"Baking your miniatures" Topic

I stumbled across this 30 years ago, I had a friend who painted up a number of GHQ WII armor for me, and his paint jobs always left a lot of detail, so I asked him how he did it. He told me he would bake the miniatures in his oven at a low temperature for a hour and let them cool, and it brought the detail out, and would make the paint adhere to the metal better (and yes, he would not prime them). Now, I know that die-cast metal toys are treated this way (Dinky and Corgi used to do this back in the 50 – 70's), not to mention that it was common practice in car manufacturing (at one time). I was wondering if anyone here has ever done this?

Depending on the alloy used, I would find this extremely risky and unproductive other than possibly evaporating some mold release residue, I don't think much sintering of the surface occurs. Frankly, I think he was taking a mickey with you.

Annealing is a common process in metal used for stamping to make it more malleable, but after casting it has little value. Technically the metal is annealed when it comes out of the cast and white metals are already fairly soft.

Unless we had the same friend (Toledo, Ohio area) I too knew a guy who did the exact same thing with his micro-armor.

He had TONS of micro-armor and told me he baked every one after painting. And this was in the late 70s-early 80s…

When I started painting 54mm figures (before I got into wargaming), back in the late '50s, it was common to bake your figures. I do not recall any improvement in detail. Rather it was supposed to make the paint withstand wear more.

As recently as 20 years ago,some painters of high quality 54mm and larger collector figures who used artists oils would bake their figures to help make the paint dry flat. Artists oils alone dry with a shine. Metallics and other gloss items would be painted afterwards. I usually did not have to do that as I added Grumbacher's Medium No. 1 to my oils and this usually solved the problem. However, when it did not,I have baked the figures. It flattened the paint, but also seemed to lessen the contrast between the shades and the highlights.

Tom

This was definitely something that GHQ recommended – there was a long article about painting NATO & WP vehicles in "Wargamer's Digest" which specifically mentioned this. It was supposed to make the paint adhere – don't know if there was any science behind it.

Probably a bit different to bake acrylic, enamel or oil paint…

It also needs to be VERY low temperature.

Die-cast stuff especially is made from much more heat resistant metal…

Works well on micro armor but only with oil based enamels <200°F. I baked some acrylics once and it darkened the color significantly.

I did partially melt some T72s once when I stupidly had the oven at 300°F. They didn't so much melt as just sort of drooped.

Back in the days of brush-on plastic primer, it was not unknown for the primer to refuse to dry. And the solution to that was to leave the castings over the pilot light. (Remember those?) I seem to recall slightly sharper detail, but in that case we're more likely talking effect on the primer than on the metal.

I did this with a bunch of micro armor after reading the article. These have been used since the 1980's and have no signs of wear on the paint. I painted them with Humbrol enamels.

I suspect I read the say article as Stone Mtn.

Either late '70s or early '80s, I think it may have been from GHQ or CnC both making fine detail micro armor. I did 100s of micro armor by baking and even won some miniature painting competitions with them. I had the advantage of an analytical oven from a chem lab. So, no fear of over heating.

Easy way to avoid over heating – just stick 'em in the microwave on the 'defrost' setting…

Anyway. The car paint oven thing is about curing the paint. Modern automotive paint is known as 'two-pack' and is very dodgy stuff if breathed in. A world away from hobby paint!

I warm to be primed figures under the painting lamp before spraying with Krylon Primer just enough so they are warm not hot. Immediately after spraying I put them back under the painting lamp for 10 minutes or so to "bake" the enamel primer to the figures. Paint with acrylics after figures have cooled.

I still heat metal figures in the oven after spray priming with enamels, but lately I've taken to priming with brush on acrylic Liquitex gesso or Vallejo polyurethane. If I feel the need to speed dry acrylics, I keep a hair dryer at my painting station with a low setting and a trigger for no heat. Patience and time still seem to work best!

Did the Easy-Bake Oven have a temperature setting…? ;-)

Some inspiration here for baking your figures:

YouTube link

I recall reading the same article and tried it with some British chieftains I had just painted using a Humbrol's green (armor green?). I baked them as described and when I pulled them out, the pa8int had gone super shiney. They looked like highly waxed and polished racing cars from the late 1960s. So I never tried it again.

there was a long article about painting NATO & WP vehicles in "Wargamer's Digest" which specifically mentioned this.

I remember experimenting with this directly as a result of that article. As I recall, it did do a good job on micro-armor.

Baking die cast toys was done mostly to oxidise the surface and improve the key of the primer coat. It is vaguely possible that the same happens with some figures but most won't – not the kind of alloys that oxidise in the same way.

Heating to dry paint works for almost any paint (within reason), heating to improve the hardness of the finish works with some paints (particularly slow drying oils) but I haven't heard of it changing a gloss finish to matt.

Most conventional, electric, home ovens have a minimum temperature of 170 F. You can also purchase a Slow Cooker/Crock Pot, and run it on the Low temperature setting, which is also around 170 F.

I painted 54mm plastic Army Men figures, applying Minwax Polyurethane Stain, to bring out their details. They look surprisingly good, with The Dip applied. I painted 40+ Army Men figures at a time. However, I hated waiting days for them to fully dry, so I could handle them. I put them on a metal cookie sheet (dedicated to this purpose), placing it in my electric oven, at 175 F, for 30 minutes…

When they cooled, they were completely cured, ready to use. The 170 F was not hot enough to melt the plastic. I also kept the oven door open, to vent the fumes. I opened a couple of windows to vent the house, as well.

Later on, I switched to the Slow Cooker, which I purchased specifically for curing the Army Men figures, as well as my metal fantasy mini's, which also get The Dip treatment. It works even on Prince August Model Metal castings: no melting, no deformation, and this metal has a low melting point, but it is still above 600 F, so no harm done, baking 30 minutes, at 170 F. Cheers!

I used to bake mine and then I developed the nasty habit of eating them !! I stopped?

Russ Dunaway

When I use artist oils on metal figures, I bake them in a light box. Mine is a metal tool box with a light bulb at the end. My son named it the electric tool box. The lid never gets hot enough to burn my hand, so probably around 100 or so. It is enough to warp plastic, so beware. It will even take some of the oil sheen off the paint, and allow painting on cured paint next day.

I use enamel paints and have baked my Napoleonic figs since the late 80's. I use an old toaster oven and set it at 275F for about 30 mins. Just don't leave them in too long as it did faded the red on me once. I do it mainly to speed up the drying.

Cheers
Dean

All joking aside-- since the mid 70s I have used a hair dryer after putting on a dark wash of 90 % water 10% very dark brown. The air not only dries the wash, it forces it into the crevices of the figurine. That way there is no blotching on raised surface's where it is not wanted.

Russ Dunaway