"What metals are in modern figures?" Topic

Really a curiosity question, I take it no longer pure lead, and besides it would be to soft I think. As a guess maybe what water safe solder is?

Pewter and/or white metal.

I doubt that pure lead was ever used for commercial model soldiers in the later 20th century even though it may have been colloquially described as such. Scruby tried various alloys with a typical mix of approx. 25- 30% tin, with the remaining amount in lead (plus traces of other metals) before adopting a lead- free alloy. Archive used an alloy mixed from tire weights and type metal. Pure lead doesn't cast well for fine detail.

Was nipping off wings of British figures to make Hanoverian and so got me wondering.

While different manufactures use different mixes, Tin, Zinc and Antimony are common components

I want to laugh every time I hear "lead-free pewter". Pewter is lead and tin, like bronze is copper and zinc. Modern pewter is tin with some antimony, copper, or possibly something else. When I talk to casters they are cagey, like it's a secret formula. They each have a supplier with a special mix they that makes their casting work just right. But it's mostly tin, and goodness knows want the other 1-15% is.

I purchased some PicoArmor miniatures recently. The sculpting was very good and they were cast cleanly and sharp. But they are as hard, and brittle, as can be. If there is flash, and there was a tiny tiny bit, extremely difficult to remove. trying to, minutely, alter a pose broke it.

It was, and is, my opinion that they are solid tin

When I talk to casters they are cagey, like it's a secret formula.

The Alchemists' Guild makes them sign a non-disclosure agreement.

There is always a possibility that just the right combination of materials will turn miniatures into gold. It seems to have worked for Games Workshop.

Andrew Walters, bronze is copper and tin, brass is copper and zinc.

I was trying ( and still curious only) tossed what lead free solder was made from, not a straight answer there either.
And have lots of that picked up from jobs which was using to make bullets with.

Pico Armor is made from a Zinc Aluminum alloy. Just look under their safety section from their terms and conditions page.

link

Cool! Bashytubits thank you for the correction. The stuff is extremely hard. None of my small bits will make a dent in it, so I can't pin it back together

96%+ tin alloy is soft enough that you can (carefully) bend a figure's limb almost double. I use it for posing armatures before starting sculpting…

Mithril, given the cost these days.

White Metal lead around 65% tin around 30% antimony 5%
differs slightly smelter to smelter

A friend of mine took a jewellery class and for practice he cast a few old Esci plastic figures in pure silver. Best 1/72nd scale figures I ever saw. Very rigid, strong, wonderful detail and light for metal. Bit pricey for the larger armies however.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

My figures are largely tin and antimony, no lead.

I vaguely remember some figures being cast years ago with a Bismuth alloy instead of lead. Very brittle, IIRC.

Lead free solders can contain copper, and perhaps silver.

"… Bismuth alloy instead of lead…"

Bismuth also has a low melting point; a friend used to bake his figures in the oven to cure Humbrol enamels. That worked fine with most figures, but just a puddle of metal when he was finished with those. (From Grenadier, I think, but not certain)

Was painting here and just dawned on me this is why with all the minis I have and never seen lead rot in any. I do know what it is as a year ago found a tire weight on side of road that may have been there 20 years and it was horribly rotten.

Dagwood mused -

I vaguely remember some figures being cast years ago with a Bismuth alloy instead of lead. Very brittle, IIRC.

Perhaps some of the last Ral Partha, during the Great New York State Lead Scare? Those "Ralidium" minis were brittle as heck, and some went quite yellow through some oxidation.