So this happened yesterday. I was using masking tape to try and block out everything around Scourge's tummy, but... Yeah. It didn't work. Some mix of tamiya primer, Humbrol acrylic silver spray and masking tape glue is now making a huge mess of his midriff. So what can I use to try and clean this off? Any ideas chaps? I think some sort of solvent is needed, but I have no idea what, and since we're in lockdown I can't just wander into Hobbycraft any more, so it needs to be easily obtainable online in the UK...
In all seriousness, a combination of 91% isopropyl alcohol (say, one cup), mixed with a tablespoon of lacquer thinner. Mix it up, then (using gloves) dip an old toothbrush into the mixture and scrub the offending areas. You can also use an old rag to generate more friction. This combination will clean up all the adhesive/paint. If you wanted, you could dunk the entire piece itself into the mixture, but that would strip the factory applied silver paint and the Decepticon symbol, leaving only a blue torso. When it’s free from the mess, wash the figure thoroughly with lukewarm water and good, strong dish soap. Rinse with cool water, and you’re good to go.
Yeah, you’re definitely responsible for me taking the plunge, but not for my cack-handed approach. As for the solution, would acrylic thinner work instead of lacquer thinner?
Paint thinner is milder than lacquer thinner. It could work, but it won’t be nearly as efficient. Its a matter of chemistry; with lacquer thinner, the job will be done in a matter of minutes. With acrylic thinner, the process will be significantly more involved, as you’re likely going to have to rely on a certain degree of friction to achieve results. You’ll also have to be careful not to leave any residue behind. The nice thing is that alcohol + lacquer thinner is so potent that you can leave that grimy figure in a drawer for years, then pull it out and clean it up in 5 minutes. So there’s no rush to get it done, and you can wait until your next shopping trip to pick some up. It’s very cheap and easy to find. In any case, good luck! Let us know how it goes.
Took me ages to get around to it, but I finally made a start. It is slow going. I spent a good chunk of yesterday working on it as well as a lot of this afternoon, and while it's certainly better than it was there's plenty of dried up gunk still there. I'm using cotton buds to try and get the gunk off and leave the paint on the abs alone, as well as the j cloth in the edge of the picture when I get bored and frustrated. I was starting to wonder if the chemicals were working at all so dipped in a few accessories I wanted to strip the paint off and left them in the mixture, and after a few hours the paint came off easily. It might be that being on cheap and oily ko plastic helped, while high quality Hasbro plastic is more resilient, but still... Slow going.
