Do you remove grease before painting and if yes - how?

[unitron]

Hi,

before I start assembling/painting my models I want to do everything properly. Several years ago, before my break from the hobby, I remember I got frightened by some pro-modellers that the paintwork can tear off very easily if the model is not cleaned. So I started cleaning assembled models with petrol ether/extraction gasoline (don`t know the proper english term, very quickly drying and stainresistant fluid made from petrol remains) I even started using dish cleaners on the sprues.

What do you think about all this, have you ever got any issues with paint covering badly because of the greasy mould solvent residue? Is that thing with "petrol ether" even legit or is this a placebo effect?

[Kabbala]

As I believe you are asking about removal of the mold release coating which sometimes coats the models, that seems excessive to me personally. Generally, I just use warm water and dish soap, soaking the mini for a bit and then using an old toothbrush to scrub it. I only do this for resin minis and the FW only more than not. For basic plastic, I've never had issues just priming right off/on the spruce.

[Peredyne]

I've never had a problem primig directly from the sprue on plastics. Resin pieces always get a bath in warm soapy water and a scrub with a toothbrush followed by drying on a towel for a few hours.

[unitron]

Thanks for your input. Resin and metal models are not an issue for me since I completely avoid them and my new army is all plastic :)

Do you use citadel sprays for priming? (I have Imperial Primer for filling hidden areas before citadel black spray) Do these primers have some sort of grease dissolving properties, which helps the paint to stick better?

So, plastics don`t need any cleansing before painting in general? Now I`m curious if that thing with cleaning them with dishsoap and ether is just a pro-modellers` superstition and if anyone except me has ever used that for tabletop models. If what you say is true I wasted many hours of pointless preparations :P

[Bryan Blaire]

I prefer washing the plastics with some water and dish soap and an old toothbrush, I usually spend less than three to five minutes a sprue, so maybe 15 minutes total per box, plus letting them dry out after giving them a good press between some towels. I don't know that it necessarily reduces any paint flaking, but it does make sure I'm not starting with a bunch of dust on the sprues (I tend to take the sprues out of the boxes so I can hunt for the bits I want).

[Subtle Discord]

It's all about the process. Plastics are manufactured with melted styrene that is pressure injected into (most likely) steel moulds (also known as dies); the process does not need a mould release agent for removing the parts. Resin cast models are a process that involves quick setting liquid plastics that are poured or injected into rubber moulds; this process benefits from having a mould release agent (usually a light oil sprayed on the mould) to aid in the removal of the parts and extend the life of the rubber mould.

 

Edit: Never under estimate your own grubby hands when considering oils to be removed before priming and during painting. After assembly I use a soft scrub brush that's slightly damp (with some alcohol if I'm being very particular) to give models a light wipe down before priming. And during painting I try not to handle the model too much (and I make sure to have clean hands and/or a latex glove on) until it's got a varnish on it. Your paint job will be will wear much better if you properly finish a model before playing with it.

[unitron]

It's all about the process. Plastics are manufactured with melted styrene that is pressure injected into (most likely) steel moulds (also known as dies); the process does not need a mould release agent for removing the parts. Resin cast models are a process that involves quick setting liquid plastics that are poured or injected into rubber moulds; this process benefits from having a mould release agent (usually a light oil sprayed on the mould) to aid in the removal of the parts and extend the life of the rubber mould.

 

Edit: Never under estimate your own grubby hands when considering oils to be removed before priming and during painting. After assembly I use a soft scrub brush that's slightly damp (with some alcohol if I'm being very particular) to give models a light wipe down before priming. And during painting I try not to handle the model too much (and I make sure to have clean hands and/or a latex glove on) until it's got a varnish on it. Your paint job will be will wear much better if you properly finish a model before playing with it.

 

I always wash my hands and minimalise contact with bare hands, even after varnishing, I`m that kind of overly cautious person you know.

What kind of alcohol do you use? Do you think that petrol ether I mentioned can be used instead to the same effect?

[Lucien Eilam]

I'm pretty sure petroleum ether is a solvent of polystyrene. If you're just brushing it on, it's probably evaporating before it can do much damage, but I wouldn't recommend using it to clean plastic miniatures.

 

As Subtle Discord says, plastic kits aren't cast using mould release, so at worst the only thing on your models will be a very light dusting of grease from your hands.

 

A bit of dish soap and warm water will get rid of that if you really think you need to do anything at all, but the solvents in spray undercoat should cope with it just fine.

[Jacinda]

Do you use citadel sprays for priming?

Not me. Depending on what I want to do I will either use Krylon spray, guesso, or Vellejo air brush primer.

 

So, plastics don`t need any cleansing before painting in general? Now I`m curious if that thing with cleaning them with dishsoap and ether is just a pro-modellers` superstition and if anyone except me has ever used that for tabletop models.

Manufacturing techniques have improved over the years but every so often you will still find a plastic sprue with a thin, powdery film on it. It's rather obvious when you get one that it needs to be washed. That said I still give all my sprues a quick wash in dish soap and water. Most of the time I don't use a brush; I just shake them in soapy water and rinse.

[unitron]

 

 

Not me. Depending on what I want to do I will either use Krylon spray, guesso, or Vellejo air brush primer.

I already own citadel sprays, namely white, black and satin varnish - from your experience, do they perform just as well? I hope i can avoid investing more in new cans. Plus, do you know if they have any special greasproof properties?

 

I'm pretty sure petroleum ether is a solvent of polystyrene. If you're just brushing it on, it's probably evaporating before it can do much damage, but I wouldn't recommend using it to clean plastic miniatures.

I used to wash the minis with ether, didn`t know it dissolves polystyrene, although must admit it removes the gloss and creates nice matt feel of the surface, ergo reacts in some way... then again as you said I washed the minis with brush, and it doeas evaporate in a fraction of a second indeed; I think I`m gonna make an experiment and put a sprue fragment into some ether to see what happens :P

 

I have an Idea of using 99.9% pure isopropylic alcohol - it`s used to clean processors, optical devices, etc, to the levels of the most achievable sterility so I think it most porbably doesn`t leave any residues by itself and AFAIK alcohols in general dissolves grease very well. Question is - does it react with polystyrene plastic?

[GhostLegion]

so much alcohol so far...sure some dish soap, but alcohol...wow...

 

for my part im a fan of cleaning up resin (in particular) with diet coke, then simple green (just to be sure...and clean off any coke remainders).  yes, this may sound strange, but hell....if diet coke can clean a toilet, im sure itll do fine by resin and mould release!

[Jacinda]

 

Not me. Depending on what I want to do I will either use Krylon spray, guesso, or Vellejo air brush primer.

I already own citadel sprays, namely white, black and satin varnish - from your experience, do they perform just as well? I hope i can avoid investing more in new cans. Plus, do you know if they have any special greasproof properties?

 

 

In a quick over simplification ... paint is paint is paint. What matters most is the package. That being, the can and especially its nozzle. Way back a long time ago when dinosaurs roamed the Earth with cell phones bigger than my boots, GW spray paints were horrible! They leaked around the top and would spit out drops with the spray because their nozzles were worse than hairspray cans. So my preference now is based on what I found that worked for me 20 years ago and I still like them. Since they cost only a fraction of similar GW spray paints I have found no reason to change. I don't use primers as part of my base coat so I don't have to match up colors either.

 

If you already have GW paints then by all means use them. Don't throw away good products.

[unitron]

so much alcohol so far...sure some dish soap, but alcohol...wow...

 

for my part im a fan of cleaning up resin (in particular) with diet coke, then simple green (just to be sure...and clean off any coke remainders).  yes, this may sound strange, but hell....if diet coke can clean a toilet, im sure itll do fine by resin and mould release!

Hm... heard urban legends of school chars cleaning toilets with coke, but cleaning minis with it seems like a dirty work to me; since coke is basically molten sugar (literally) it would smear the deepest reces with adhesive liquid, which in turn definitely would need to be cleansed with yet another (sugar) solvent, which adds to the whole effort.

[GhostLegion]

Heres the thing. In my experience with the forgeworld resin, well, ive never had so good a working surface than by cleaning it with DIET Coke (not regular mind), then simple green. Oh ive tried soft soap...ive tried dish soap (joy and palmolive)...ive tried just simple green too...none get the resin quite the same, clean, feel that the diet coke then simple green does. Hell, some of the larger resin chunks ive even worked til the soda went flat...wow did THAT help! This process i would call over much for most metals or plastics, but for resins...well, i havent found much better. The result is a surface that you can feel something very different even in the smoothest resin piece...it holds paint incredibly well, and id say it evens out the surface a touch for paint adherence. ...probably just me though... ive never had later problems from this, but regretted it the few times i havent taken the time to follow through. ... have to say though, probably the best thing ive done for my elysians so far....