Clearing my Backlog (Spring Cleaning Thread)

Hi everybody. I decided to jump on the Spring Cleaning bandwagon and hopefully clear some of my backlog. This is just a bunch of small tasks I’ve been putting aside for whatever reason. Some rebasing and some repainting for the most part. Nothing too fancy, but feel free to drop by and take a look.

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Now, I’ve got this long term project of restoring and updating my old copy of Space Crusade (which I still love after all these years). I’m really into Rogue Trader era games and minis these days so I’m going to kick off my spring cleaning by stripping the paint off some of my old Crusade figures.

It’s pretty easy to strip some acrylic paints off your miniatures. Some soapy water and a good scrub will do the job. But if like me you made the mistake to paint your plastic minis with some enamel paints, here’s a recipe that’s been working fine for me:

Put your minis in a jar full of water with some dishwashing soap and three spoons of caustic soda (Sodium Hydroxide, the same stuff you’d use to make soap, cure some olives or open a blocked drain). Leave them in there for two or three hours, then take them out and scrub the figures vigorously with an old toothbrush or something similar. Then repeat the whole process as many times as needed until you get rid of all the paint.

Disclaimer here: manipulating caustic soda can be dangerous, so follow the manufacturer’s instructions, wear gloves and take all necessary precautions. If you’re a young hobbyist, there’s no shame in asking for some help from an adult.

I’ve never had any problems with this trick, but I’d recommend you check your minis and stir the stew every now and then to make sure everything is going fine. Also, some people claim they got the same results (if not better) by putting their miniatures in brakes fluid, but I’ve never tried that.

My minis were painted with Humbrol enamel paints first and then repainted with acrylics on top. So we’ll see how it goes. Whatever comes out of that jar, I’ll let you know.