Hi All
A question I've
Inherited several white metal figures,from different suppliers
They have been stripped of paint some are in better condition than others.
I'm guessing ratio of metals etc. I'm going to rescribe details etc but am looking for the best way of sealing them.Just in case I need to re-strip paint etc.
Fistly I paint in oils,enamels or a mix
second I use Ovencleaner to strip the figs if required.

Any ideas

Cheers


Chris

Hi Chris, the simplest and easiest way to seal the surface of the figures would be to spray them with a flat clear product such as Dullcote or Modelmasters Lusterless Clear. The spray will form an invsisible seal over the surface of the figure and protect the metal underneath. If you want to paint the figures you can paint directly onto the sealer, although I would recommend you use a primer.

etc....

Why seal? Just refine the surfaces as much as necessary/desirable, then prime and paint as normal.

If you're worried about a possible interaction between the paint and traces of the oven cleaner then give the parts a brief soak in vinegar, followed by scrubbing them well under a running tap (you don't want to leave traces of vinegar on old figures if they might contain lead).

Einion

Wouldn't just primer seal them ?

Yeah a proper primer will seal or isolate the metal, that's one of the key features of a primer. But we do use a lot of different things to prime with in the hobby and they're not all equal - far different levels of protection from auto primer and one of the new Vallejo surface primers for example.

Einion

Humbrol White through an airbrush has worked fine for me and all of my figures, some after 20 plus years are still fine.
I paint in oils and the Matt effect of being absorbed by the Humbrol is unequalled for me. I don't need to use a drying box although I also give a final spray of Matt varnish at the end to bind everything together. Auto primer seems to let the oils float on top for me and it is the oil in the paint that causes the shine, I can't comment for acrylic painters of course.
Best wishes

Hi Chris,
I would echo everyone on here - once stripped, thoroughly clean the figure under running water to remove any traces of cleaner, then dry and prime with whatever you would normally use.
Steve