If anyone is concerned about the acetone eating the plastic, they can add a couple drops of water to the acetone to thin it out. You'll have to do more swipes with the Q-Tip, but the plastic is less likely to be damaged.
@@Poundz978 It does on the softer vinyl/rubber toys, I haven't done it on hard plastic toys, I am a troll collector and I know since I have been using for several years.
Acetone lately for me has just been annoying. Used to work perfectly with out any smudge left over when finished but everytime I do it now I just feel like the figure becomes a mess
Saw this before, came back to say thanks! Used the acetone method and it worked great! Removed the armbands from my Kraven figure for a simple kitbash. Been wanting to do it for a minute. edit: just want to add that I poured a little bit of acetone into a plastic cup ...this was a bad idea! haha it definitely melts plastic! used a shot glass with better results
Recommend trying brush cleaner. It can be found at Home Depot or Lowes. Recently used it to remove the "highlight" paint from Marvel Legends retro Thing. Just rinse with water and dish soap after you're done to remove any excess and odor.
Might not work with all sorts of paint but tossing figures in a jar of brake fluid has helped me more than anything. Especially on miniatures that cant handle acetone at all. Probably won´t work for most factory paints, but I haven´t tried it. "Brake fluid can serve as an acceptable alternative to paint stripper for removing paint from small metal or plastic objects. Brake fluid is commonly used in the wargaming and modeling community by modelers looking to remove an old paint job in preparation for a new one. The fluid, left in contact with the model for an extended time period, loosens the paint, breaking down the adhesion between the paint and the model. It's a process that works well for lead and lead-free metal alloys, but do take care with plastic models as the fluid can cause softening in some types."
I think the 'secret' is to never oversaturate the cotton and go quick but also take your time. I nearly ruined a figure because it was taking too long and I ended up over-saturating to try and make it quicker which in turn ate up the plastic - then I had to try and fix it with sandpaper. So what I learned is to wipe the most you can for the time it takes doing it then come back with a even drier cotton tip and clean up what's left of the rubbed paint.
I wonder if acetone is safe for use on spray paint? I have an uneven paint I need to remove so I can fix it. It is on a funko pop. I know acetone can remove the paint on the actual funko pop.
is there a way to just remove black wash off of a figure cause i did a black wash on one of my figures and idont like it that much i got some off with tissues but i cant get it into all spots
Any suggestions for Transformers figures? The paint they use normally is easy to remove with just 91% alcohol but they did a line a few years back with printed on battle damage that's really tough to remove even with paint thinner. I tried your acetone trick on a junk figure and it's totally eating away at the surface of the plastic even when I do it carefully like you do.
For anyone who doesn't know what Melamine Sponge (aka Magic Eraser) is; it's an abrasive sponge, sort of like if a fine sand paper was turned into foam. It'll work best if slightly damp - which is why most instructions say to wet it and squeeze most of the water out. I don't really know why it has to be wet to work well, but it do. Used dry it can work, but it'll also rip up a lot more - and maybe that's why they say to wet it. I use the stuff to polish plastic and hard finishes to a satiny finish - so even if it doesn't work for paint removal, it might be worth hanging on to
It’s a severe waste of time to use a magic eraser on medium or large amounts of paint. It’s much easier to swipe with one q-tip with acetone I hear ya tho
What’s your thoughts about so called “torching method” of plastic painting? Supposedly making plastic super hot before Latino this make it absorbs paint well and prevents paint rub.
While I know that this technique works easy with the factory paint on marvel legends, is this technique good when trying to remove paint from a bad custom? I’ve gotten a few figz for super cheap on eBay/Mercari where someone was selling their failed customz and at times the paint is so freaking hard to remove that I almost regret buying them even if they were super inexpensive..
@@Poundz978 I do customz myself and sometimes my best work has come from taking something that someone else messed up and show how it still can be saved…I’ve taken beat up looking figz and turned around and given them life per-say …the beauty of customizing for me is showing just how good a custom can be even if the original figure was all trashed out in my opinion..but that’s not why I’m commenting on because I was really looking forward to seeing if you ever tried this technique but on really bad previously painted jobs that’s all…
@@Southtown_Paint_Appz i would hate to work on something that was painted,sculpted or modified poorly .. to be honest I always use new figures for customs … I wouldn’t want anything to break on a custom due to an old issue someone else made I didn’t know exist . But I respect the way you do things
I just want to remove a bit of excess paint, like sometimes a figure has two paint jobs, the main body and some shading parts to make the figure's muscles ect pop. Well sometimes the factory goes overboard with the shading paint in one area of the figure and it makes the whole paint job fall out of balance. What can I use to lightly remove excess shading paint?
Thank you, I’ve heard so many different options, but this is the first show them and explain things correctly. I can add a new skill to my bag of tricks.
Question, could your method work on a 1/4th scale Jason? I want to NES mine and I’m trying to figure out the safest way to remove the coating and paint. A guy said something about soaking it for a day or more but I feel like that would eat away at it. Thanks in advance for any advice!!!
MA repping here too!! ...jus starting out. You guys ever stopped by the place called Boss Fight Studios? I'm doing 3.75(1/18) scale and saw some of their prod in a few customs recently. They're in Norwood
Great video Poundz. Along with a-tips, I use makeup remover pads for broad areas. Like you said, just don’t slather it on. Enough to dampen the pad but not soak, so your wipes evaporate. I guess if someone wanted to be extra cautious, they could rinse and wipe the fig with distilled water afterwards. Always using clean tips and wipes is a must for good results as well. Excellent tips and advice.
It’s hard to remove one coat of paint thats over another without the undercoat getting damaged…. You’ll have to repaint the original back to its normal state
It eats away at the plastic and changes the texture. You can see this in the Pink Panther acetone project where everything goes matte where the Q Tip was applied on the torso.
I think if anyone is having trouble with this and has just one spot the can’t get lightly sanding with some sand paper would be effective. It would leave a slightly affected area, but it might work.
Thank you. I did a sloppy paint job on a figure and it has bothered me to no end. Nail polish remover...BRILLIANT! Subscribed.
No problem my collector BROTHER. Did your hack and it worked wonderfully.
I’ve always struggled with the acetone. I think I was using too much and trying to reuse cheap qtips. This helps so much, thank you!
Don't you have to wet the magic eraser first?
If anyone is concerned about the acetone eating the plastic, they can add a couple drops of water to the acetone to thin it out. You'll have to do more swipes with the Q-Tip, but the plastic is less likely to be damaged.
I’ve never damaged the plastic with acetone with the technique I use
@@Poundz978 it does damage it. It thins it. If you rub it more than once or twice you will start noticing it.
@@carrasco2011sc no sir… once it dries (In seconds) rubbing it will cause no effect
@@Poundz978 It does on the softer vinyl/rubber toys, I haven't done it on hard plastic toys, I am a troll collector and I know since I have been using for several years.
@@carrasco2011sc there you go…. This figure is hard pvc plastic not rubber
Using a qtip is genius. I melted the crap out of a space marine and i couldnt figure out how people managed to use this. Got it now. Thanks.
Well, thats one way to accidentally make a death guard or sprue goo ._.
Acetone lately for me has just been annoying. Used to work perfectly with out any smudge left over when finished but everytime I do it now I just feel like the figure becomes a mess
Saw this before, came back to say thanks! Used the acetone method and it worked great! Removed the armbands from my Kraven figure for a simple kitbash. Been wanting to do it for a minute.
edit: just want to add that I poured a little bit of acetone into a plastic cup ...this was a bad idea! haha it definitely melts plastic! used a shot glass with better results
I use the bottle cap the acetone come in .
You’re welcome bro
Recommend trying brush cleaner. It can be found at Home Depot or Lowes. Recently used it to remove the "highlight" paint from Marvel Legends retro Thing. Just rinse with water and dish soap after you're done to remove any excess and odor.
Might not work with all sorts of paint but tossing figures in a jar of brake fluid has helped me more than anything. Especially on miniatures that cant handle acetone at all. Probably won´t work for most factory paints, but I haven´t tried it.
"Brake fluid can serve as an acceptable alternative to paint stripper for removing paint from small metal or plastic objects. Brake fluid is commonly used in the wargaming and modeling community by modelers looking to remove an old paint job in preparation for a new one. The fluid, left in contact with the model for an extended time period, loosens the paint, breaking down the adhesion between the paint and the model. It's a process that works well for lead and lead-free metal alloys, but do take care with plastic models as the fluid can cause softening in some types."
Interesting but I would never try that..
I think the 'secret' is to never oversaturate the cotton and go quick but also take your time.
I nearly ruined a figure because it was taking too long and I ended up over-saturating to try and make it quicker which in turn ate up the plastic - then I had to try and fix it with sandpaper.
So what I learned is to wipe the most you can for the time it takes doing it then come back with a even drier cotton tip and clean up what's left of the rubbed paint.
I wonder if acetone is safe for use on spray paint? I have an uneven paint I need to remove so I can fix it. It is on a funko pop. I know acetone can remove the paint on the actual funko pop.
Try and dilute it with water first before using pure acetone
@@Poundz978 I have nail polish remover without acetone. I feel like it could work? But maybe safer to do it the way you said it.
These tips will help, thanks..
Kinda off subject but I used a magic eraser soaked with rubbing alcohol to get sharpie off the inside of my dryer 😂
is there a way to just remove black wash off of a figure cause i did a black wash on one of my figures and idont like it that much i got some off with tissues but i cant get it into all spots
with a magi eraser add water to it, itll make it work better. however, with the eraser it basically sands down the area with very fine grit sanding.
Takes too long
Any suggestions for Transformers figures? The paint they use normally is easy to remove with just 91% alcohol but they did a line a few years back with printed on battle damage that's really tough to remove even with paint thinner. I tried your acetone trick on a junk figure and it's totally eating away at the surface of the plastic even when I do it carefully like you do.
For anyone who doesn't know what Melamine Sponge (aka Magic Eraser) is; it's an abrasive sponge, sort of like if a fine sand paper was turned into foam.
It'll work best if slightly damp - which is why most instructions say to wet it and squeeze most of the water out. I don't really know why it has to be wet to work well, but it do.
Used dry it can work, but it'll also rip up a lot more - and maybe that's why they say to wet it.
I use the stuff to polish plastic and hard finishes to a satiny finish - so even if it doesn't work for paint removal, it might be worth hanging on to
It’s a severe waste of time to use a magic eraser on medium or large amounts of paint. It’s much easier to swipe with one q-tip with acetone
I hear ya tho
Thank you for this video it is very informative. Do you have or can you make a video on paints which to buy and where?
Awesome tutorial bro. Keep em coming!
Thank you for the info bro
thank you so much, this was really helpful!
Thank you this is really gonna help with my customs
will this work for full paint coats, like mcfarlane figures?
Great intro bro👍
Hey Poundz not sure if you follow Halo at all but have you seen the Halo figures by Jazwares? The 6.5" spartan line is top notch. What do you think?
My son has the smaller versions 4” they’re pretty cool
Would this remove spray paint? I have an SH Figuarts Broly and I made the mistake of spray painting on his hair and now I want to remove it
What’s your thoughts about so called “torching method” of plastic painting? Supposedly making plastic super hot before Latino this make it absorbs paint well and prevents paint rub.
Never heard of that technique
Can you use cotton ball and does the nail polish have to be 100 percent
Thanks alot Poundz!
You’re supposed to use a magic eraser with acetone it works great for me
You’re NOT suppose to use the magic eraser with acetone … water+eraser.
acetone itself is good enough no need to have an eraser
While I know that this technique works easy with the factory paint on marvel legends, is this technique good when trying to remove paint from a bad custom? I’ve gotten a few figz for super cheap on eBay/Mercari where someone was selling their failed customz and at times the paint is so freaking hard to remove that I almost regret buying them even if they were super inexpensive..
Why buy a failed custom?
@@Poundz978 I do customz myself and sometimes my best work has come from taking something that someone else messed up and show how it still can be saved…I’ve taken beat up looking figz and turned around and given them life per-say …the beauty of customizing for me is showing just how good a custom can be even if the original figure was all trashed out in my opinion..but that’s not why I’m commenting on because I was really looking forward to seeing if you ever tried this technique but on really bad previously painted jobs that’s all…
@@Southtown_Paint_Appz i would hate to work on something that was painted,sculpted or modified poorly .. to be honest I always use new figures for customs … I wouldn’t want anything to break on a custom due to an old issue someone else made I didn’t know exist .
But I respect the way you do things
@@Poundz978 same respect back to ya bro🤘🏽
Thanks as always
I just want to remove a bit of excess paint, like sometimes a figure has two paint jobs, the main body and some shading parts to make the figure's muscles ect pop. Well sometimes the factory goes overboard with the shading paint in one area of the figure and it makes the whole paint job fall out of balance. What can I use to lightly remove excess shading paint?
Maybe rubbing alcohol. Acetone will wipe away the top coat and most likely wipe some of the bottom coat as well
@@Poundz978 Gotcha, ty so much.
wet the magic eraser before using
Poundz, great vid, you're a true asset to the action figure community!
NEVER use Acetone on a figure!!!!
@@decadentdave sir…. Stop it.
@@Poundz978 acetone will brittle the plastic PERIOD no matter how fast you wipe.
Thank you
Awesome!👍🏾
You need to wet the magic eraser 🤦
I did..and it still doesn’t work … try it yourself smarty pants
I Mix Large Amount of Isopropyl Alcohol with Accetone
Does it work?
Please stop with the stupid cut scenes!
Don’t watch
Thank you, I’ve heard so many different options, but this is the first show them and explain things correctly. I can add a new skill to my bag of tricks.
Acetone is too strong for the plastic. It's is faster but it ruins the surface.
Not true. This video is proof 🤦♂️
Thanks for the tip bro, truly appreciate the time you put in to help people with their customs 👊🏽
Question, could your method work on a 1/4th scale Jason? I want to NES mine and I’m trying to figure out the safest way to remove the coating and paint. A guy said something about soaking it for a day or more but I feel like that would eat away at it. Thanks in advance for any advice!!!
Don’t soak it… use this method
I think there's the Tamiya paint remover that has same effect
I know this is a year old and I'm not going to get a response what does any of these trick count for DC Multiverse McFarlane action figures?
Ha ha I just ruined the perfect 69 comments
Does cleaning off the excess paint once you use the Q tip with water mess up the process?
This is the same figure I have lol
Thanks for the nice tip cuz most of the time...I FAIL
Thank god I got no lines in my suit.
Is dried out acetone safe to touch
That is pretty impressive
That acetone is the only thing I use for paint removal too. Im also a fellow mass customizer bro
Boston balla
@@Poundz978 I follow you insta and I’m a great fan of your work man. You got me into customizing so thank you!
MA repping here too!! ...jus starting out. You guys ever stopped by the place called Boss Fight Studios? I'm doing 3.75(1/18) scale and saw some of their prod in a few customs recently. They're in Norwood
W vid
Great video Poundz. Along with a-tips, I use makeup remover pads for broad areas. Like you said, just don’t slather it on. Enough to dampen the pad but not soak, so your wipes evaporate. I guess if someone wanted to be extra cautious, they could rinse and wipe the fig with distilled water afterwards. Always using clean tips and wipes is a must for good results as well. Excellent tips and advice.
Let’s say your kid painted your figure with black acrylic paint and you don’t want to damage the original paint job?
It’s hard to remove one coat of paint thats over another without the undercoat getting damaged…. You’ll have to repaint the original back to its normal state
@@Poundz978 it’s acrylic over the original figures paint job. Not a second custom job.
I want to do this to some of the swordss at spirit Halloween. is that a good idea? would it work? or is it a terrible idea and I shouldn't do it?
I’m gonna try this with miles morales figure and remove the red and paint it the best I can gold
Thanks, since I've been wanting to remove the silver paint on the Infinity war Thor figure to make it more screen accurate
Thank you so much for this. Now I will continue my projects
Great video. Great tip. Didn't craze my plastic thanks to doing the way you did it
I bought the acetone in the video and it works like a charm!
Now I'm gonna see about getting some Onyx. :)
Hello are you taking commissions
Thanks man been thinkin of makin a custom figure
You have such a relaxing voice
Great tutorial thanks
I've heard metal polish works too.
I don’t know about that 1
Strait-up customizing ASMR.
NICE 👌
😂
Thanks for posting! It helped me out after a custom paint job botch! Appreciate it!
Thx for watching, glad it helped.
Does the acetone make the plastic shiny? Couldn’t tell if it was already shiny or if the room lights made it look shiny.
This figure is already a metallic yellow ….
It eats away at the plastic and changes the texture. You can see this in the Pink Panther acetone project where everything goes matte where the Q Tip was applied on the torso.
I think if anyone is having trouble with this and has just one spot the can’t get lightly sanding with some sand paper would be effective. It would leave a slightly affected area, but it might work.