Lead Adventure Forum

Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: The Dozing Dragon on 11 June 2013, 08:02:53 AM

Title: Lead Rot
Post by: The Dozing Dragon on 11 June 2013, 08:02:53 AM
Just discovered some half painted figs bubbling away under the paint.......more on the blog. 'Tis a sad day for old Heritage and Citadel minis.

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kf3y61AqRxk/UbYCyYUK0AI/AAAAAAAADMM/Z-W2Zpga-84/s320/Lead+rot+1.JPG)

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y9zTXHkr7gs/UbYCxF14nTI/AAAAAAAADL8/5fyajHehioI/s320/Lead+Rot+6.JPG)

http://deartonyblair.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/lead-rot-i-am-cursed.html (http://deartonyblair.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/lead-rot-i-am-cursed.html)
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: von Lucky on 11 June 2013, 09:46:42 AM
Thanks for the warning. Let us know when you find the article.
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Glitzer on 11 June 2013, 02:01:32 PM
Pine has far less reagents than oak or walnut. There have been some articles aound the net that the GW minis from the 80s suffered from tin pest (like this one from the guy at Excalibur Miniatures (http://www.excalibur-miniaturen.de/netnews/no17/zinnpest17.htm)). The  Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_pest) on the topic states, that it is propably more dependent on temperature. I'm bothered by the side note to lead-free pewter in the article. I asume we will see if modern lead-free minis will be able to withstand tin pest the next decades...  :o
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: von Lucky on 11 June 2013, 02:07:44 PM
The only solution is to cast our miniatures in GOLD. That'll solve EVERYTHING. :)
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: The Dozing Dragon on 11 June 2013, 02:45:30 PM
But lead has always been my gold  :'(
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: jthomlin on 12 June 2013, 03:44:38 AM
But lead has always been my gold  :'(

I've always said one of my particular talents was the ability to consistently turn gold into lead ...  :D

Terrible thing, the old lead rot. Sadly, I have a box full of poor souls in the same or worse condition. Lucky for you DD the scourge can exist here in paradise, otherwise I would be insisting that those lovely Tekumel figures be removed as far away from your leaden lepers as possible ... i.e. my place ...  ;)

Cheers!
Joe Thomlinson
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Donpimpom on 12 June 2013, 07:23:35 PM
omg, all that stuff is rotten? a real disaster

from wiki "due to ..... or very low temperatures ~-30 degrees Celsius aids the initiation"
where do you live? in antarctica?

to say it short, miniatures stored on non-wooden cabinets and living at south of 42nd parallel north are safe?
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Glitzer on 13 June 2013, 02:37:55 PM
omg, all that stuff is rotten? a real disaster

from wiki "due to ..... or very low temperatures ~-30 degrees Celsius aids the initiation"
where do you live? in antarctica?

to say it short, miniatures stored on non-wooden cabinets and living at south of 42nd parallel north are safe?
Short answer: No

Long answer: Maybe. I'm no scructure physicist, so I know no answers myself, everything that follows is someone else's wisdom, and thus not neccessarily scietificaly correct: There seem tobe  a lot of other factors. Some metals in the white metal inhibtt the change, other accelerate it. Alcoholics also seem to acellerate the change. As far as I understand physics this will also change the activation energy and critical temperature for stability. Anything, that influences the crystaline structure of metals can initiate the change, so I asume there is no save way (let's just asume one single atom that suffers from radioactive decay -> alpha tin might form...)

My advice: No garage, no attic, no basement (unless it's heated, yes it says 13,5 and most basements should have that, but it's a catalytical process, so some components in the paint/alloy/penny bases etc. might as well rise the critical temperature of change), no drastic changes in temperature,... just keep them in rooms you would want to inhabit yourself, remove any infected minis at once and hope for the best (or switch to resin/plastics).
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Michi on 13 June 2013, 03:23:45 PM
Not being affected yet, but have witnessed zinc pest on one of my railway models...
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Sangennaru on 13 June 2013, 03:56:52 PM
Impressive to see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FUoVEmHuykM

and an interesting article here

http://www.sigcon.com/Pubs/news/10_01.htm
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Dr Mathias on 13 June 2013, 04:43:46 PM
I think that happened in one of my more horrifying dreams...
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Diceplague on 13 June 2013, 05:13:44 PM
The only solution is to cast our miniatures in GOLD. That'll solve EVERYTHING. :)

Some companies are already doing that, at least judging by their prices... :(
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: von Lucky on 13 June 2013, 11:16:16 PM
I remember as a kid watching an episode of MacGyver(?) and one of the characters was hiding a cache of gold in his toy store (in the display window no less) by having it recast into toy soldiers (ACW).

I think it was then that my love affair with this hobby started.
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Constable Bertrand on 14 June 2013, 06:24:44 AM
Well that is rather alarming, and Jack, that time lapse is fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

The good news for us 'scroungers' is that when the tin pest takes over there is still a way forward.
1. Buy some plastic american soldiers
2. paint them as SG1-6
3. Respray all your metal figures as hordes of 'replicators' ;)

remove any infected minis at once and hope for the best.

They are not "contagious" from my reading... Glitzer are you suggesting they are?
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Glitzer on 14 June 2013, 06:31:40 AM

They are not "contagious" from my reading... Glitzer are you suggesting they are?


The process is said to be self-catalytical, so I asume they are.

EDIT: Given all the other factors the catalytical sink of necessary activation energy might not be enough to "infect" minis made of proper alloys.
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: The Dozing Dragon on 14 June 2013, 11:46:39 PM
From what people have been telling me it is not a 'catching' process unless the 'infected' figure touches another one or 'spores' or dust pass onto another.
Title: Re: Lead Rot
Post by: Diceplague on 15 June 2013, 01:35:50 AM
From what people have been telling me it is not a 'catching' process unless the 'infected' figure touches another one or 'spores' or dust pass onto another.

I´m telling you... this lead rot is some bad ass voodoo shit man... I´m gonna start to clean my figs with blessed water and put a candle to stray bad mojo and evil spirits out of my workbench... :(