acetone, etc. Always start with the mildest solvent possible and work up to the strong stuff.