How To Strip Paint Off Resin, Plastic & Metal Miniatures

Q: How Long Does It Take To Strip Paint From Miniatures?

The lapse time on stripping paint from this miniature was less than one minute! All the glue and green stuff remained, but the paint was stripped off completely.

By Drago | April 11th, 2024 | Categories: Age of Sigmar, Hobby Hacks, Hobby Products, How To Tutorial, painting miniatures, Tabletop Gaming News, Tabletop Gaming Products, Videos, Warhammer 40k

Here is how to safely strip paint off resin, plastic, and metal miniatures- plus the best method to remove it that only takes about a minute!

Stripping off the paint from plastic, resin, or metal miniatures can be a daunting task, especially if you don’t know the right methods and products to use. But worry not! In this post, we’ll be sharing with you the best and safest way to strip paint off your miniatures quickly and efficiently.

Best Ways To Strip Paint Off Miniatures Resin, Metal & Plastic

No matter your reason for stripping paint from a miniature, remove it correctly with Testors ELO if you want it to be fast! Rob goes over how to make this work, and after you see the tutorial below, you’ll realize how easy it is!

Testors ELO is a paint and decal stripper that you can use to Easily Lift Off (ELO), or remove, paint and decals. The product works shockingly well and is safe for stripping metal, resins, and plastic miniatures! While there are plenty of other products out there (we’ll check them out below), we’ve never found any that works as fast and efficiently as this!

Is ELO Safe to Strip or Remove Paint From Miniatures?

Yes, this material is not super corrosive but will make your hands feel funny, so gloves are suggested. If you have some goggles, they are also worth putting on because you don’t want stuff like this in your eyes! Just make sure you also grab a container to catch the excess liquid. This allows you to reuse the liquid until it’s too gross to continue to use. As you can see above, the paint needs to go somewhere, so you better put something beneath the mini.

Step One & Done?

Next, grab a toothbrush that you’ve retired from its regular duties. Pour a little ELO into the container, but not enough to immerse the mini, as a little of this goes a very long way! Set your mini in the liquid briefly, and then start brushing.

The paint comes off fairly quickly, even with loose brushing. Get more liquid on your brush and continue to brush over the miniature until the layers of paint fall away.

You can work it as hard or soft as you want, but be careful to keep it off your skin and out of your eyes. While safer than degreasers and other chemicals, it can cause discomfort. Also, the harder you brush, the more likely you are to break something, so don’t go too crazy, or you might harm the mini.

How Long Does It Take To Strip Paint From Miniatures?

Believe it or not, the lapse time on stripping paint from this miniature was less than one minute! All the glue and green stuff remained, but the paint was stripped off completely. The small amount of liquid that was used can be reused later by putting it back into the bottle or kept in a sealed container to the side (so you don’t contaminate the rest of the ELO in the bottle if you prefer).

It’s honestly that simple. Testors ELO can be found on Amazon or at many local hobby stores. It’s super easy and relatively quick.

What Other Products Can You Use to Strip Paint?

Dettol is a concentrated antiseptic that some people have used for minis.
Nail Polish Remover is a common method for many hobbyists. However, it’s far harder than Testors!
Simple Green is a disinfectant that some people use for stripping minis, but we haven’t tried it yet.
Castrol Super Clean is an automotive degreaser that can be found quite easily.
Biostrip 20 is a water-based paint remover made initially for brick.

While other hobbyists have used all of these to strip paint off miniatures, in our experience, they are much harder to use than ELO!

We strongly recommend using Testors ELO for the best results. It’s quick, efficient, and safe to use on a variety of materials. Don’t waste your time and energy on other products that only give you subpar results. With Testors ELO, you can achieve the best results for your miniature painting project. Remember to always wear gloves and goggles when handling paint strippers and to keep the liquid away from your skin and eyes.