"Amphibious figures – How do I handle them" Topic

Two weeks ago, our basement flooded due to heavy rains and the loss of electricity to power our sump pump. The bottom row of boxes contained mostly my books, rule sets and unpainted lead. Everything is soaked. Among the destroyed items is a signed copy of The Longest Day, a set of Tractics rules in mint condition in their original box (charts and all), an unused copy of legacy of glory Napoleonic rules, the old board game Third Reich, and numerous other papers, books and games.
What I am trying to figure out is how to handle the hundreds (probably thousands) of 15mm and 20mm lead that was submerged. Many of the figures are still in the original packing that is now filled with water. I am concerned about the possible bacteria in the water and what is best to clean them off with as well as disinfect them. Also there are about 30 to 40 resin and lead vehicles (still in their original packing) that I have the same concerns with.
Does anyone have any suggestions? The irony is that my collection of 1/1200 and 1/600 Napoleonic ships were in three plastic trays that we found floating on the surface. They of course were bone dry.

Geesh that REALLY sucks. On a somewhat lighter note… they were ships after all, they SHOULD float.

The unpainted mini's, I think a decent (24-48hr) soak and then scrubbing in a commercially available mild antibacterial disinfectant should be fine.

Since the main concern seems to be bacteria, it would probably be best to just strip down any painted metal figures and repaint. Most likely, anything you soak them in to kill the little buggies will adversely affect the paint – and scrubbing definitely will, so might as well just start over with them.

The resin stuff I think you'll have to test out to see if there is adverse reaction to any of the antibacterial solvents before soaking/scrubbing.

I have no clue what you could possibly do to salvage books and boxed sets… Probably just have to make a claim for them on your insurance.

Anyway – I'm no expert, all that is just one man's judgment of how I'd do it if it were me (only after I regained sobriety and stopped sobbing.)

My condolences on your losses!

Exactly how noxious was the water they were soaked in? Did it have raw sewage in it or something?

If NOT, I would just take them all out of their packaging, let them air dry, and then give them all a heavy dose with an aerosol anti-bacterial, like Lysol in a spray can.

Maybe test it on a couple figures first, and let it dry on them, to see if it effects the paint.

Finally, it might be worth taking a look at your homeowners policy: do you have any flood or leakage coverage? Probably not, but if so,and depending on what caused the submersion, you might be able to file a claim with your insurance company. They might even put you in touch with a water damage restoration specialist or something, who would know the answer to the disinfection question!

A quick soak in rubbing alcohol should kill any bacteria – pop em in and leave them for a minute or so. Another antibacteria agent could be hydrogen peroxide, but alcohol would be my first choice.
I lost a ton of books in a house fire, my insurance company was reasonable about getting an expert's estimate on the value. Original set of softcover d and d books for one. The water damaged books are a total loss, but the figs should be fine. It took about 15 years for my painted figs to stop smelling of smoke.

For the metal miniatures, I would suggest chlorine bleach from the supermarket shelf. Submerge them for a reasonable period of time (minutes), swish them around in warm soapy water (to remove the bleach), rinse under the faucet and let them dry in the sun.

Worked for a research firm specializing in infectious disease research and we always had gallons of Clorox on hand… we used the 95% alcohol for other purposes….

Sorry to hear about your loss. That is terrible, but at least the minis should be recoverable.

On a lighter note, I have heard that Napoleonic era ships were hard to sink, but that is ridiculous!

Good luck with salvaging the collection.

Frd has the right idea--just soak them in bleachy water and rinse under the tap---what a swine though--how many were painted?

My basement flooded in 2007 with over 61/2 feet of water in it. You can kiss the paper products good-bye. I won't even go into what I lost. Miniatures, whether metal or resin, are a lot easier. Soak them in a large bucket of bleach and water. You'll want a LARGE bucket. Why? Go to a Big Lots or similar store and buy a cheap metal colander that will fit in the bucket. You can load miniatures into the colander and put them into the bucket to soak for a few minutes and then, pull it out. Rinse using a garden hose and if you have a back porch let them dry on some newspaper in the sun. The colander made the work easy and I lost no small pieces.

[Dons work hat]

Best disaster recovery practice for wet paper is to remove excess moisture, then place the wet material in plastic bags and freeze immediately. This will slow down any any water damage, mildew or bacteria.

Restoring this material is done by Freeze drying. This removes moisture and if done by a professional and with the right equipment and technique it can reduce damage and warping.

It's expensive though….

The National Archives for most countries offer advice on other methods. Here is an example link

An Australian company that specializes in this is called Steamatic steamatic.com.au

[Removes Working hat]

I would probably just first rinse of all the visible muck with running cold water, and then dumb the models into a big bucket full of very hot (almost boiling) water. Then fish them out once the water has cooled down, and dry them well and properly in a sunny spot.

But if you are really concerned about bacteria, then the above tips about chemicals might be the good choice. Just make sure to rinse and dry the models well afterwards – traces of the chemicals might affect paint adhesion later on.

Griefbringer

Thanks for the pointers. The water wasn't overly foul but it didn't smell fresh either. My insurance doesn't cover flooded basements which is a real pain. As for my painted figures (as few as those are), the best ones are kept upstairs in my office so those were not affected thankfully.

When I think about the paper based products that I've lost,it breaks my heart. And to think my wife is worried about crap like her hoover, the washing machine and the tread mill. That's just stuff, my books and figures, now those are what's truly important.

I am a lazy good-for-nothing. I'd pull all the minis out of their packaging, sort them, toss them in a nylon mesh/cheesecloth bag and put them in the dishwasher.