The Breyer SpotLight: Your Horse Model Market ResourceHi <
Updates: Share your stories and pictures of BreyerFestUpdates: We've talked about it before and now it's here. If you were able to attend BreyerFest 2010 we would love to hear from you! We've created a new C2 page just for BreyerFest photos and information. And even if you did not make to BreyerFest this year, you can still share your thoughts and photos from years gone by… What has been your favorite BreyerFest and your favorite experience? Share the news and photos and let's have fun! Today we get into the nitty gritty of customizing with Elaine Botten. Starting at the beginning with stripping the model… Elaine has been customizing for quite some time and has agreed to share what she has learned. Thank you Elaine for the great articles! You can find more information on customizing by going to previous articles OR by visiting the BHC website Article: STRIPPING PAINTED MODELS - ACRYLICSYou don't always have to strip previously painted models if the surface is adequately smooth. Many times you can just take some sandpaper and smooth down the rough areas and simply apply your primer over the old paint. Sometimes the paint job is so rough, you have to remove it before tackling a new paint job. If possible, determine what kind of paint it is, acrylic is rather simple to remove, oils are a bit more difficult and enamel is a real bear!! Be mindful that it is difficult to preserve the model's original finish underneath with most of the following stripping methods. For acrylic paints, one of the easiest ways to try to remove the paint is to soak the model in very hot but not boiling water. However, before using this method check your model over and see if there is an air hole in it. This is generally in the nostril area of the model or between the back legs. If you are unable to find an air hole you will need to make one where it won't be noticeable. I always make mine between the back legs. To make an air hole, simply heat a very small tacking nail (hold it with a pair of pliers) in the flame of a candle and poke it into the model where you want the hole to be. It may take several attempts before the nail goes all the way through the plastic. The air hole prevents the model from bloating up when submerged in the hot water. Generally you will need to soak the model for about an hour (keeping the water hot) in order to remove all the paint from it. After the first 15 minutes of soaking the water, scrape your fingernail along the side of it to see if any of the paint will come off. If it does, you are dealing with acrylics and the remainder of the paint can removed by continuous soaking and scrubbing with a pot scrubber type sponge or grout brush. Plastic models, such as Breyer and Peter Stones will float so you will need to place something on top of them to keep them submerged. My kitchen sink is deep enough to soak models in so I generally place a dinner plate on top of the model to hold it under. It is also convenient as you can let the cooler water out and refill the sink with hot model for continual soaking. Be careful when you remove the model after its final soak as hot water will have gone into the pinhole and you don't want to burn yourself when it runs out. Next we will cover how to strip the more stubborn types of paint such as oil paint and enamels. Thank you Elaine! I hope you've enjoyed the information today and look forward to the next article on preparing a model for customizing. We have also been asked to let you know about an upcoming event that is looking for donations of models to help with supporting horse rescues. We will have more information on that in future articles so stay tuned. And in the mean time - keep imagining! |
