Prepping white metal figures for paint?

[Richard61]

Hi all.
Can anyone give me some advice on prepping white metal figures for painting please?
Plastic and resin, I'm OK with but I've never worked with W.M before. ..... Joining parts with epoxy and cleaning any flash or seam lines shouldn't be a problem but my main worry is the slightly rough texture of the casting, even on what are meant to be quality figures.
(There's no question of any recasting going on)
I have read about burnishing but assumed that was intended for metal parts such as armour, swords, etc and I don't want to loose any fine detail so thought it best to ask the question before making a mess of anything.
Richard.

 

[housecarl]

This may help Richard.
Carl.

 

[Richard61]

Excellent Carl
Thank you, that's a huge help.
Richard.

 

[steve j]

the best thing for cleaning up white metel is a brass brush like you would use to brush suede with

 

[Richard61]

Hi Steve, thanks for that information
I have a small brass brush for the mini-drill or could use the man powered version if the drill would be too harsh.
Richard.

 

[housecarl]

Too harsh Richard, you'll soften/remove the detail.
Best thing, remove the fine lines with files and wet and dry paper.
Then just give it a good wash in dish detergent.
I tend to pin white metal due to the weight,
there's a little top tip for lining up the holes in this thread.
Carl.

 

[Richard61]

I'll be pinning the parts too, I pin resin and plastic so as you say, due to the weight it would be silly not to pin metal.
Thanks for the warning about the brush
Richard.

 

[Gra30]

A good way of removing the soft pitting, if that is the rough cast you mention, is to apply a very thin milliput coat.
It is more like a slush, as the milliput is water based.
You can brush it on and it will fill the smal holes a d is very controllable.
Either mix a small amount with a little warm water in a pot, really mix it well adding more water as you go and brush on, or you can add a few very small dots of milliput to the area, adding more water brush around the area until it breaks down, tidy up remaining areas with a wet sponge and brush. The slush is as thin as needed and is only there to fill the tiny imperfections of the cast.
You can also use polystyrene cement for this or even squadron white putty with polystyrene cement but it is quite grainy and needs a light sand.
I prefer the water and milliput method best
A good coat of Halfords primer will also do wonders to level areas out, I do the milliput bit after all the other clean up, let dry, wash very lightly in soapy water and prime.

 

[elgreco]

Hi Richard,
You may wish to have a read at Stephen Mallia's tutorial on our website: http://elgrecominiatures.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d131.html
There are other tutorials there which you may find useful.
Cheers,
Celine

 

[Richard61]

Thanks, the milliput method is great advice ..... I've used it many times before in other areas of modelling but for some reason it never came to mind here. Doh!

Hi Celine.
Great tutorial, thanks for the pointer.

Richard.

 

[steve j]

Hi Steve, thanks for that information
I have a small brass brush for the mini-drill or could use the man powered version if the drill would be too harsh.
Richard.

hi richard didnt mean the kind you use in a drill i meant a hand brush the same as a sueade brush

 

[Einion]

Can anyone give me some advice on prepping white metal figures for painting please?
Plastic and resin, I'm OK with but I've never worked with W.M before. ..... Joining parts with epoxy and cleaning any flash or seam lines shouldn't be a problem but my main worry is the slightly rough texture of the casting, even on what are meant to be quality figures.

That rough texture is why so many people try to stick to resin models now, or adopt the old-timer philosophy when it comes to metal kits: buy early or not at all (although sadly even this cannot guarantee the smooth surface we should expect).

My preferred way of dealing with slight texture is to use steel wool or Scotchbrite/nylon scrubbing pad. If it's bad filling the pitting beforehand with a slurry of epoxy sculpting compound, then taking the high spots off with the abrasives; doing this it's important to make sure the epoxy has fully cured before going on to the next step, otherwise it's easy to lift it out of shallow depressions.

Einion

 

[Richard61]

Thanks for the good information there Einion, it's a great help.
I picked up some metal figures from ebay and for the price was prepared to take a chance (Yeah, I know it's risky) ...... Three are superb but there are another three with that rough texture, although not too bad and all are genuine in their boxes or packets etc.
I have to say I think I got burned with one though ....... A 120mm fantasy figure, well packed and boxed but it must be one of the worst figures ever released. Not only is the casting terrible but the anatomy is way off in the legs and hips. ....... I'm not trying to say I could do better myself but I'm not selling my stuff.
I'll chalk it down to the learning curve, keep it in it's box and use it as a paperweight or door stop!
Richard.

 

[Bailey]

I have to say I think I got burned with one though ....... A 120mm fantasy figure, well packed and boxed but it must be one of the worst figures ever released. Not only is the casting terrible but the anatomy is way off in the legs and hips. ....... I'm not trying to say I could do better myself but I'm not selling my stuff.
I'll chalk it down to the learning curve, keep it in it's box and use it as a paperweight or door stop!

That's too bad. Well, you can always use it to try out new techniques. If you don't know how to airbrush but want to learn, a poor 120mm is probably a good figure to practice with.

Not much else I can add, everyone else seems to have covered the topic quite thoroughly. But I will say post pictures here when you start painting these up. Getting feedback from the community here is one of the best ways to improve your work.

 

[Gra30]

The pitting is not necessarily due to older casts and can happen on the earliest of casts in the mould, it is usually down the metal quality and incorrect temperature when pouring so yes, as said it is not guaranteed on early casts.
It is also not essential to buy early if you know the manufacturer remoulds frequently as the philosphy is aimed more at the inevitable mould tearing as the mould wears, this also applies to resin casting.
Although casting both in metal and resin, I do agree that resin does give a superior smooth finish that cannot be matched with metal casting no matter how critical of the casts.

If using the slurry method, a lot can be removed whist wet with a light pass with the brush, a burnish with fine grade steel wool should then only be needed and avoids harsh abrasives.

 

[Richard61]

Not much else I can add, everyone else seems to have covered the topic quite thoroughly. But I will say post pictures here when you start painting these up. Getting feedback from the community here is one of the best ways to improve your work.

No problem on that score.......I'm a firm believer in showing work (warts and all) for constructive critique, it's the only way to really improve I.M.H.O. I can't see the point otherwise ...... I know my figure work is weak and is letting other aspects of my modelling down, which was my main motivation for joining this site. Some of you people have set the bar beyond high and if I can at least get on the lower rungs of the ladder and learn from you all I'll be quite happy.

Richard.