Just a couple of questions for you painting gurus...

[Optimates]

As the title says, just had a couple of questions to ask. Hopefully someone kind enough out there can help me out here:

1: What is leadrot and what causes it?
2: How would you suggest washing your models to prep them for painting (Both metal and plastic)? Or should you even bother?
3: How would you paint black and white hair?

Thanks!

 

[Spree]

the oracle!!

1: What is leadrot and what causes it?
Oxygen atoms cause it in a process called oxidisation. Been a while since I studied chemistry in school but oxidisation is caused by oxygen atoms bonding with the metal in question (in this case you\'re probably not talking about Lead miniatures inparticular but any miniature prone to corrosion). The most well known form of oxidisation would be iron that rusts forming iron oxide which has a reddy-brown colour, it\'s flaky and the metal deteriorates over time.

I\'m not sure what the exact metal alloy\'s are that make miniatures these days, but they\'re designed to be resistant to corrosion. I\'m sure someone else could explain that better!

2: How would you suggest washing your models to prep them for painting (Both metal and plastic)? Or should you even bother?
I don\'t bother unless I\'ve used a paint stripper to remove paint. In which case I use warm soapy water.

3: How would you paint black and white hair?
White I\'d just use a grey base colour (the darkness of that grey is up to you) and highlight it up to white.

Black, obviously use black as the base and the highlight colour you choose is up to you. I\'d either work it up to a dark grey or a dark blue (for something like a vampire).

 

[Chrispy]

Welll....
Siple put leadrot is lead going bad, oxidizing. You usually dodn\'t have to worry about this as most minis are pewter nowadays and lead can be dangerous. When I prep my models (both metal and plastc) I put them in a warm tub of soapy water, let them soak then rinse and dry them. You definatly have to do this on larger models, as there is more mold release agent on them. Just make sure the soap isn\'t a solvent that will dissolve plastic. As for the last question, I\'m not sure if you mean black hair and white hair, or both together. My take on that would be to paint black over white, because you would have to use several layers of white over black and that gums up the detail. Hope that helps!

 

[Optimates]

Thanks for the replys guys, I appreciate it!

There\'s one thing I forgot to ask though:

How would you paint the flesh of Chaos Warriors? I\'m going for a pale white look with a slight bluish tint to it, much like the Chaos Undivided Knight Champion pictured in the army book. Any ideas?

 

[Sturmhalo]

I have a question about lead rot! I\'ve not knowingly seen a model that I\'ve thought to be in the process of decay, but I have seen many that don\'t appear to have a perfect finish. What does lead rot look like on a model? Some very old models can have a rather dark cast to them, likewise those that have been stripped can also have a very tarnished appearance. Is this lead rot?

???

 

[Errex]

Lead Rot

Well, here\'s how you can find out aboout lead rot. Take an old lead mini. Put it in a jar and cover it with vinegar (you know, the stuff your mom uses for the salads). Let it soak overnight. Presto!. Now you have a mini composed of mostly lead oxide, wich, in addition to looking crappy is EXTREMELY TOXIC. You can prod it with a stick, to check out the \"rotty\" feel, but I\'d advise you NOT to touch it with your bare fingers. (Lead is poisonous, you know, but lead oxide is worse, and is easier for it to get absorbed through the skin).

Afterwards, you should dispose of the contents of the jar responsibly, and it\'s not advisable that the jar be used to store food or the like again.

 

[Thri-Keen Priest]

Lead Rot

The most important thing to know about this problem is how it can affect hobbyists like ourselves. Lead rot arises when a model is stored in an airtight display case, undisturbed for a long period of time. Reportedly this happens only with cases made of pine. The tannins in unsealed pine emit gases which react with lead, initiating a cycle by which the lead deteriorates to dust.

Apparently this can be avoided by sealing the wood completely with several coats of polyurethane. Allowing a modicum of air to circulate will also avoid this process, but will also allow dust to seep into the case over time. Simply opening the case every week or so will suffice to circulate the air and release any tannins.

If anyone has anything to add, please do; I\'m not exactly a bio-chemist here.

TKP

 

[slappingpaint]

just a quick reply to how to paint white hair. this is how I do it. your results may vary ;-)
base coat vallejo dark grey, or london grey. lightly drybrush meduim grey (I use a flat brush or the edge of a regular brush, and pull the brush over the area i am painting so it hits only where i want it to, and only as hard as i want it to) then lightly drybrush with silvergrey. I then wash the hair with vallejo smoke to darken the shadows. I then lightly drybrush with medium grey, silvergrey, and final highlight with some white mixed into the silvergrey. I\'ve had some decent results without the smoke wash. but if the hair is coming out messy, it\'ll need the wash. There is some examples on my site, and under my user page on this great site.