Removing Oil base paint or paint over it?

[Sean]

I have a Verlinden 120mm resin figure that I started painting about 20 years ago but then put aside. I just recently found it in a box and figures I finish it up. I had used mostly oil-based paint for the flesh tones and leather parts and enamels for other areas. I've just recently gotten back into modeling and have started using acrylics.
I know the rule of thumb is to not use acrylics over oil-based paints but after 20 years, would it be safe to do so now?
If not, what would be a good/safe way to remove the existing oil-based paint so I can start anew?
Thanks

 

[urumomo]

You can apply acrylic over oil base ,
" oil base " being an alkyd enamel paint or linseed oil base artist oil ?
Either way it's fine , but artist oils require longer to fully cure . After 20 years it obviously isn't relevant .

If you want to strip it and start over you can use a product that contains sodium hydroxide ( lye ) like oven cleaner .
The product Super Clean in the purple bottle appears to be popular for paint removal . Sodium hydroxide is the active ingredient but in far lower concentration than oven cleaner so it will require an extended soak in the stuff .

 

[the Baron]

I second using SuperClean. I use it, and it has some advantages over oven cleaners. One is that you can use a batch over and over, whereas oven cleaner is once-and-done, pretty much. I use glass jars of various sizes as baths to soak pieces of different sizes. Since you can reuse a batch of it, it's cheaper over the long run than cans of oven cleaner (eight bucks and change for a gallon at Walmart and automotive supply stores).

As Momo noted, it has a lower concentration of lye than oven cleaner. So it's not nearly as caustic, though you should still wear gloves and have good ventilation.

I repaint a lot of metal and resin figures that I buy second-hand. I've found that a soak of about 5 minutes is sufficient for the liquid to start softening and dissolving the old paint. The longer the soak, the more the paint dissolves away. But after 5 to 10 minutes, I can take the piece out of the jar, and use an old toothbrush to scrub the paint away, under running water. It leaves the surfaces literally squeaky clean.

I used SC to remove the chrome from the chromed fret in the old Monogram Red Baron hot rod (advanced modeler syndrome-I had to clean up the sprue gates and seams). The chrome layer literally dissolved as I watched it, in 2 minutes.

Hope that helps!

Best regards,
Brad