To wash or not to wash...

[urbancohort]

I have always been told that plastic and metal figures ought to be washed before priming/painting. With metal figures it could be detergent or vinegar.

Having diligently done this for years I stopped doing it about a year ago and I've seen no difference at all in the ability of the figure to take a coat of paint.

So, urban legend/old wive's tale or good practice. Discuss..

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[Techno]

I don't think it makes much difference at all.

I DO wash figures that I'm converting, (For Leon, or whoever) purely because the new putty can be a swine to get to 'stick' to an original master, if it's covered in some sort of releasing agent.

As far as painting is concerned......Nah....I'd never bother.

Cheers - Phil

[Fenton]

 Thought this was going to be a post about Salute at first 

No I have never washed figures except 1/72 plastics and not had any difficulty. I presume for resin figures you would need to wash them due to the release agents used

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Plastic yes, leaf & resin no

[fsn]

I used to wash soft plastics.

I don't wash metals. I work on the basis that the main problem is going to be greasy skin residue, and since the ony handling they get is to plonk 'em on a painting stick ... there's no problem.

The Pendraken casting dwarves are, one imagines, most fastidious. I don't for a moment think Dave licks each figure as it emerges from the machine. (If I'm wrong, please don't correct me.)

As a solo gamer, I'm also pretty punctillious about handling the bases rather than the figures.

Only problem I had was when I dropped the 3 boxes holding my 1940 forces.  

[petercooman]

Never wash them, unless it's resin and i had to scrape moldlines or something, the dust is easier removed by washing.

[Luddite]

I've never washed any model, metal, plastic or resin.

I've never experienced any problems with models taking or retaining paint, or with the quality of the paint being affected.

[JeffNNN]

I've never bothered with washing any figures. My Hinton Hunt Swedes, painted in 1966/67 still hold their paint.

[Westmarcher]

Me neither and so far so good. My current collection is all metal, mind you, and I do recall that paint often flaked off Airfix plastic figures - however, could that have been due more to a combination of softer, flexible plastic and rough handling than failure to wash them before painting? 

[FierceKitty]

Those dam' Airfix Napoleonics! Trying to get them to hold paint was one of the major frustrations of my early wargaming days (they were to blame for at least two others of note).

[d_Guy]

Those dam' Airfix Napoleonics! Trying to get them to hold paint was one of the major frustrations of my early wargaming days (they were to blame for at least two others of note).

Chewed that ground - no amount of scrubbing seemed to help - and a wire brush was out of the question. As to the other frustrations....
Still have a few somewhere with hints of paint flecks here and there (like statues from classical Greece).

These days I wash nothing - and don't seem to have a problem.

[Wulf]

I wash them, but not with any great effort - I just plonk them in a cup with some Fairy Liquid* after general cleanup  then leave them to dry on paper towels. While I've never had any issue with metals, I have with plastics, & certainly 3d printed minis need a damn good scrub. Minis designed for wargaming tend to be fine without a wash, but those designed for boardgames or display are another thing altogether...

* [Other miniature washing detergents are available}

[Fenton]

For polyurethane figures i just stick them in the dish washer at a low temperature. Seemed to do the job ok

[urbancohort]

I've never bothered with washing any figures. My Hinton Hunt Swedes, painted in 1966/67 still hold their paint.

My word. That IS good goong. I am only a year or so older and my varnish is definitely worn off!!!😣

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[urbancohort]

Chewed that ground - no amount of scrubbing seemed to help - and a wire brush was out of the question. As to the other frustrations....
Still have a few somewhere with hints of paint flecks here and there (like statues from classical Greece).

These days I wash nothing - and don't seem to have a problem.

Wow! Not arf... amazing how things come on!

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