"Anyone used ultrasonic cleaner to prep metal figures?" Topic

I am getting a bit over pre-washing/cleaning 10mm metal figures before I prime them. It was ok for the first 1000, but it is wearing thin.

Has anyone tried using an ultrasonic jewellery type cleaner for figures? I have ready about people using them for stripping paint. How about for getting mould release agent off the metal? I could imagine it could be pretty quick – dip, switch on, drain, pat dry and done.

At the moment I am hand brushing each one of them with a tooth brush.

Or should I just not bother and prime them?

Thanks

Ironlegs
10mmnapoleonics.blogspot.com

I would not bother. Take a look at one that you washed and one that has not been. If you can not see any improvement in the details, then just prime and paint. The paint will not come off. The primer seals the figure well enough if there should be any remaining release agents. And with todays molds for metal there is very little used.

That is just my thoughts. I too am tired of washing figures, but I am working in 28mm and I can see a difference.

Matthew

WHAT "mo(u)ld release" on metal?
I have been doing this for 40 years and have never come across any such thing.

I wash a load together in very hot water with a few drops of degreasing agent and then rinse, spoon out onto a paper towel and blow dry with an old hair drier. Takes a max of 5 min for a batch.

I'd rather do that than risk poor adhesion from finger grease or filings from cleaning the figures getting primed over.

John, I did not know that you made moulds or casted up your own figures. That is pretty neat. You have to tell me how you keep your moulds from sticking. We use talc dusting or an oil based agent. It depends on how large the item we are casting is.

Matthew

I've not thought about one for cleaning but I have for stripping paint. I guess it would work.

I use the dishwasher with a couple of square colanders.

45thdiv, nowhere did I say that I did.
In my decades of painting and prepping myriads of figures, I have NEVER come across any figures that had anything resembling mold release on them. I have NEVER cleaned a metal figure, and have NEVER had any problems.

That's great John. It just seemed that you spoke with authority that metal figures do not have any release agent.

As I said in my first post, most primers will seal any release agent, so washing is not alway needed. You are the only one posting on this thread who does not clean you figures.

What ever works for you John. Just because you can't see something, does not mean it is not there.

You and I have about the same years working with metal.

Matthew

It would be counter-productive for a metal manufacturer to use a mold release that DID require cleaning. No one I know cleans figures. It seems to me a relic from the 1960s to even read bout it.

Who even cleans plastic?

I use talc on my figures and have never bothered washing the figures I paint myself. I would suggest that it is necessary to wash plastic figures.

But to go back to our originally scheduled topic … I had not thought of it for minis, but I should have, since we have one of those thingees on hand, and it could not hurt (and might help).

Doug

Soft plastic yes – hard plastic no. I do not wash metal figures either. I use my talc in other areas.

I think the only metal figures I have washed have been some that were stripped and maybe still had some residue or anything I pulled out where the metal looked a little scuzzy. In both these cases its when I get the figs second hand.

Otherwise prime and paint.

Maybe I have been doing this wrong the last 44 years?

The Studio Bergstrom 1" fighters look as if they've spent some time in a rock tumbler to remove some of the mold lines.

I'm not convinced washing is required however, I always wash my figures and they always come out looking brighter and more shinny. I've got to be getting something off them and I'd rather whatever it is wasn't under my primer.

No washing here and no problems with thousands of painted metal figures.

I have never washed a metal or hard palstic figure.

Though I did wash a thousand plus Airfix figures back in the 1970s.

Thanks for the range of experience. Its always helpful to get another perspective.

I wash them because I had a batch a while ago that the paint rubbed off the edges. It could have been the paint, the primer, the wash or the fact I didn't wash them before hand. I started washing them again, had the same primer, paint and wash and no problem., so I figured that it was the prep wash. These were 10mm figures, so not sur if it is different in getting much smaller pieces out of the mold/mould than 28mm.

I'll ask the manufacturer what they recommend.

Thanks for the responses.

Ironlegs
10mmnapoleonics.blogspot.com

Interesting,

Just had a talk with Si from Bend Sinister about the moulding process. He does use a mould release. The moulds are dusted with a talc from time to time. He recommends give them a wash if you want to remove the dust. You can smell it when you open a pack.

It doesn't sound like it is a big problem for painting over, more a matter of personal preference. Each to their own.

Ironlegs
10mmnapoleonics.blogspot.com

I use one esp. with large 1/1200 ships and 1/72 (and larger) vehicles. The unit was originally purchased to clean firearms.

Regards,

J. P. Kelly

Got one of these cleaners and had 70+ Perry AWI figs arrive. Having read this thread thought Id stick them in and see how they came out. Both cleaner and water were clean with just some washing up liquid added.

After washing them this was what was left in the bottom of the cleaner.

Never washed a single figure. I have been painting for over 20 years . Still have some of the older ones and they seem just fine.