Cleaning and Prepping Miniatures

What do you do if you've picked up some secondhand minis you've changed mind about the colour scheme of a miniature? Fortunately I came into some painted minis myself and needed to strip them and start again. If it was painted with acrylic paints (Citadel/Vallejo) you will need: 

• Methylated Spirits (Denatured Alcohol in the US)

• Toothbrush

• Plastic Container and Lid

• Cardboard Box

• Blue Tack

• Undercoating Paint

• Face Mask

First we take the plastic tub and pour in a small amount of the Methylated Spirits, enough to submerge the mini. 

Place the miniature into the tub and leave to soak for a few minutes (I had a quick coffee while waiting). Use rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin or any cuts. 

Take the toothbrush and rub off the paint. If this doesn't completely clear the paint don't worry, just re-soak for a few minutes and brush again. 

Dry off the miniature then rinse with cold water. 

Now to undercoat the model, take the lid from the container and fix the mini to it with the Blue Tack. 

Spray with the undercoat then turn until the whole model is undercoated. Wear a painting mask and spray in a well ventilated area.

Now you are ready to paint the miniature the way you want to!

This process works on both metal and plastic models and is relatively cheap at around £3 for a 500ml bottle for the Methylated Spirits and that easily cleaned more than 20 models (some with lots of thick paint on them). 

Now I just hope I haven't created too much competition on ebay...

Happy Crafting!