How to remove the paint from a tots latex Michael Myers mask?

Michael-Myers.net General Discussion
1

Hello fellow members, I’m in desperate need of an efficient method to safely remove the original paint on a tots Michael Myers mask, I’m planning on repainting it from scratch, but I’m stuck in a hole where I’ve tried scrubbing the paint off with some gentle soap and warm water, it’s taken a long time but I’m almost halfway there, but at this point I’ve given up on my technique coz it just isn’t practical, is there any chemicals or paint thinners that you guys would recommend using, and how would you carefully use them on the mask without damaging the latex?

As always, I’m open to other options and methods too.
Thankyou for reading :wink::+1:
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2

You got all that done with soap and water? I’m impressed. I can’t even get that far with lacquer thinner. I just go over the factory paint these days.

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It took a lottttt of patience and muscle, I ended up using dishwashing liquid and much hotter water as I was getting frustrated, I found myself scrubbing very hard with a scouring pad and brush, it literally took me days to get where I am now, I’m honestly surprised the latex hasn’t gotten damaged at all but it’s clear a new method needs to be used for this situation, now I’ve got two sore wrists and a half paint-stripped mask lol.

4

I heard that using a Dremel with a cotton tip and gently lifting up the paint will help strip it off. using some lacquer thinner may speed up the process.

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This

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That method has been floating around in my head too, it does seem like a valid option, I’m just concerned how long it may take and how clean it would strip the paint off, also would I have to consider being gentle when using it coz I obviously don’t want to shred the details away or thin out the latex. I guess the only way to find out is to practice, also thanks for the advice about using a cotton tip on the Dremel.

7

I don’t know how you got that far with soap and water. That’s impressive, lol. Use a rag and lacquer thinner.

8

Thanks for the compliment lmao but my method isn’t practical lol. Does lacquer thinner work good enough tho, and does it damage the latex at all? Thanks in advance.

9

No it shouldn’t do any harm. It evaporates almost immediately.

10

I did this with a nights soak in cold water.
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And this one
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And this one.
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Soaking overnight in water makes it a lot easier to peel off the factory paint

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Is this fully safe though? I kinda wanted to try it myself, but I’m no expert on latex masks, and wasn’t sure if letting it sit in water could mess up/warp the material or not.

15

Is this fully safe though? I kinda wanted to try it myself, but I’m no expert on latex masks, and wasn’t sure if letting it sit in water could mess up/warp the material or not.

16

It’s not something I’d ever do to an expensive mask, but TOTS is a latex/clay mixture and not the higher quality latex you’ll get from say Nik or Rowland. Water alone can make the paint basically peelable by hand, though I would opt for a dremel for precision regardless, interesting method for sure. Never was huge until guys realized it took 3 weeks to peel the H40 by hand :joy:

17

sounds like my issue right now ! [emoji23] the first day I started stripping my RZ mask, I got 90% of the paint off of it, and now I got super stubborn parts left that refuse to come off, and when I do manage to get a peel of it, it just breaks off in SUPER small bits, making my process take forever. I thought I’d get it all off in 2 days at the most, nah. I’m currently on like day 5-6 still trying to get it off. I gave in, and I’m trying the water method now. I ran out of ideas, and at this point I just want it done [emoji23]


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18

Post bump as I have been having the same issue…

First H2 I got I just painted right over it, didn’t remove the hair, didn’t even use liquid latex, didn’t seal it at all. 10 years later and it still looks great, sure it will crack if I touch it but it’s for display. I had no idea what I was doing but wanted to make it look better. The mask actually started rotting before the paint was an issue.

Seems the newer (last 5 years?) TOTS maks have a different sealer that is glossy and doesn’t let new paint stick, so ideally you just strip that with lacquer thinner and paint over it.

The problem, for me, comes when I tried to remove the front hairline for better painting- you pull it and it rips off the latex paint layer with it and once it starts peeling, you pretty much have to remove it all (or 99% of it) or you see the lines/seams under the new paint. I got lazy and gave up on one, and you can defintely see a line but it’s not a big deal if you’re doing a really dirty mask OR the lines end up on the ear or an inconspicous area.

The H4 Poster mask I did peeled off in big chunks, it was really easy. The last few bits I used the felt Dremel bit on the lowest setting and it got a lot of the rest off. There were still some stubborn areas that I did my best to smooth/feather the edges with the dremel on a slightly higher setting. You can feel and smell when you’re on the latex as opposed to the paint. I wasn’t able to get some off the ears or in the mouth at all, so I just left it. There was one spot of paint that felt harder in the eye socket, and it actually started pulling the latex off with it- I noticed just in time and was able to snip it off and smooth the eyecut with the dremel, but it could have ruined the mask! So be careful.

So in summary, try not to peel ANY of the paint if possible. Just clean the sealer.
Once it starts peeling, hope you get big chunks. Otherwise, it’s the felt tip dremel on low until you can’t take it anymore, and feather what is left making sure it’s not in the middle of the cheek or head. Lacquer thinner didn’t remove paint for me, just made it less glossy (removing the sealer I think). And I didn’t want to damage the mask, it didn’t seem like a feasible method.

I have a bunch of hair to rehair some masks with, but I’m really hesitant to start pulling hair for this reason- I wish there were something to really soften/remove the glue before you pull it. Or just snip the hair to the roots and leave the glue? I don’t know, but once that paint starts peeling it becomes a nightmare that you can’t give up on.

19

I’ve been having success using Odorless Mineral Spirits to soften the glue. I used to use Lacquer Thinner but the mineral spirits work better. I take a flat paint brush, dip it in the spirits, and dab onto the glue line. Apply it a few times and give the glue a minute to soak it up and that hair will peel easily. I’ve used this method on ToTS glue, E6000 and rubber cement.

20

Wow, thanks! I think I have some Mineral Spirits around here somewhere. Sure worth a try! Just getting ready to do a few TOTS masks and I have some new hair I’d love to use but I really really want to avoid peeling paint if at all possible!